Autism

Chances are you know someone who has autism, or who has a child with autism. I would like to tell you about autism, about teenagers with autism, and about dealing with someone with autism. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder which affects social and communication skills and, to a greater or lesser degree, motor and language skills. It is such a broad diagnosis that it can include people with high IQ's and mental retardation - and people with autism can be chatty or silent, affectionate or cold, methodical or disorganized. This is why it is called a spectrum disorder, because the levels of autism can fall into such a broad spectrum (1) so, what exactly is an autism spectrum disorder? There is a saying that goes, if you see one person with autism, you see one person with autism. This is because no two people with autism are alike. (2) Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 200 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. Again, this is why autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder. The individual with autism may be highly functioning with an extremely high IQ, or non verbal, with mental retardation.

The main feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child. As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement. The child may also stare off into space, not focusing in on any humans in the room. Social interaction is severely impaired. In a room full of people a child with autism will have no interest in human contact. There will be little to no eye contact. Children with autism may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people. They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can’t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don’t watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior. They lack empathy.

Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me.” Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.

Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation. These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged.

During the teen years, the patterns of behavior often change. Many teens gain skills but still lag behind in their ability to relate to and understand others. Puberty and emerging sexuality may be more difficult for adolescents and teens with autism than for others this age. Teens are at a slightly increased risk for developing problems related to depression, anxiety, and epilepsy.(3)

Because their brains process information differently, teens with autism may not act like other people you know. They have trouble talking and sometimes communicate with gestures instead of words. Some teens with autism spend a lot of time alone, don’t make friends easily, and don’t react to social gestures such as smiling or glancing at them. They often do not make eye contact when they are being talked to and find it hard to join in on a game or a group setting. They may be sensitive to sensory stimulation, and may draw back to being hugged, or become easily startled when hearing loud noises. Even if the noise is not loud to the average person, it is loud to the teenager with autism.

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