REACh: Autism

Autism

Autism has never been easy to explain. Psychologist, Leo Kanner, separated this condition from others and coined the term, infantile autism in 1943.

The word ‘autism’ comes from the Greek words – ‘aut’, which means ‘self’ and ‘ism’, which implies ‘orientation or state’. Autism is then the condition of somebody who is unusually absorbed in himself or herself. It is a life-long disability seemingly affecting areas of the brain that control understanding, emotion, speech and gesticulation, and the general ability to interact socially.

The signs or symptoms of autism generally appear during early childhood. Autistic children, if unattended, can become so withdrawn that they have difficulty in developing normal social and emotional relationships with the people around them, and in comprehending and being fully aware of their environment as a result of their mental deficiencies. Normal development of communication is inhibited and speech is delayed or developed abnormally. As a result of this failure to cope with people and situations, the child is slow in play and social interaction. When the development of social skills is retarded, the autistic child appears to be odd in the areas of self-growth, family orientation and interaction in society.

An autistic child tends to resist change and is often upset when something new is introduced to him or her. Therefore, ritualistic use of objects, odd and repetitive behaviour, and obsession with objects are usual. More often than not, the child is hyperactive and does not know when to stop. Prolonged temper tantrums and screaming fits are very common.

Child autism frequently occurs with other disorders, including mental retardation. It affects four times as many boys as girls. Other than this gender bias, there appears to be no other pre-disposing traits such as social class or race. Autism varies from mild, moderate to severe. Based on recent studies, autism globally affects 10-15 children per 10,000 children.

Some Facts Regarding Autism

Features of autism usually appear during the first
three years of life.

Autism affects 10 to 15 of every 10,000 births of all racial, ethnic and social backgrounds.

Autism is four to five times more common in males than females.

Approximately 75% of autistic children are mentally retarded.

Females with autism exhibit more severe mental retardation.

About a third of all individuals with autism develop seizures – it can also occur with other conditions such as deafness, Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome.

People with autism vary widely in abilities, intelligence levels and behavioural characteristics.

The actual cause of autism is not yet known but researchers believe that it probably has physiological causes induced by chemical imbalances in the brain. Other probable causes include genetic defects, pre-natal predisposition, serious psychological influences in early childhood, or a multiple combination of the above factors. A current controversy in the United Kingdom implicates a vaccination regime given to children and the accompanying bowel irritation.

The Behavioural Characteristics Of An Autistic Child (from Kanner) are:

1. Marked inability to establish social relation.

2. Failure to use language normally for the purpose of communication.

3. Obsessive desire to maintain sameness or a routine.

4. Fascination for objects (intense curiosity).

5. Good cognitive potential.

These characteristics appear in the child before the age of 30 months

Differences In Features Between An Autistic And A Normal Child
(adopted from Dahlgren and Gillberg, 1989)

COMMUNICATION
(Autistic Children)	(Normal Children)
Difficulty with imitating movements	No difficulty at all in imitating
Lack of attempt to attract adult’s attention	Ever ready to attract attention
Lack of smile when expected	Smile naturally and when expected
Lack of play with other children	Eager to play without any problem
Content to be alone	Always looking forward to interact with friends
Over-excitement when tickled	Able to behave naturally
PLAY
Play only with hard objects	Play with anything
Attachment to odd objects	No special attachment to any odd object
Bizarre visual inspection of objects, patterns and movements	Able to observe objects, patterns and movements as they are
SELF-REGULATION
Severe problems with sleep	No problems with sleep at all
Variability of behaviour (inconsistent behaviour)	Normal behaviour (consistent behaviour)
No reaction to cold	Normal response
Dislike to be disturbed, and prefers to be in his or her own world	Natural desire in wanting to interact with others
Strong occupation with self when left alone	Prefer to make friends and have them around
SENSORY FUNCTIONS
Strange reactions to sound	Natural response to all sounds
Isolation from surroundings	Like to be in the midst of surroundings
Suspicion of a hearing deficit or deafness	Able to hear very clearly
Empty gaze	Able to focus, observe and pay attention

All these disabilities and abnormalities associated with autism may lead to the depressing conclusion that nothing can be done about it. However, research and practice have demonstrated that treatment for autism is possible by means of educational and social intervention, applied skillfully and correctly, can reduce and mitigate many of the problems associated with autism. The REACh method supports this, as shown in our own studies and practice we have accumulated from 20 years of work with autistic children. To contact us for more information about our work, please click here.