Thursday, October 4, 2007

Little bit about Autism

What is Autism?


Children and adults who have an autism spectrum disorder look the same as other people, and due to the invisible nature of their disability it can be much harder to create awareness and understanding.


Autism and Asperger syndrome still remain relatively unknown disabilities among the general population. Yet it is estimated that autism spectrum disorders are approximately four times as common as cerebral palsy and 17 times as common as Down's syndrome.

What is an Autism Spectrum Disorder?


An Autism Spectrum Disorders is a life-long developmental disability affecting social and communication skills. People with the disability can also have accompanying learning disabilities; but, whatever their general level of intelligence, everyone with the condition shares a difficulty in making sense of the world.


Because of the differing degrees of severity and variety of manifestations, the term Autism Spectrum Disorder is often used to describe the whole range.


This term includes Asperger syndrome, which is a form of autism at the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum. People with Asperger syndrome are of average (or higher) intelligence and generally have fewer problems with language, often speaking fluently, though their words can sometimes sound formal and ideas which are abstract, metaphorical or idiomatic may cause confusion and be taken literally. Unlike individuals with 'classic' autism, who often appear withdrawn and uninterested in the world around them, many people with Asperger syndrome try hard to be sociable and do not dislike human contact. However, they still find it hard to understand non-verbal signals, including facial expressions.



What causes the condition?


The exact cause or causes is/are still unknown but research shows that genetic factors are important. In many cases Autism Spectrum Disorder may also be associated with various conditions affecting the brain such as; maternal rubella, tuberous sclerosis and encephalitis.


Onset is almost always from birth or before age three, although people with the condition may go through life without being diagnosed - and without receiving help that could help them live more fulfilled lives.



Who is affected?


"Classic" autism affects four times as many boys as girls; Asperger syndrome affects nine times as many boys as girls. It is found among all races, nationalities, and social classes
Can people with autism spectrum disorders be helped?


An autism spectrum disorder is a life-long disability, but there are ways of helping, especially if a child is diagnosed early and receives appropriate intervention early in life.

Special education programmes and structured support can really make a difference to a child's life, helping to maximise skills and achieve full potential in adulthood. An early diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder is essential in order to ensure appropriate support is given

How common are Autism Spectrum Disorders?


1 person in 100 has an Autism Spectrum Disorder, this includes people who have Asperger syndrome.


The figure include people at the higher functioning end of the spectrum who may not need specialist services and support, but who will still benefit from early recognition and sympathetic understanding of their special needs and unusual pattern of skills.



Recognising the disorder


Features of the disorder can vary widely from one person to another; there is no single feature that defines either autism or Asperger syndrome.


For example, a child with an autism spectrum disorder may make eye contact, speak with perfect grammar or put an arm around another child who is crying. Occasional behaviour such as this doesn't exclude an autism spectrum disorder; it's the overall pattern that's relevant, not the intermittent flashes of "normality".


The degree to which people with an autism spectrum disorder are affected varies, but all those affected have impairments in social interaction, social communication and imagination. This is known as the "triad of impairments".




Social interaction

People with autism spectrum disorders have difficulties with social relationships. They may, for example, appear aloof and indifferent to other people or passively accept social contact, even showing some signs of pleasure in this, but rarely making spontaneous approaches
Social communication

People with an autism spectrum disorder also have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, for example not fully understanding the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tones of voice.

Imagination


There are difficulties in the development of play and imagination, for example children do not develop creative "let's pretend" play in the way other children do. They have a limited range of imaginative activities, possibly copied and pursued rigidly and repetitively.


Children and adults tend to focus on minor or trivial things around them - an earring rather than the person wearing it, the wheel of a toy rather than the car itself. They also tend to miss the point of pursuits involving words, such as social conversation, literature, especially fiction, and subtle verbal humour



Repetitive behaviours


In addition to this triad, repetitive behaviour patterns are a notable feature, as is a resistance to changes in routine. People with autism spectrum disorders often become obsessed with particular objects or behaviours, focussing on them to the exclusion of everything else



Sensory Issues


People with an Autism Spectrum Disorder may have "sensory issues" or a difference in sensory integration, where they can be either hyposensitive or hypersensitive to outside stimuli.

This means that a person can be very sensitive to particular sounds, light, smells and touch etc. Particular sensations may be very absorbing and pleasurable, others may be perceived as unbearably intense, stressful and even painful. The anticipation of such an experience can lead to extreme anxiety or panic. There may also be a lack of sensitivity and therefore response to pain. These type of experiences can often be very bewildering to parents, teachers and other ‘neurotypicals’.



Special abilities


Some people with autism spectrum disorders, who may be severely disabled in most ways, will sometimes display talent for say, music, mathematics or technology. Some have a remarkable memory for dates and things that particularly interest them
What do I do if I suspect an autism spectrum disorder?


If you suspect an autism spectrum disorder is present, have the person referred (or suggest they ask) for a specialist diagnosis and assessment as early as possible through a doctor. If possible get a referral to clinical psychologist.



Thursday, September 20, 2007

Has anyone heard of Chitra Lane School in Colombo?

While searching for autism therapy centres or schools in Sri Lanka I came across Chitra Lane School in Colombo.

On the website of Autism Sri Lanka I read:

"The Chitra Lane School in Colombo is one of only a handful of schools in Sri Lanka who have any sort of expertise on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome - they even employ speech therapists. We urge you to support this school, please access their website and why not fund the education of an autistic child in Sri Lanka - particularly children who come from underprivileged families who do not have access to funds to educate their children. This school is a real example when it comes to Special Needs Education."

The website of the school is given as http://www.chitralane.org which is dysfunctional.

If anyone has any info on this school, could you please pass them on to us so that we can provide it for our visitors?

Sri Lanka being a good neighbour of Maldives, we call upon Sri Lankan visitors to web blog to provide information about diagnosis facilities and therapy programs in Sri Lanka.

Research: Does Television Cause Autism?

A fascinating study from Cornell used some interesting data to identify a potential connection between autism and television watching among children under 3-years-old.
At birth, the human brain is still preparing for full operation. As a child learns, synapses literally form between neurons in the brain. Less used synapses fall away while frequently used ones become permanent.

The road map for the human brain is developed in the first few years after birth. Given that we as a species evolved in a three-dimensional world, researchers wondered if brain development might be harmed in toddlers plopped down in front of two-dimensional TV screens.

They looked at four US states where cable TV was introduced around 1980 and compared autism rates between counties that had cable and those that did not. There isn't a perfect way to gauge TV watching, but Nickelodeon debuted in 1979 as the first kid-oriented station. Their belief is that TV viewing among kids was lower prior to 1980.

(Aside from Saturday morning cartoons and reruns of I Love Lucy when I was 5-years-old, I can attest to the completely boring nature of daytime TV. I did not watch soap operas with my mother. After school cartoons came later.)

Next, they gauged time spent watching TV with the idea that kids watch more TV on rainy and snowy days, and so they compared weather between the counties. They found a statistically significant rise in autism in counties with cable, and the more time spent watching TV, the more likely kids were to exhibit autism disorders.

The researchers concluded, "roughly 17 percent of the growth in autism in California and Pennsylvania during the 1970s and 1980s was due to the growth in cable television." They don't claim TV is the cause of autism, but that it is a "critical piece of evidence."

The researchers couldn't rule out potentially related factors, such as the known issue that indoor air quality is often worse than outdoors. Kids watching TV presumably do it indoors.

This research comes with a BIG HOWEVER. The Slate article and other news reports I've looked at do not state that the research has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The research will be presented on Friday at a conference of the National Bureau of Economic Research. The university researchers are not medical; their specialty seems to be economics and business management. Though, their research is largely statistical and analytical in nature.

I agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends children under 2-years-old not be exposed to television. I don't own any children's videos and our TV comes on only after our daughter has gone to bed. I expect there have been challenges in not having a TV to baby-sit her for short periods of time, but never having known any other way, I'm blissfully ignorant. If anything, my daughter has honed her ability to entertain herself when mom or dad has to get some work done.

(Incidentally, I turned down an offer yesterday for a review copy of, for all practical purposes, a very nice toy designed for the 9 to 36 month age range because it is to be used in conjunction with a DVD player and TV.)

Source: http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2006/10/research_does_t.html