Having a basic understanding of what Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is all about will help us know how we can do better with our interaction and involvement with persons who have Autism. The term “spectrum” shows autism is not the same with people with autism, it differs.
Note: Autism is not a physical disability, so individuals with autism look like every other child. This can make it difficult for some people to understand the trait of an autistic person.
Many people with ASD are able to live independently, others need support in almost all aspects of their daily activities.
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What is Autism ?
Autism is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an individual’s communication, social / interaction skills and behaviours. This is a disability that is present throughout a lifespan. There is no cure for it but it can be managed through educational, behavioral and developmental approaches.
ASD in individuals differs, this also goes with the early signs they have before they are diagnosed.
For now there is no actual known cause of autism.
Signs of ASD in a child.
There are several signs to identify that a child has autism.
Symptoms are seen before the age of three.
Parents, guardians and caregivers are advised to go for a check up in order not to delay the child’s development stages.
The signs can be seen in a child’s sensory activities such as sound, touch, smell, impaired social interaction, limited communication, behavioral challenges, and a limited range of activities and interests, Lack of eye contact, speech problem, difficulty in maintaining conversation, not learning through observation, difficulty in understanding emotions, repetitive behaviours, stereotyped behaviours or to objects and places, losing previously acquired skills, oversensitivity to sounds, difficulty in using body language and
Having issues with maintaining relationships
We also have high pain tolerance, auditory hypersensitivity, tactile defensiveness (sensitive to touch), and they may exhibit “sensory seeking
behaviors” such as flapping, spinning, squeezing and crashing.
ASD and intellectual disability
Autism may be associated with intellectual disability. Sometimes, intellectual capacities of an individual can be affected.
Intellectual disability is observed through difficulties in reasoning, learning, paying attention, planning, memorizing or solving problems.
Treatment
ASD can’t be cured but through behavioral interventions like Applied Behaviour analysis(ABA) most of the skills needed for one to live can be learnt and it would also help in the overall development of the child.
