A guide to being a parent to a child with Autism

“People with autism can’t live in the ‘real’ world – they’re in their own little world.”

If you are a parent to the child with autism or on the autism spectrum, you may wonder “Why me, what did I do to deserve this?” There are no good answers to this question even though more and more children are diagnosed with autism each year.

Instead of focusing on why your child has autism, you will find that life will become much easier if you can learn to live a day at a time and find ways to handle your child’s troubles. For that, understanding autism spectrum disorder will be your first step.

What is autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects a child’s ability to socialize and communicate with others. ASD can also result in restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities.

Also Read: Ways to assess early autism symptoms, even before your child turns one

The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of autism symptoms, skills and levels of impairment or disability that children with ASD can have. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms of autism, while others are severely disabled.

Below given are a few common symptoms of autism :

Social Communication

• Limited use of gestures such as giving, showing, waving, clapping, pointing, or nodding their head
• Delayed speech or no social babbling/chatting
• Makes odd sounds or has an unusual tone of voice
• Difficulty using eye contact, gestures, and sounds or words all at the same time
• Little or no pretending or imitating of other people
• Stopped using words that they used to say
• Uses another person’s hand as a tool (e.g., putting parent’s hand on a jar for them to open the lid)

Social Interaction

• Does not look right at people or hard to get them to look at you
• Does not share warm, joyful expressions
• Does not respond when someone calls their name
• Does not draw your attention to things or show you things they’re interested in
• Does not share enjoyment or interests with others

Also Read: How to raise an autistic child

Repetitive Behaviors & Restricted Interests

• Unusual ways of moving their hands, fingers, or whole body
• Develops rituals such as lining objects up or repeating things over and over
• Very focused on or attached to unusual kinds of objects such as strips of cloth, wooden spoons, rocks, vents, or doorstops
• Excessive interest in particular objects, actions, or activities that interferes with social interaction
• Unusual sensory interests such as sniffing objects or looking out of the corner of their eye
• Over- or under-reaction to certain sounds, textures, or other sensory input

These could be possible red flags or early signs of autism that may help you to find children at risk of this disorder, and in need of a diagnostic evaluation.

Diagnosing autism

Autism is generally diagnosed when the child is around 3 years of age as this is when the symptoms become apparent. Diagnosis of autism involves a physical examination, an evaluation of family medical history, and a basic communication skills test for children. Post diagnosis, autism treatment methods are prescribed depending on the severity and progression of the condition.

Autism Treatment

Many treatment plans exist for autism, and each is tailored to every child’s unique needs. These can consist of medications, therapy or both. Many therapists work closely with autistic children, using a variety of therapies to help increase their social and communication skills.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is treated and managed in several ways:

• Education and development, including specialized classes and skills training, time with therapists and other specialists
• Behavioral treatments, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA)
• Medication for co-occurring symptoms, combined with therapy
• Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as supplements and changes in diet

Sooner you start the treatment for autism, better will be the results. For safer, effective, and long-lasting treatment, you can take help of homeopathy. To know more about homeopathy treatment for autism, read on: https://www.drbatras.com/autism-what-happens-after-homeopathic-treatment