AUTISM

What is Autism?

Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors occur in approximately 15 of every 10,000 individuals.

Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism's occurence.

Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in the areas of reasoning, social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have deficiencies in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. The disorder makes it hard for them to communicate with others and relate to the outside world. They may exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects and resist any changes in routines. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present.

It is conservatively estimated that nearly 400,000 people in the U.S. today have some form of autism. Its prevalence rate now places it as the third most common developmental disability - more common than Down's syndrome. Yet the majority of the public, including many professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields are still unaware of how autism affects people and how to effectively work with individuals with autism.

Autism Checklist

Individuals with autism usually exhibit at least half of the traits listed below. These symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. In addition, the behavior usually occurs across many different situations and is consistently inappropriate for their age.

• Difficulty in mixing with other children 
• Inappropriate laughing and giggling 
• Little or no eye contact 
• Apparent insensitivity to pain 
• Prefers to be alone; aloof manner 
• Spins objects 
• Inappropriate attachment to objects 
• Noticeable physical overactivity or extreme underactivity 
• Unresponsive to normal teaching methods 
• Insistence on sameness; resists changes in routine 
• No real fear of dangers 
• Sustained odd play 
• Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of normal language) 
• May not want cuddling or act cuddly 
• Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as deaf 
• Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words 
• Tantrums - displays extreme distress for no apparent reason 
• Uneven gross/fine motor skills (May not want to kick ball but can stack blocks) 

Adapted from the original by Professor Rendle-Short, Brisbane Children's Hospital, University of Queensland, Australia.


What Causes Autism?

Medical researchers are exploring different explanations for the various forms of autism. Although one specific cause of autism is not known, current research links autism to biological or neurological differences in the brain. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans show abnormalities in the structure of the brain, with significant differences within the cerebellum, including the size and number of Purkinje cells. In some families there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, which suggests there may be a genetic basis to the disorder, although at this time no one gene has been directly linked to autism.

Several older theories about the cause of autism have now been proven false. Autism is not a metal illness. Children with autism are not unruly kids who choose not to behave. Autism is not caused by bad parenting. Furthermore, no known psychological factors in the development of the child have been shown to cause autism.

How is Autism Diagnosed?

There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observations of the child's communication, behavior and developmental levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared by other disorders, a doctor may complete various medical tests to rule out other possible causes.

Diagnosis is difficult for a practitioner with limited training or exposure to autism, since the characteristics of the disorder vary so much. Locating a medical specialist or a diagnostician who has experience with autism is most important. Ideally, a child should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team which may include a neurologist, psychologist, developmental pediatrician, speech/language therapist, learning consultant or other professionals knowledgeable about autism. Several diagnostic tools have been developed over the past few years to help professionals make an accurate autism diagnosis: CHAT (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers), CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale), PIA (Parent Interviews for Autism), GARS (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale) and BRIAC (Behavior Rating Instrument for Autistic and other Atypical Children).
A brief observation in a single setting cannot present a true picture of an individual's abilities and behaviors. At first glance, the person with autism may appear to have mental retardation, a behavior disorder, or even problems with hearing. However, it is important also to distinguish autism from other conditions, since an accurate diagnosis can provide the basis for building an appropriate and effective educational and treatment program.

Is There a Cure for Autism?

Our understanding of autism has grown tremendously since it was first described in 1943. Some of the earlier searches for "cures" now seem unrealistic in terms of today's understanding of brain-based disorders. To cure means "to restore to health, soundness, or normality." In the medical sense, there is no cure for the differences in the brain which result in autism.

However, we're finding better ways to understand the disorder and help people cope with the various symptoms of the disability. Some of these symptoms may lessen as the child ages; others may disappear altogether. With appropriate intervention, many of the autism behaviors can be positively changed, even to the point that the child or adult may appear to the untrained person to no longer have autism. The majority of children and adults will, however, continue to exhibit some symptoms of autism to some degree throughout their entire lives.

What Are People With Autism Like?

Children with autism often appear relatively normal in their development until the age of 24-30 months, when parents may notice delays in language, play or social interaction.

The following areas are among those which may be affected by autism:

Communication:
Language develops slowly or not at all; use of words without attaching the usual meaning to them; communicates with gestures instead of words, short attention span

Social Interaction:
Spends time alone, rather than with others; shows little interest in making friends; less responsive to social cues such as eye contact or smiles

Sensory Impairment:
Unusual reactions to physical sensations such as being overly responsive to touch or under-responsive to pain; sight, hearing, touch, pain, smell and taste may be affected to a lesser or greater degree

Play:
Lack of spontaneous or imaginative play; does not imitate others' actions; doesn't initiate pretend games

Behaviors:
May be overactive or very passive; may throw frequent tantrums for no apparent reason; may perservate on a single item, idea, or person; apparent lack of common sense; may show aggressive or violent behavior or injure self
There are great differences among people with autism. Some individuals mildly affected may exhibit only slight delays in language but greater challenges with social interactions. They may have average or above average verbal, memory or spatial skills, but may find it difficult to be imaginative or join in a game of softball with their friends. Others more severly affected may need greater assistance handling day-to-day activities like crossing a street or making a purchase.

Contrary to popular belief, many children and adults with autism make eye contact, show affection, smile and laugh, and show a variety of other emotions, but in varying degrees. Like other children, they respond to their environment in both positive and negative ways. The autism may affect their range of responses and make it more difficult to control how their body and mind react. They live normal life spans, and the behaviors associated with may change or disappear over time.

While no one can predict the future, we do know that some adults with autism can live and work independently in the community, while others depend on the support of family and professionals. Adults with autism can benefit from vocational training to provide them with the skills needed for obtaining jobs, in additional to social and recreational programs. Adults with autism may live in a variety of residential settings, ranging from independent homes or apartments to group homes, supervised apartment settings, living with other family members, to more structured residental care.

Individuals with autism may have other disorders which affect the functioning of the brain, such as epilepsy, mental retardation, or genetic disorders such as Fragile X Syndrome. About two-thirds of those diagnosed with autism will test in the range of mental retardation. Approximately 25-30% may develop a seizure pattern at some period during life.
(Autism Society of America)

http://card.ufl.edu/ April is Autism Month)

MALAYSIAN SUPPORT GROUP

The National Autism Society of Malaysia
#4, Jalan Chan Chin Mooi, off Jalan Pahang , 53200 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
Tel : 03 40223744 Fax : 03 40254495 email : nasom@tm.net.my

Perak Autistic Resource Centre
2, Persiaran Cempaka Sari9,Tmn Cempaka
31400 Ipoh MALAYSIA Tel: 605-583570

BOLD/PACE Penang Caring Society Complex
RM C0-3-GF, Jln Utama, 10450, P Pinang Tel: 04 227 8611 Email: boldpace@yahoo.com

Association of Resource and Education for Autistic Children (REACh) 
184 Jalan Bunga Cempaka, 11700 Bukit Gelugor, Penang 
Fax: 604-6578315 lrcac@pd.jaring.my