World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day by the United Nations which is celebrated every year on April 2, spreading joy and awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world.
Autism? Well the term is a neurological developmental disorder characterised by abnormalities in social relationships and repetitive or restricted behavioural patterns. So if you ask why autism is given much preference than other disorders, the answer is that it is very common than you think.
According to reports from the World Health Organization (as per November 7, 2019), one in 160 children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It develops among children, who are under the age of three.
Also patients with ASD have deficits in social interactions, verbal and nonverbal social communication skills, as well as intelligence and motor functions.
These patients also exhibit unusual interests, repetitive behaviour, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
The autism spectrum disorder is associated with high levels of anxiety, stress, and isolation in patients’ families.
(Mark. J. Taylor et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020.)
Many parents notice that their children have some delays with communication and regard these problems as the first signs of autism. The diagnosis of autism is normally based on the behavioural characteristics of the child.
For a parent to know if their child is suffering from the disorder, they have to look at the way the child behaves within its first three years of life. Due to the fact that it is sometimes not very easy to detect or distinguish the disorder, it is important that the eligibility of the examining physician or pediatrician is established to ensure that proper diagnosis is made.
On diagnosis of the disorder, treatment is recommended.
Though complete treatment of the disorder is not available, management of autism is the recommended option which in the long run leads to recovering from the condition.
Common methods of management include; medication, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, applied behaviour analysis as well as occupational therapy.
Specifically speech and language pathologist play an important part of the Autism treatment because they address challenges with language and communication.
It can help people with autism improve their verbal, nonverbal, and social communication. The overall goal is to help the person communicate in more useful and functional ways.
Communication and speech-related challenges vary from person to person. Some individuals on the autism spectrum are not able to speak.
Others love to talk, but have difficulty holding a conversation or understanding body language and facial expressions when talking with others.
A speech therapy program begins with an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) to assess the person’s communication strengths and challenges. Based on the evaluation, the SLP creates individual goals for therapy.
Common goals may include improving language, speech learning nonverbal skills such as signs or gestures, or learning to communicate using an alternative method (such as pictures or technology).
Examples of the skills that speech therapy may work on include, language (compression and expression), strengthening the muscles in the mouth, jaw and neck, making clearer speech sounds, matching emotions with the correct facial expression and life skills.
Some people with autism find that using pictures or technology to communicate is more effective than speaking. This is known as Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC).
It systems are aimed at minimising difficulties connected to communications of people with autism disorders. Examples of AAC methods are picture exchange communication system (PECS), communication book and speech output devices (such as AVAZ).
So we can help to identify which AAC method (if any) is right for someone with autism and teach him/her how to use the method to communicate.
Also we can help people work on goals related to social communication. Speech therapists sometimes offer social skills groups in addition to one-on-one therapy. We may also work on coaching children and adults on communication in different settings.
This can include how to communicate with friends, communicating in a relationship, appropriate behaviour at work, and so on.
Some SLPs are specifically trained to address feeding and swallowing challenges in people with autism. They can evaluate the particular issue a person is dealing with and provide treatment plans for improving feeding-related challenges.
So as the parent of a child with ASD or related developmental, the best thing you can do is to start treatment right away.
Seek help as soon as you suspect something’s wrong. So don’t wait to see if your child will catch up later or outgrow the problem. Don’t even wait for an official diagnosis. The earlier children with autism spectrum disorder get help, the greater their chance treatment success.
Early intervention is the most effective way to speed up your child’s development and reduce the symptoms of autism over the lifespan.