Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a condition that affects the way a person communicates and interacts with others. While symptoms often appear before a child is three years old, each individual with autism can display different signs. How autism affects a person’s daily life can vary greatly, making it a complex and fascinating topic to study.
The factors that contribute to autism include a combination of genetic and environmental elements. But what are the key factors to know? From heightened sensory sensitivity to difficulty understanding social cues, many aspects make autism a unique and challenging condition. A deeper understanding of these factors can help provide better support for those living with autism.
When exploring autism, it is important to recognize the different types and their symptoms. From Asperger’s Syndrome to pervasive developmental disorder, each type has its own unique characteristics. Why is early recognition and intervention so crucial?
WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complex, lifelong condition that involves problems with communication and behavior. It is a spectrum disorder, which means it affects people in different ways and to varying degrees. Symptoms of autism usually appear around the age of 2 or 3.
People with autism have difficulty communicating. They have trouble understanding what other people are thinking and feeling. This makes it difficult for them to express themselves, either with words or through movement, facial expressions, and touch.
People with autism may also have problems with learning. Their skills may develop unevenly. For example, they may have difficulty communicating but excel at art, music, maths or things that involve memory. Because of this, they may excel at analytical or problem-solving tests.
More children are being diagnosed with autism now than ever before. However, the current figures may be higher because of changes in the way diagnoses are made, not because more children have the disorder.
SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM
Each person with autism will be affected differently. Some people have greater difficulties with social skills, learning or communication. They may need help with everyday tasks and in some cases are unable to live on their own. Many people refer to this condition as “low-functioning autism.”
On the other hand, some people with autism have less obvious symptoms. They often do well in school and have few problems communicating. This condition is often referred to as “high-functioning autism.”
However, the terms “high-functioning” and “low-functioning” can be considered offensive. It’s best to avoid using these terms. Instead, to describe how autism affects someone, we can use terms like “more significantly” or “less significantly.”
Symptoms of autism usually appear before a child is 3 years old. Some people show signs from birth.
Common symptoms of autism include:
LACK OF EYE CONTACT
- Narrow interests or intense interest in a particular topic
- Doing things over and over again, such as repeating words or phrases, rocking back and forth, or playing with objects (such as turning a light switch on and off)
- Heightened sensitivity to sounds, touches, smells, or sights that seem ordinary to others
- Not looking at or listening to others
- Not looking at objects when others point them out
- Not wanting to be hugged or held
- Trouble understanding or using speech, gestures, facial expressions, or tone of voice
- Speaking in a monotone, flat, or robotic voice
- Difficulty adapting to changes in routine
Related Symptoms:
Some children with autism may also have seizures. These seizures may not begin until adolescence.
SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM IN ADULTS
- In adults, autism may present in specific ways. Common symptoms may include:
- Difficulty understanding what others are thinking or feeling
- Preferring to be alone or having difficulty making friends
- Anxiety about social activities
- Keeping up with daily routines and getting upset if they change
- Difficulty expressing feelings
- Taking things literally or not understanding sarcasm
- Appearing blunt, disinterested, or rude to others without meaning to be
SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM IN CHILDREN
Children may show different signs of autism. These signs may include:
- Not responding to name by 9 months
- Not showing facial expressions by 9 months
- Not wanting to play simple games (like pat-a-cake) by 12 months
- Not using gestures (like waving) by 12 months
- Not understanding when others are sad or angry by 24 months
- Not paying attention or wanting to join other children in play by 36 months
- Not singing, acting, or dancing for you by 60 months
- Arranging toys in a certain order and getting upset if the order is changed
- Showing obsessive interests
- Shaking his body, flapping his hands, or spinning in circles
- Delays in language, movement, learning, or cognitive skills
- Strange sleeping or eating habits
- Being more or less afraid of things than would normally be expected
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM
In some cases, a child with autism will have it his entire life. And it can be recognized as early as age three. Therefore, you need to recognize the characteristics of autistic children from an early age. Reported from various sources, here are the general characteristics of autistic children that can be recognized.
1. Difficulty communicating
One of the characteristics of autistic children is that they have difficulty communicating with others. This difficulty in communicating includes difficulty understanding a conversation, reading, writing and they have difficulty speaking. Not only that, the characteristics of autistic children can also be seen based on their understanding of body movements.
Usually, they will have difficulty expressing themselves using their bodies such as waving, pointing, kicking, and so on.
2. Behaving repetitively and having an interest in an object
The next characteristic of autistic children is that a child seem to create and have their own world. They often seem to arrange something from front to back repeatedly for a long time. In addition, they will also repeat words that they seem to have heard for the first time continuously.
Usually, they will always carry the same item because it is considered very valuable so no one should touch it.
3. Insensitive and insensitive to sounds or voices
Children with autism will give different responses to sounds or voices. The first response is that they will be very sensitive to screaming, running, jumping, and covering their ears when they hear a sound. This attitude can be considered a characteristic of autistic children.
The second response is that the child ignores the sounds around him. He seems not to hear even if there is a sudden loud sound. He will not show a surprised response but will remain silent and continue his activities.
4. Often angry because of high feelings
Autistic children will give extraordinary reactions and are even difficult to control if they feel disturbed and threatened. Autistic children will get angry and are very difficult to calm down because their feelings have high sensitivity.
5. Lack of empathy
This attitude of autistic children is related to them being unable to interact. Autistic children will have difficulty expressing themselves, even to empathize.
He is unable to show interpersonal interaction with other people, even with his own mother. So in the surrounding environment, he has low social skills.
6. Dislike physical contact
Some children with autism will show a dislike response if they receive physical contact such as being touched or hugged. Although not all autistic children refer to this, some autistic children actually enjoy being hugged by people around them.
TYPES OF AUTISM
These types used to be considered separate conditions. Now, they all fall under the autism spectrum, including:
1. Asperger's Syndrome
Children with Asperger's syndrome tend to score average or above average on intelligence tests. However, they may have challenges with social skills and show narrow interests.
2. Autistic Disorder
This is what most people think of when they hear the word "autism." This disorder affects social interaction, communication, and play in children under age 3.
3. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
Children with this disorder have normal development for at least 2 years, then lose some or most of their communication and social skills.
4. Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD or atypical autism)
A doctor might use this term if your child has some autistic behaviors, such as delays in social and communication skills, but doesn't fit into any other category.
WHAT CAUSES AUTISM?
The exact cause of autism is not clear. Autism may stem from problems in the parts of the brain that interpret sensory input and process language.
Autism is four times more common in boys than in girls. It can affect people of all races, ethnicities, or social backgrounds. Family income, lifestyle, or education level do not affect a child’s risk of autism. However, there are some risk factors:
Children with older parents are at higher risk of autism.
Pregnant women who are exposed to certain drugs or chemicals, such as alcohol or anti-seizure medications, are more likely to have autistic children. Other risk factors include maternal metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Research has also linked autism to untreated phenylketonuria (PKU, a metabolic disorder caused by the absence of an enzyme) and rubella (German measles).
IS AUTISM GENETIC?
Autism tends to run in families, so certain combinations of genes may increase a child’s risk of autism. Changes in more than 1,000 genes may be linked to autism, although not all are recognized by experts. Genetic factors may influence a person's risk of autism by between 40% and 80%.
Your overall risk depends on a combination of genes, environment, parental age, and birth complications.
Rare gene mutations or chromosome problems are likely to be the sole cause of about 2% to 4% of autism cases. This tends to occur in conditions that also affect other parts of the body, such as mutations in the ADNP gene. With ADNP syndrome, a person will show signs of autism as well as have specific facial features.
Many of the genes involved in autism are related to brain development. This may be why autism symptoms involve problems with communication, cognitive function or socialization.
TIPS FOR UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
Parents of children with autism need to know tips to understand them better.
Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder is a spectrum of developmental disorders that can cause problems with a person's social, communication, and behavioral aspects. The term spectrum here describes that this disorder has a wide range in terms of symptoms, abilities, and limitations in sufferers. Symptoms of autism most often appear during childhood, usually in the first two years of life. Especially in terms of interaction, sometimes it feels very difficult to understand children with autism.
As explained earlier, one of the main problems in autism is communication. This can cause difficulties in interaction between a child with autism and others. The way a child with autism communicates or when he expresses his wishes may be confusing to you because generally, their words are difficult to understand.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH AUTISTIC CHILDREN?
The way of communicating that is often done by children with autism is echolalia, which is repeating a word. However, echolalia does not always mean that the child says something that he does not understand, echolalia can be a useful way of communicating.
A child with autism can do echolalia if he does not understand a question or because he does not understand the best way to respond to a particular question. In this case, you can provide several options for answering the question. For example, instead of asking what he wants to eat, give a choice of food, fried chicken or rendang.
You can also provide a visual image to help the child understand the question, such as by showing a picture of a beach when you ask if he wants to go on vacation to the beach. Reassure the child that it is okay if he is confused about answering the question. Teach the child to ask for help if he feels confused.
Children with autism can repeat a word because they associate the situation or emotional state when the child hears it. For example, asking, "Want candy?" repeatedly can indicate that the child wants to eat candy. The child remembers when she was asked to when the child got candy. This situation is indeed challenging for parents and other family members because they do not always understand the meaning of the child's words and desires.
Children can also do echolalia after hearing certain words in things they like, such as TV shows, advertisements, and so on. You can watch with your child about things they like, so that you can better understand what your child means when they say something repeatedly. Responding to your child when they say something repeatedly and finding out why they say it can be the first step for your child to be able to use language in a way that others understand.
In addition to speaking, children with autism can also try to communicate non-verbally. This can be done through certain movements such as crying, looking at and pointing at the desired object, reaching, using pictures, and many more. You need to pay attention to the nonverbal cues given by your child. For example, by paying attention to the sounds made, facial expressions, or movements that children often do when they are hungry, tired, or when they want something. By paying extra attention and being more vigilant in observing your child, you can more easily understand what your child means, even without words.
Often children with autism experience tantrums because their wishes through words and gestures are difficult for people around them to understand. Therefore, pay attention if your child is angry, even throwing a tantrum, this can be a way for the child to communicate his frustration because he is not understood, or as a way to get your attention.
As a parent or family member, you can do several things when trying to communicate with autistic children.
- Use simple and short words.
- Repeat and emphasize the keywords you want to convey.
- Use visual aids to convey your meaning.
- Call the child's name before speaking, and make sure the child is paying attention to you before you start communicating.
- clearly. Avoid using sarcastic, ironic language, rhetorical questions, and so on.
Communicating and interacting with autistic children can be said to be difficult. However, don't be discouraged and keep trying. By implementing the steps above, it is hoped that it will make communication easier for you and your child.