Understanding Autism

Imagining the horror of a parent who has an autistic child with Corona Virus. I read of a mother whose little daughter in Hubei China is borderline autistic and has been diagnosed with coronavirus. My heart wrenches to read such news. Having an autistic child in the family probably enables me to empathise more, but it is indeed terrifying for the family.

Recent studies by some researchers at the University of Central Florida have led to the discovery that the consumption of processed foods by expectant mothers affects the developing foetal brain and may also be linked to autism.

Read this science daily article to know more>>>> https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190620121415.htm

Choosing the right school for a child is a tough decision. But when the child is differently-abled and has special needs, making the decision becomes even trickier. We help you find some answers.

I really wish more people understood what autism really means. People label children with Autism and that further diminishes theirs and their parents' confidence. Why do we fail to become more empathetic of the person?
The reason primarily is lack of awareness and to some extent apathy from other people and it is high time we change that attitude.

In a country which boasts of unity in diversity, how unified are our efforts in ensuring an inclusive society for the disabled? Dr Mithu Alur speaks to ParentCircle on this.

What is the earliest that a child can be diagnosed with autism? Are there any visible symptoms which will help parents take the first step?

Little is talked about the stress parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience.
There are many factors that enhance stress of parents of children with ASD: behavioural problems (such as tantrums, aggression, and noncompliance), lack of self-care, poor sleeping patterns, hyperactivity, language problems, and limits on family functioning and mobility. They frequently face burnout and can additionally be burdened with depression or anxiety. Parents may even isolate themselves to avoid social stigma and being blamed for poor parenting when out in public.
Parents of children with ASD can take the following steps in reducing their stress:
Join online or face-to-face communities or support groups to help cope with the stress, receive emotional support, and gain information about additional resources.
Expose your child to social situations (such as supermarkets, malls, etc.) and help them learn social skills, and teach them to function in such environments.
Ask for friends and family members for help.
Practice self-care. Remember, you cant pour from an empty cup!
Find out about special educators or special needs schools in your locality. Enrol your child for occupational therapy or Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). ABA helps identify triggers and reduces problem behaviour.
Speak to a mental health professional, such as a clinical psychologist, to deal with your own anxiety, depression, or marital issues.

For any parent, coming to terms with their child having autism (Autistic Spectrum Disorder or ASD) is never easy. When their child is first diagnosed, some parents react with sadness and shock, some anger, and some others may feel a deep sense of loss and pain. You may revisit these feelings from time to time in the future- the journey of acceptance is never linear. Part of moving ahead is dealing with your own needs and feelings along the way. Remember that the best possible way to take care of your child is to take care of yourself first.
Parents of children with ASD need to examine their own strengths, coping skills, or resources to be able to deal with and accept the diagnosis. You may be overwhelmed and not know where to start, or you may be busy compiling a list of to-dos to meet your childs needs. However, it is important to routinely focus on yourself and consider your own needs.
In order to take care of your own needs and be able to move toward acceptance of the diagnosis, here are a few things you may consider:
What are my strengths? What are the strengths of my family? How could I/we leverage these strengths to best help my child? For example, you could have an understanding older sibling or a work-from-home option that could help in making the visits to occupational or speech therapy easier.
Which people in my life (friends, family) could I lean on for support? For example, you may have a friend who you could call anytime, someone who just listens. Or you could have a supportive partner who would gladly make adjustments in their schedule to help with chores.
Do I know enough about autism? The more you read about ASD from reliable sources, the better equipped you will be to make informed decisions for your child. Educate yourself about treatment options, ask questions, and participate in all treatment decisions.
What am I doing to take care of myself? It is important that you catch a break in order to keep your stress levels in check and be able to deal with your child with more patience. Consider meeting your friends sometime, or simply going for a walk, or writing a journal. Try to get enough sleep so that youre well rested and able to make sound decisions.
Do I compare my child with others? Practice acceptance of your child, with his own unique quirks and celebrate those quirks. Every child with ASD is different, not just from typically developing children but also from other children with ASD. Feeling unconditionally loved and accepted will help your child more than anything else.
The more you take time to consider the questions above, the better youll be prepared to face the challenges ahead.

How does a parent deal with his/her child's autism. Do people and the society support her or are they mere spectators in the parent's journey. Read the story of such a parent here>>>> https://www.momspresso.com/parenting/my-specially-special-child/article/autism-and-the-society

Before parents leap to the conclusion that their child is on the spectrum, it is important to look into these diagnostic mimics. Here's How to Recognize the Difference Between Signs of Autism and Developmental.

Read here to know more>>>> https://www.fatherly.com/parenting/special-needs/common-diagnostic-mimics-can-confused-autism-spectrum-disorders/

Men in their forties may be more financially and emotionally stable fathers, but their genetic material could cause other problems. Babies born to older dads are more vulnerable to a variety of health complications, including premature birth, autism, and birth defects like congenital heart disease and cleft palates. As more men and women are able to conceive in their late thirties and forties with the help of reproductive technology, the findings raise questions about the future of family planning.
Read here to know more>>>> https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/children-of-older-dads-increased-health-risk/

Sunil is a 4 year old who received his autism diagnosis two years ago. He was taken to his paediatrician by his mother after she saw a social media advert about common symptoms of ASD on World Autism Day. His mother noticed that Sunil did not speak, did not make eye contact, and would be preoccupied with rotating objects, such as the fan or spinning top. The paediatrician recommended an evaluation with a psychologist after which Sunil received his diagnosis. After his diagnosis, Sunil began speech therapy and occupational therapy.
Two years after his diagnosis, Sunil started using 2-3 words together and started eating on his own. The special school that Sunil attends has been fundamental to the progress he has made. Sunils mother believes that if it wasnt for that autism awareness advert, Sunils life would have been very different.
Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterised by deficits in three areas: social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted interests/repetitive behaviours.
The United Nations has recognised 2 April every year as the World Autism Awareness Day. This encourages member states to take measures to raise awareness about people with ASD throughout the world. Spreading awareness about autism includes busting the myths around autism and providing factually correct information and well-researched data about autism to families, professionals, and wider communities. It also includes empowering parents and carers with quality information and resources.
Autism awareness is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment. Autism is usually diagnosed by 2 years of age but the average age of diagnosis the world over is still 4. Early screening for autism is not only a desired goal but urgent need, considering the immense difference it can make to the life of the child with ASD. Early diagnosis helps in early intervention and enables parents to obtain knowledge of services they can access. And that is why autism awareness is important. Autism awareness aids in research, diagnosis, intervention, as well as acceptance for those affected by ASD.

The following was produced in partnership with the Lieber Institute for Brain Development whose mission is to translate genetic insights into next generation treatments. There's a reason most of us dont recall growing up with as many autistic kids as there are now: Many more children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder today than ever before. Read this wonderful article to know more >>>> https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/what-neuroscientists-now-know-about-autism/

Choosing the right school for a child is a tough decision. But when the child is differently-abled and has special needs, making the decision becomes even trickier. We help you find some answers.

Read here to know more>>>> https://www.parentcircle.com/article/tips-for-choosing-the-best-school-for-your-special-needs-child

While all parents feel guilty at some point in their journey, the churning felt by those with special needs children is more pronounced. Find out how to handle such emotions in a healthy manner...

Raising an autistic child is not an easy task. As a mom to an autistic child, am here to share my learning. Also, some tips to ensure quality of life for your autistic child and the entire family.

It is World Autism Awareness Day today and we at ParentCircle would like to spread more awareness on autism and help you understand it better.

Let us Embrace Autism! Let us Light it up Blue! Let us come together!

Bringing up a child with autism is filled with challenges. Here, our expert outlines how parents can cope with everyday stress and also, proactively take care of their's child's unique needs.

All children benefit from play, but a special needs child may find it difficult to follow the rules and competition in traditional games. Here are 10 games for your child to have fun and learn

What exactly causes autism is something that is under constant discussion, deliberation and research. There are many hypotheses and theories that have come up from different researchers about what may be a cause for autism. Here is one of the latest researches that suggests that a difference in the genetic material (RNA) is possibly a reason for autism. Read this article to find out more.
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/editing-rna-may-play-sizeable-role-autism/

This ClipBook talks about how different therapies are used to treat children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Raising an autistic child can be an overwhelming experience for the parents. However, with a little bit of planning and effort, it may not be a difficult task to carry out. Read on to know more. Click here https://www.parentcircle.com/article/9-ways-to-solve-the-dilemma-related-to-raising-an-autistic-child/

The diagnosis of autism in a child may hit a family hard. A more nuanced understanding of the condition will help families work towards a better quality of life for themselves and their child.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a constellation of conditions. Children with autism usually show a reduced drive to socialise and communicate. They also exhibit difficulty in carrying on a conversation or interpreting facial cues or gestures and, find it tough to engage in group play.

Why do autistic individuals behave differently from others?
Children with autism are affected by various sensory processing issues. This makes them display behaviours like screaming, not complying with instructions, closing their ears, running around in circles and, flapping their hands.

What causes autism?
Scientists are yet to put their finger on the exact cause of autism. However, there are several theories about why the brain of an autistic child appears different. Animal models of autism spectrum disorder have linked autism to genetic factors. In their study titled, Deficient autophagy in microglia impairs synaptic pruning and causes social behavioral defects, published in Molecular Psychiatry (2017), Kim et al say, "We found that deletion of atg7, which is vital for autophagy, from myeloid cell-specific lysozyme M-Cre mice resulted in social behavioral defects and repetitive behaviors, characteristic features of ASDs."

Characteristics of ASD:-
The characteristics of ASD can vary from child to child. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is because there several conditions -- Asperger's Syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, etc. -- that are now considered a part of ASD. However, some common mannerisms exhibited by children with autism include:

- Stereotypical responses to situations and repetitive behaviour such as asking the same question again and again.
- Problem adapting to new surroundings and dealing with unexpected situations.
- Difficulty establishing eye contact.
- Maladaptive behaviours such as head banging, self-injury, irritability, and flapping hands.
- Trying to look at objects closely or staring into space.
- Increased sensitivity to sound and/or light, which may result in the child closing his eyes/ears.
- Preference for food of a particular texture or avoiding foods that make a crunching sound.
- Speaking loudly, and in an expressionless, monotonous tone.
- Preference for routine and structure.

4 WAYS HOW FAMILIES CAN BE INVOLVED IN AUTISM CARE

S Dinesh, Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, suggests adopting the following strategies to help children with autism thrive and integrate into the mainstream:

1. Applied behavioural analysis: This involves identification of the most problematic behavioural trait in the autistic child and then taking steps to remedy it. This is done in two ways: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves rewarding your child for acceptable or good behaviour by clapping for them, patting their back, or verbal acknowledgements. At times, the reinforcement has to be frequent, even as often as 15 seconds. Negative reinforcement, on the other hand, focuses on removing the unfavourable cause, in order to encourage good behaviour.

2. Attention enhancement: This involves keeping the child engaged in activities that are useful and seem interesting to him. It is a step-by-step process. For example, you can begin by asking your child to colour a small circle. With each passing day, increase the size of the circle. With any activity your child enjoys doing, adopt a similar strategy that is, increase the complexity so that your child spends more time doing that activity every day. This will help increase your childs attention span.

3. Social skills training: Engaging your child in group therapy is a good option to teach her social skills. Encourage your child to interact with a group of children of the same age and similar needs. This way, your child can learn several important social skills. Also, create as many opportunities as you can for your child to interact with those around. You could also train her to deal with situations that crop up in our daily life in order to make her as street smart as possible.

4. Vocational training: Children with autism can be trained in various vocations and skills, depending on their ability and interest. This can include baking, cooking, typing, desktop publishing, coding and so on.