SUCCESS ON AUTISM

              As a part of celebration of World’s autism day, here is a message to parents and professionals who dedicate their lives in the development of children with autism.

Success on autism depends on

·        Early intervention

·        Space for environmental stimulation

·        Consistency in treatment/Parental support

Early Intervention

                      Early intervention is a method of finding out the risk of disability or delay in children and treating them at very young age. Symptoms of Autism usually start at 18 months of age. Mere observation of the child speech and play behavior, and if a difference is observed, undergoing a screening test for autism will usually give a better hope to maximize the positive impact of intervention. As infant brains are quite malleable, therapy as early as possible will help to boost up the potentials of learning that the brain has in order to limit the deleterious effects of autism. Another practical reason is, young children will not have any obligations like schools or any other classes and the whole day can be effectively spent for therapy and it is always easy to handle and shape the negative behaviors of a 2 year old when compared to 12 year old! 

Space for environmental stimulation

               A common strategy that is seen behind almost all of the children with autism is the lack of environmental opportunities for typical development. Due to the change in culture and work and lifestyle pressure, the parents and family members are failing in providing productive play opportunities for children. Most of the parents live in nuclear family, where the father or sometimes both the parents go for work and the child is left alone with the mother or in the maid’s hands. This blocks the child’s access for social interaction and masks the chance of observational / imitational learning, through which a child normally begins social/emotional development. The child might have been provided with lots of toys but no access of peer groups will only push the child towards social withdrawal which is the key feature of autism. Hence parents attention towards creating an environment, where the child has adequate opportunities for mingling with lots of children and adults and exposure to all sorts of play, will help in minimizing the effect of core features of Autism.

Consistency in treatment and parental support

               As Autism is considered as a developmental disorder, its management would also be developmental. Once the diagnosis for the Autism Spectrum Disorder is made, every second there on should be planned and directed towards intensive therapy. As a child with autism will show deficits in the areas of sensory motor, speech and social behavior, treatment strategies should be focused at the development of all these areas. Key to success lies in choosing and learning the effective treatment techniques and applying them consistently on all areas like home, school/work and society.  Since development happens at a wide range of time, parents should be motivated to provide the therapy opportunities and emotional support to the child, lifelong. Therapy for autism can never be given a fixed period say 1 year or 5 years. It must continue till the child or person with autism is able to lead a life independently.

Proper understanding of these concepts and continuous management with professional guidance will definitely help parents and individuals with autism to reach for the heights of success and happiness. On this special day, we wish all children with the spectrum to overcome their difficulties with a warm support from the society.