World Autism Day; History And A Parental Guide

Published On: 29-Mar-2022
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A brain-based disorder affecting a child’s social skills like communicating, playing and learning is commonly known as Autism. Being a part of five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), autism is characterized by

· difficulty in social interactions;

· keen interest in specific objects;

· highly repetitive behavior;

· specific ways of processing sensory information, and;

· Non-standard ways of learning.

To be precise, autistic children tend to experience the world in a different way.

Autism has a wide range of severity and symptoms that is often used to classify the Autism Spectrum disorders. Each of the syndromes under ASD is different from the other. For example, people with Asperger syndrome have no substantial delay in language development.

Autism itself is often called ''autistic disorder'', ''childhood autism'', or ''infantile autism''. In some individuals autism may be silent or manifest only as a mental disability while in others there are repetitive movements like hand flapping and rocking.

Some autistic individuals may be normal in all factors of life except for being awkward socially. They may have narrowly focused interests, and verbose, pedantic communication. Boundaries between diagnostic categories are necessarily somewhat arbitrary because of the overlapping and myriad of features.

History

The UN General Assembly had declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day so as to “highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society”. The resolution was passed November 1, 2007, and was adopted December 18, 2007.

World autism awareness day 2022 is an awareness holiday that falls on April 2nd and attempts to raise awareness about autism in communities worldwide. It is a day when member states of the United Nations are encouraged to raise awareness about people living with autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger syndrome.

The UN has had a theme for the celebration of the World Autism Awareness Day every year since 2012. In 2022, the UN has chosen Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World.

World Autism Awareness Day Facts

· In 2018, around one in every 59 children was diagnosed with Autism. Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with Autism.

· Autism can be diagnosed as young as two years old, and early intervention provides the best potential to support wellbeing.

· Children with autism issues are more likely than normal children to suffer from gastrointestinal disorders, and more than half of children with Autism have persistent sleep disorders.

Signs of autism and parental guide

In each stage of a child's development they inculcate different habits, like communication and social behaviour. These changes need to be monitored for the healthy development of the baby.

Listed below the initial symptoms of autism in kids of different age group-

Below the age of 1 year

· Avoids eye contact

· No facial expression or inappropriate expression

· Doesn't respond to your smile

· Doesn't look at objects which you show

· May not respond to sound

· Sticks to specific toys

· Difficult to comfort and soothe the child

1-2 years of age

· Kids being in its own imaginary world

· Delay in speech

· Doesn't respond when called by name

· Doesn't respond to questions appropriately

· Extra sensitive to loud sounds, unusual smells

· Unresponsive to people

· Repetitive behavior like taping body parts, repeat words or noises

Over the age of 2 years

· Prefers to play alone

· The child will not share things with others

· Difficulty in expressing his/her feelings

· Does not make friends and share things

· Hardly uses gestures or displays appropriate body language

· Tone of their speech can be either low pitched or high pitched

· Sensitive to infections and can fall sick frequently

Parent's guide to autism treatment and support:

· Managing the child with autism and giving proper care to them is very crucial. There are many treatments that can help children acquire new skills and overcome a wide variety of developmental challenges. Listed below are the few tips that might help parents to manage kids with autism:

· Have a fixed schedule as autistic children tend to do best when they have a structured schedule. Be it for meals, therapy, school, playtime and bedtime, set up a schedule and try to minimize disruptions.

· Reward your child for their good behavior. Never miss an opportunity to identify your child's talent like learning a new skill or responding to your questions.

· Look for non-verbal cues like the sounds they make, their gestures and facial expressions etc. Use these cues to understand what they want or are willing to communicate.

· Parents should learn new ways to make their child happy and spare time for a fun activity with them. Playing is a crucial part of learning.

· Parents are advised to join autism support groups to share their feelings, get information and the desired emotional support when needed.

Health

World Autism Day; History And A Parental Guide

AEM

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