{"id":70117,"date":"2017-09-26T16:27:37","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T23:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=70117"},"modified":"2017-09-26T16:27:37","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T23:27:37","slug":"understanding-autism-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2017\/09\/26\/understanding-autism-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Autism"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

The word autism was coined by the Swiss Psychiatrist Eugine Bleuler in\u00a01910. In 1938, Hans Asperger of the Vienna University Hospital adopted\u00a0Bleuler\u2019s terminology and in 1981 the Clinical Community widely\u00a0recognized Autism as a separate diagnosis. Autism is classified as a\u00a0Pervasive Developmental Disorder affecting young children and adults\u00a0in which impaired development in communication, social interaction and\u00a0behaviour are more pronounced. The degree of autism can range from\u00a0mild to severe.<\/p>\n

According to the DSM4 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental\u00a0Disorders) the essential features of Autistic Disorder are the\u00a0presence of markedly abnormal or impaired development in social\u00a0interaction and communication and a markedly restricted repertoire of\u00a0activity and interests. Manifestations of the disorder vary greatly\u00a0depending on the developmental level and age of the individual.<\/p>\n

What causes Autism?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some researches have speculated the genetic basis in Autism. Although\u00a0some have queried childhood vaccines as the causing agent the vaccine\u00a0hypotheses lack any convincing scientific evidence. Therefore,\u00a0contemporary views deny the vaccine theory.<\/p>\n

There have been numerous studies and theories about the cause of\u00a0Autism. Researchers believe it is multifactoral. Abnormal development\u00a0of the brain inborn errors of metabolism and viral effects are under\u00a0speculation. Recent studies have found that the gene for at least one\u00a0kind of familial autism may be on chromosome 13. The holistic view\u00a0highlights combination of environmental (including infections, toxins,\u00a0nutrition) and genetic factors contribute to the development of\u00a0autism.<\/p>\n

The prevalence of Autism<\/strong><\/p>\n

The prevalence of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder is about 6 per 1,000\u00a0people with about four times as many boys as girls. (Rutter M 2005).\u00a0Higher numbers of cases have been reported since 1980 may be due to\u00a0awareness and sophisticated diagnostic tools, but some point out\u00a0environmental pollution and a higher range of artificial chemicals in\u00a0food affects the genetic factor. Autism can cause structural and\u00a0functional changes in the brain. Therefore, symptoms tend to continue\u00a0through adulthood.<\/p>\n

Risk Factors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Autism affects children of all races and nationalities. Studies show\u00a0that boys are three to four times more likely to develop autism than\u00a0girls are. Families who have one child with autism have an increased\u00a0risk of having another child with the disorder. Research increasingly\u00a0suggests that having an older father may increase a child\u2019s risk of\u00a0autism. One large study showed that children born to men 40 years or\u00a0older were almost six times more likely to have autism spectrum\u00a0disorder than were children born to men younger than 30 years.<\/p>\n

Main features of Autism<\/strong><\/p>\n

Autism typically appears during the first three years of life.\u00a0Autistic children show less attention to social stimuli, a reciprocal\u00a0smile, (often not responding to their names), less attachment towards\u00a0their caregivers, meagre eye contact. Sometimes Autism is associated\u00a0with aggression, destruction of property, and tantrums .Children with\u00a0a history of language impairment can go into tantrums quite\u00a0frequently. Autistic children can display many forms of stereotyped\u00a0(hand flapping, head rolling, or body rocking), compulsive behaviour\u00a0(follow strict rules such as arranging objects, resistance to change),\u00a0repetitive behaviour, ritualistic behaviour and restricted behaviour\u00a0(limited in focus, interest, or activity)\u00a0Autistic children fail to form the normal social contacts. Affected\u00a0behaviours can include facial expressions and body postures as well.\u00a0Although Autistic individuals demonstrate affection and bonding may\u00a0differ from others, many are capable of exhibiting in their own way.\u00a0They find difficult to develop normal peer and sibling relationships.\u00a0Habitually the child seems isolated. Affected children have little\u00a0interest in normal age-appropriate activities. Deficits in language\u00a0comprehension include the inability to understand simple directions,\u00a0questions, or commands. Sometimes hypersensitivity to sensory input\u00a0through vision, hearing, or touch is associated.<\/p>\n

How to Diagnose<\/strong><\/p>\n

A qualified child Psychiatrist must make the diagnosis after a series\u00a0of clinical observations. Early diagnosis is important because early\u00a0intervention can be recommended. Comprehensive assessment and\u00a0evaluation must be done to establish the diagnosis and determine the\u00a0level of deviation.<\/p>\n

Treatment of Autism<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no magic bullet for the treatment of Autism. Treatment models\u00a0are designed for the educational and clinical settings. Treatment\u00a0options may include different modes.<\/p>\n

Behavioural and communication therapies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Behaviour analysis should be done via careful longitudinal and\u00a0sometime surreptitious observations. Behaviour analysis would help the\u00a0therapist to modify the erroneous behaviour. Modification of the\u00a0environment would help the child to minimize unwanted and disturbing\u00a0stimuli. Creating a safety environment around the child is essential.<\/p>\n

Some autistic children have accident-prone features. The child should\u00a0be exposed to favourable stimuli that would enhance his communication\u00a0skills and cognitive development. Behaviour modifications focus on\u00a0reducing problem behaviours and teaching new skills. Other programmes\u00a0focus on teaching children how to act in social situations or how to\u00a0communicate better with other people.<\/p>\n

Speech Therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some autistic children lack marked impairment in speech and language\u00a0skills. Speech and language therapies have been developed to address\u00a0the range of social and language difficulties associated with autism.<\/p>\n

The chief focus of skill development for children with autism is\u00a0communication because it is the most pervasive area of developmental\u00a0delay. Communication is most crucial for socialization and cognitive\u00a0development, and it relates to the occurrence of problem behaviours.<\/p>\n

Instruction in communication is designed to provide a generative tool\u00a0that will serve many immediate needs throughout the child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Drug therapies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes medication has been prescribed to control repetitive and\u00a0aggressive behaviours. Medication should be prescribed by a qualified\u00a0Physician after intricate clinical analysis.<\/p>\n

Educational therapies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Children with autism often respond well to highly structured educationprograms. These educational programmes are geared to improve reading\u00a0skills, writing skills and develop mathematical ability. Children with\u00a0autism often respond well to highly structured education programmes.<\/p>\n

Successful programmes often include a team of specialists and a\u00a0variety of activities to improve social skills, communication and\u00a0behaviour.<\/p>\n

Educational Psychologists advise autistic children should be placed in\u00a0a mainstreamed classroom to absorb vicarious learning from the healthy\u00a0children and minimize social discrimination. Apart from the normal\u00a0educational programme, autistic children need extra lesions and\u00a0special educational therapy. In educational therapeutic environment\u00a0autistic children are benefited by Speech language therapy, Social\u00a0skills therapy, Occupational therapy, Sensory Integration therapy and<\/p>\n

Integrated Cognitive therapy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Art and Music Therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Autistic children have aesthetic skills that can be aroused in\u00a0therapeutic settings for growth promotion. Art Therapy provides them\u00a0to express themselves creatively and artistically, using a wide\u00a0variety of art materials. The power of music should not be undermined\u00a0in the treatment. It can be used as a healer, relaxation mode and to\u00a0reduce impulsivity.<\/p>\n

Play therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Play therapy enhances autistic children\u2019s own interests or obsessions\u00a0to develop relationships and social\/communication skills. Various\u00a0colourful toys can be used to pick the child\u2019s interest and attention.<\/p>\n

Play therapy builds reciprocal skills, imaginative skills and\u00a0sometimes-abstract thinking skills (putting together puzzles, solving\u00a0problems) give knowledge and enjoyment as well.<\/p>\n

Diet and Vitamin Therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a complementary approach, some researchers recommend diet,\u00a0vitamins, and minerals to affected children. Professor Vevskaya a\u00a0researcher in Spectrum Disorders recommends natural food supplements\u00a0without artificial ingredients for Autistic children since food\u00a0allergies can negatively affect the metabolism. Some Australian\u00a0researchers too concur and in addition, recommend natural bees honey\u00a0as a good food source for these children.<\/p>\n

How to ease parental stress<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parents are often devastated when they hear that the child is being\u00a0diagnosed with Autism. Parents too need counselling on how to cope\u00a0with an autistic child and they should be taught how to enjoy the\u00a0child\u2019s ongoing success and not to compare him with other children,\u00a0not to be over vigilant about child\u2019s behaviour in public. With\u00a0appropriate treatment and guidance the child can successfully become\u00a0himself which is worth to them the whole wide world.<\/p>\n

Autistic children can be trained as fun lovers. Sitting and cuddling\u00a0together, tickling, hugging give more warmth, affection and ease to\u00a0the parents rather than thinking and suffering. Other families\u00a0struggling with the challenges of autism can be a source of useful\u00a0advice. Many communities have support groups for parents and siblings\u00a0of children with autism. Do not regard other people\u2019s opinions and\u00a0comments. The autistic child has a mind of his own even enjoying the\u00a0childishness of his autistic behaviour would give more satisfaction\u00a0and stress release to the parent.<\/p>\n

Parents are the best Teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Autistic individuals must be taught how to communicate and interact\u00a0with others. Parents of an autistic child must continually educate\u00a0themselves and help the child to develop. Parents are the best mentors\u00a0if trained properly to handle autistic children.<\/p>\n

Gifted Features in Autism<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every person on the autism spectrum is unique. About 10% of people\u00a0with autism have some form of gifted features such as memorizing\u00a0lists, calculating calendar dates, drawing, or musical ability. The\u00a0famous Hollywood movie Rain Man (starring Dustin Hoffman) narrates a\u00a0series of gifted and specific abilities of an Autistic person.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the parents should discover and improve the stereotyped\u00a0gifted feature in the child rather than comparing and judging him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge The word autism was coined by the Swiss Psychiatrist Eugine Bleuler in\u00a01910. In 1938, Hans Asperger of the Vienna University Hospital adopted\u00a0Bleuler\u2019s terminology and in 1981 the Clinical Community widely\u00a0recognized Autism as a separate diagnosis. Autism is classified as a\u00a0Pervasive Developmental Disorder affecting young children and adults\u00a0in which impaired development […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-ruwan-m-jayatunge-m-d"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70117\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}