I feel as if I'm beginning a research paper for a college class! And I'm loving every minute of it! Oh how I miss those index cards with notes and references listed, the outline of important points I want to make, the dictionary and thesaurus waiting near by along with the ever-handy MLA handbook. Sure, I might have gotten stressed when it came to writing the paper at the last minute, and I often prolonged beginning my actual research because I was unsure how to begin...but I really do miss those days.
And here I am, writing a paper of sorts to share my research. Just like in college, I have no idea where to begin or which direction to go in first, which points to make early on and which ones can wait, or how to make my writing clear and concise as possible. Considering I'm rarely concise...I really don't think it's part of my genetic make-up...all I can hope for is clear and as uncomplicated as possible.
I'll start with basic definitions from Wikipedia in this post and branch out from there. I know, I know...you can look it up in Wikipedia yourselves, but I'm taking out some of the superfluous info (superfluous for my intent and purposes, anyway), adding a little info here and there and breaking it down into more manageable bites.
Take a big breath and let's get started....
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ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) according to Wikipedia is:
a spectrum of psychological conditions characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviour.
What's that? Clear as mud? Let me continue. (And anyone out there who is a professional or has more knowledge than I do on this subject and sees a mistake in my definitions/explanations, please speak up and correct me! The last thing I want to do is pass on incorrect information!)
Autism is a very confusing condition and the spectrum is such a wide one with children at one end who are truly locked into their own little world to the other end with children, such as Emerson, who just need help learning social rules. And, of course, there are all sorts of children in between. I read something recently in one of my books that said that autistic children are like fingerprints...no two are alike. I like that analogy. Each child will have his or her own specific characteristics, with varying degrees of severity within those characteristics, unique to him or her alone.
Parents usually notice signs during the first two or three years of the child's life. Sometimes these signs are quite obvious as developmental milestones are missed, but other times the signs can be very subtle--as in the case of high-functioning children--and can be mistaken for a number of other disorders or overlooked altogether. Being familiar with the characteristics is helpful, of course, although not many parents read up n this kind of thing "just in case!"
What are the characteristics of spectrum disorders? Again, from Wikipedia:
The defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorders are qualitative impairments of social communication and interaction, along with restricted and repetitive activities and interests.
Let's take these each in turn and look at them a little closer.
1) Social Communication
Some children on the autism spectrum are unable to communicate verbally or have a speech impairment that prevents them from communicating sufficiently to have their needs met. They might not babble as early as other infants do and, as they grow, their babbling might be less frequent, their words not as diverse or they might not be able to put together word combinations to the extent of other toddlers their age. Autistic children are less likely to make requests and often repeat the words they hear another say (this is called echolalia...I'll talk about it later). They don't understand gestures as readily as others do. For example, they will look at the pointing hand instead of the object the hand is pointing too. They, themselves, will fail to point at an object to communicate a want or need. People on the autism spectrum will also have difficulty understanding figurative language, both comprehension and inference. They might not understand jokes and also might take things quite literally when they are said.
Ex. Someone telling them "Dinner is on me!" might cause the autistic person to start looking the other person over to see where the dinner is on them.
Working with children with communication problems can help improve the situation. Their development might be much slower than other children, and they might not ever be up to par with others their age, but they can learn to use language and gestures effectively in our social world.
2) Social Interaction
People on the spectrum often lack the intuition about other people that many of us take for granted. They have trouble reading body language and facial expressions; they are unable to pick up social cues that might signal someone is bored by what they are saying or that the other person might be getting angry by their actions. The unusual social development might become apparent as early as infancy in some spectrum children. From Wikipedia:
Autistic infants show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others less often, and respond less to their own name. Autistic toddlers differ more strikingly from social norms; for example, they have less eye contact and turn taking, and do not have the ability to use simple movements to express oneself, such as the deficiency to point at things. Three- to five-year-old autistic children are less likely to exhibit social understanding, approach others spontaneously, imitate and respond to emotions, communicate nonverbally, and take turns with others. However, they do form attachments to their primary caregivers.
One of the earliest signals to parents that something might be amiss with their baby is the lack of smiles despite all of mom's and dad's efforts to make baby laugh, or if their baby stares at a wall or an object instead of a human face. It's very important to share any observations of this nature with a pediatrician so the baby's development, or lack thereof, can be monitored. Early intervention can make a huge difference!
As autistic children age and their peers are forming friendships, they might start feeling lonely. Friendships are difficult as there is a lot involved that might be confusing for an autistic child. You have to be able to communicate effectively, be able to understand emotions, read facial expressions and body gestures, interpret various tones of voice, have knowledge of socially acceptable behavior in a variety of situations, understand that different sorts of friendships require certain behaviors that are considered appropriate for that unique relationship, learn about conversational give-and-take, know how to share belongings, be willing to cooperate..and so on. Everything we take for granted and everything that comes naturally to us as we meet new people and form new friendships has to be learned by someone on the spectrum. Maintaining a friendship for them is much more work than it is for the typical person.
3) Repetitive Behavior
Individuals on the autism spectrum may display a wide and various array of repetitive behavior as well as restrictive behavior. It's easier just to, once again, quote Wikipedia:
Stereotypy is repetitive movement, such as hand flapping, making sounds, head rolling, or body rocking.
Compulsive behavior is intended and appears to follow rules, such as arranging objects in stacks or lines.
Sameness is resistance to change; for example, insisting that the furniture not be moved or refusing to be interrupted.
Ritualistic behavior involves an unvarying pattern of daily activities, such as an unchanging menu or a dressing ritual.
Restricted behavior is limited in focus, interest, or activity, such as preoccupation with a single television program, toy, or game.
Self-injury includes movements that injure or can injure the person, such as eye poking, skin picking, hand biting, and head banging.
Those are the three umbrella categories that most of the characteristics fall under. There are, of course, other characteristics and symptoms. For example, what do you think of when someone mentions an autistic person? Rain Man? Only .5% to 10% of autistic individuals show an unusual aptitude for a splinter skill (a talent for something that is scaled/rated considerably higher over their overall performance) or are true autistic savants. Most have ordinary mental aptitudes, just like the rest of us. Sensory processing issues, however, can be found in 90% of those that fall somewhere on the spectrum. An estimated 60-80% experience motor problems such as poor muscle tone, toe walking, and poor motor planning. Unusual eating habits, particularly highly selective eating, occurs in three quarters of children with ASD. This characteristic ties in to the Ritualistic Behavior in the Repetitive category above. The child might only eat yellow vegetables, or refuse to eat anything red, or only except oatmeal with raisins for breakfast.
Some people think of violent, uncontrollable behavior when autism is brought up. Temper tantrums and outbursts can and do occur. They can range from a short burst of angry expression to the much dreaded complete meltdown. Children who experience these outbursts might also hit, kick, bite, hurt themselves or destroy objects. It is not a result of the child being naughty or a sign of their being spoiled by their parents, although many parents of autistic children hear this accusation. The world is a very frustrating place for the autistic child. There are noises, smells, colors and bright lights, and so much more that can be confusing and overwhelming. There is a lot out there that they have to process and try to understand. Tantrums and meltdowns are often the result of a high frustration level being reached or being overstimulated by a situation to the extent that the child no longer feels in control. It is important to remember that these outbursts are not the fault of the parent or the child; they are the body's way of saying "I've reached my limit." The child should never be punished for having a tantrum or meltdown. After all, it is not a way for the child to get his or her way as a tantrum of the average child is meant to do...these are an autistic child's cry for help. (Sometimes, a meltdown might start as a tantrum to get there way, but it reaches a point where the child is no longer able to "turn back" and ends up losing control...that's when it turns into a meltdown.)
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Well, are you all still with me? This was a pretty big bite to chew off, wasn't it? And remember when I said I was just giving you brief descriptions at the start? I meant it!! There is so much more I could have added here; so much more that I've read and learned. I still want to share with all of you how Emerson fits in to each of these areas...but I'll save that for later posts.
The next post I write in regards to trying to help you understand the basics of ASD will be about the various Classifications and the presumed Causes...including one much talked about cause that I've discovered has no supportive evidence to link it to autism. Can you guess what it is?
If I have time, I might bring up a little of its history as well as other diseases for which autism is misdiagnosed as.
Thanks for staying me, everyone! I know this is a lot to digest!
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