Monday, Jul. 08, 2002

Guide For Parents

By AMY LENNARD GOEHNER

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

SIGNS OF AUTISM

(Usually apparent in toddlers; watch for a cluster of symptoms)

  • No pointing by one year
  • No babbling by one year; no single words by 16 months; no two-word phrases by 24 months
  • Any loss of language skills at any time
  • No pretend playing Little interest in making friends
  • Extremely short attention span
  • No response when called by name; indifference to others
  • Little or no eye contact
  • repetative body movements, such as hand flapping, rocking
  • Intense tantrums
  • Fixations on a single object, such as a spinning fan
  • Unusually strong resistance to changes in routine
  • Oversensitivity to certain sounds, textures or smells


SIGNS OF ASPERGER'S

(Usually diagnosed at age six or over)
  • Difficulty making friends
  • Difficulty reading or communicating through nonverbal social cues, such as facial expressions
  • No understanding that others have feelings different from his or her own
  • Obsessive focus on a narrow interest, such as reciting train schedules
  • Awkward motor skills
  • Inflexibilty about routines, especially when changes occur spontaneously
  • Mechanical, almost robotic patterns of speech
(Even "normal" children exhibit some of these behaviors from time to time. The symptoms of autism and Asperger's, by contrast, are persistent and debilitating)

WHERE TO START
  • EARLY SIGNS: One of the commonest descriptions of babies that might be autistic is that they are very good. They are very passive, very quiet, it's almost like not having a baby in the house. There is a minority who scream all the time without stopping and cannot be comforted, but that is a very much smaller group.
  • GET AN EVALUATION: Take your child to a developmental pediatrician with expertise in autism or Asperger syndrome. The pediatrician will evaluate your child with a team of specialists (speech therapists, occupational therapists, behaviour therapists) to determine the areas in which your child needs help.


HOW TO TREAT IT

There is no cure for autism, but there are many treatments that can make a difference:
  • SPEECH THERAPY: Can overcome communication and language barriers
  • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: Helps with sensory integration and motor skills
  • BEHAVIORAL THERAPY: Improves cognetive skills and reduces inappropriate behaviour
  • EDUCATIONAL THERAPY: A highly structured approach works best
  • MEDICATION: Can reduce some symptoms
  • SPECIAL DIETS: Eliminating certain food groups, such as dairy, helps some children