Child with autism

Research of Autism

By BANU & LAN

Diploma of Children Service, Wollongong TAFE, Illawarra Institute

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are lifelong developmental disabilities characterised by marked difficulties in social interaction, impaired communication, restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours and sensory sensitivities.

http://www.narda.org/  

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

The word ‘spectrum’ is used because the range and severity of the difficulties people with an ASD experience can vary widely. ASDs include autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder and atypical autism. Sometimes the word “autism” is used to refer to all ASDs.

http://www.autismspectrum.org.au/a2i1i1l237l113/what-is-autism.htm

Numbers of children known to Centrelink with a diagnosis of Autism or Asperger disorder by age grou

ps for the years 2003-20050-5 years old 2003 2004 2005

Autism Males 1937 2220 2560

Females 390 470 539

Total 2327 2690 3099

Asperger Males 100 170 215

Females 29 30 41

Total 129 200 256

ASD* Males 2037 2390 2775

Females 419 500 580

Total 2456 2890 3355

ABS* Population

Males 781027 780516 782303

Females 742485 741024 742903

Total 1523512 1521540 1525206

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2005. Population estimate for each year in June. 1 July 2003-June 2004 data

http://autismaus.com.au/uploads/pdfs/PrevalenceReport.pdf

“Studies show 1 in 160 Australians have an ASD and that it is more prevalent in males than females.’’

Autism has increasing…Autism has increase 172% in the 1990s. Why? This disorder that impairs

language and impedes social skills is becoming a rising phenomena that is affecting thousands of children, mainly males, in the world.

http://www.treatmentforautism.net/autism-statistics.html

Physicality? Children with autism

usually don’t look physically different from other children and there is no blood test to tell if a child is autistic, and is only diagnosed only by observing the child’s behaviour.

Autism Signs and Symptoms:

Signs of autism may appear during infancy and the disorder is usually diagnosed by the age of 3, though Sometimes the child's development appears normal until about 2 years old and then regresses rapidly. Symptoms of autism occur in various combinations, from mild to severe.

Infants with Autism

Displays abnormal reactions to sensory stimuli

Touches may be experienced as painful Smells may be overwhelmingly unpleasant Everyday noises may be painful Bright lights and loud noises such as a vacu

um cleaner may cause crying.

Other Symptoms of Autism in infants may include:

Appears indifferent to surroundings Appears content to be alone, happier to pla

y alone Displays lack of interest in toys Displays lack of response to others Marked reduction or increase in activity lev

el Resists affection

Symptoms of Autism in Children may include:

Avoids cuddling or touching Repeated behavioural outbursts and tantrums Inappropriate attachments to objects Maintains little or no eye contact Has no fear of danger Unusual vocabulary for child’s age or social grou

p Easily overwhelmed by social and other stimulatio

n Inability to cope with change or unstructured situ

ations

What is the cause of Autism

Basically the cause of autism is unknown. The disability results from abnormalities in brain structure or function and the underlying cause usually cannot be identified as yet, though research is on the rise.

What is the cause of Autism

Brain abnormalities can often result from: Generic (hereditary) Environmental factors, example exposure to toxi

ns Metabolic disorders, example serotonin deficien

cy Viral infections, example German measles Complications during pregnancy and delivery

What are the characteristics of Autism and how does it effect each

area of development?

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE:

Delayed language development Difficulties initiating and sustaining conversati

ons Stereotyped and repetitive use of language Limited imaginative or make-believe play difficulty with symbolic or abstract

language difficulty listening and following directions

when given to whole class.http://www.autismspectrum.org.au

The text Australian Autism Handbook written by O’Riely and Smith have included some of the lives of families who have Autistic children and one parent says-

“When my son was 18 months old, a friends brought her nine month-old baby round to our house. I had so much fun with the baby; there was constant communication between us. I realised that this was completely absent with my own little boy.” (Pg2)

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE:

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS/INTERACTIONS:

Autistic children’s relationships with their family members and peers range from in difference to others, though we must not assume that all children with Autism dislike social interactions, as some do.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS/INTERACTION

S:

Children with autism when avoiding social situations they tend to:

Limited use and understanding of non-verbal communication such as eye gaze, facial expression and gesture

Difficulties forming and sustaining friendships Lack of seeking to share enjoyment, interest and activities

with other people Lack of empathy - insensitivity to the feelings and

needs of others Difficulties with social and emotional responsiveness

In the book Australian Autism Handbook written by O’Riely and Smith (Pg 3) a mother of an Autistic child says-

“He didn’t respond to his own name; he didn’t understand a word we said to him; he had no speech what so ever- in fact he was pretty silent. He walked in circles and pushed chairs; he hand-flapped; he had poor eye contact and he ran away from people. He treated people like they were objects, walking over the top of them and climbing on them. He had a thing about switches.”

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS/INTERACTIONS:

IMAGINATION & CREATIVITY:

Limited in their imaginative play Enjoy lining up objects in a perfect line r

ather then playing imaginatively with them

Group objects according to colour or size.

IMAGINATION & CREATIVITY:

Restricted and repetitive interests, activities and behaviours

Unusually intense or focused interests Stereotyped and repetitive body movements suc

h as hand flapping, rocking and spinning Repetitive use of objects such as repeatedly flick

ing a doll’s eyes or lining up toys flicking hands or fingers in front of their eyes Adherence to non-functional routines such as in

sisting on traveling the same route home each day

http://www.autismspectrum.org.au/a2i1i1l237l113/what-is-autism.htm

Sensory processing implications:

Auditory system (hearing) e.g. makes sounds to screen out unwanted noise

Visual system (sight) e.g. sensitive to pulsations in lighting

Tactile system (touch) e.g. avoids touch or contact

Olfactory system (smell) e.g. dislike of strong smells such as perfume

Gustatory system (taste) e.g. only eats certain food.

Proprioceptive system (movement, one's own position) e.g. exerts too much pressure when handling objects

Autistic people often develop obsession with items and become very dependent upon certain routines, if there is a sudden change in that routine it can often cause major distress which often leads to tough behaviours.

http://www.helpyourautisticchildblog.com/category/autism-information

Useful Autism Information

Inclusive Practise

Parents to be included in the service and be cared for

observe children with additional needs rather than generalizing from their “additional needs’

Inclusive programmin

g

Relatives and friends

who are involved in the child’s

life

Provide an inclusive environment

Inclusive planImplementing& evaluating

Implementing Play Sessions for Autistic children and supporting families:

Playsession is an environment where we welcome families at all times providing them with support and a sense of belonging. In the http://autismspectrum.org website it discusses the advantages of implementing play sessions for Autistic children and it says-

“By presenting fun activities that involve manipulation of play materials, sensory experiences, construction, exploration of cause and effect, simple sequencing and patterning, you can help your child to begin to understand the numerous functions of objects. The focus of play sessions with your child will include early social and communication skills such as looking, attending, imitation of actions, joint sharing of attention and simple turn-taking.”

Implementing Play Sessions for Autistic children and supporting families:

My Time Groups in General

“My time groups provide local support for families caring for a young child under school age with a disability or a chronic medical condition. My Time gives families the chance to socialise and share ideas with others who understand the rewards and intensity of the caring role”. (O’Reilly & Smith,2008, P226)

My Time Groups:1800 889 997 www.mytime.net.au

My Time Groups in General

Parent “can meet with people in similar circumstances to have fun, swap information and find out about available community support. Research based parenting information is also available at group meetings. Each group has a play helper who can lead children in activities such as singing, drawing, playing with toys, blocks or sand so parents can spend time catching up with others”. (O’Reilly & Smith,2008, P226)

My Time Groups:1800 889 997 www.mytime.net.au

Interview with Mil

Mil is the mother of twins Mia and Adrian who are six, Adrian has Severe Autism, and Mil has kindly agreed to share her

life experience… She said: “I am graceful I have a beautiful boy!”

living with her autism children

Comments that are REALLY NOT HELPFUL:

“Well he looks alright to me” “Oh don’t worry about that, all children

… chew their clothes/tantrums/spin objects in front of their eyes, I wouldn’t worry too much”

“Is he talking yet?” “Can he sit and listen yet?”

(O’Reilly & Smith,2008, P182)

Comments that are REALLY HELPFUL:

“Why don’t you sit down and let me make you a cup of tea”

“You need a night out, show me what to do and I will babysit”

“I’m just dropping off this casserole for you, for now pop it in the freezer”

“I knew you would appreciate a nice bottle of wine/bar chocolate”

(O’Reilly & Smith,2008, P182)

Discussing Time

Share your feelings and ideas

AUTISM

Reference List

Benison O’Reilly and Seana Smith, 2008, Australian Autism Handbook – The essential resource guide for autism spectrum disorders. First Edition. Edgecliff NSW

http://www.narda.org/  http://www.autismspectrum.org.au http://autismaus.com.au/uploads/pdfs/PrevalenceReport.

pdf http://www.treatmentforautism.net/autism-statistics.html http://www.mytime.net.au http://www.helpyourautisticchildblog.com/category/autis

m-information