| Autism is a life long developmental disability that | | | | Parents should look carefully at a range of different |
| affects a person's ability to communicate and to | | | | treatments and select one or more that they think |
| make sense of our social world. | | | | would suit their particular child's needs, and their own |
| The disorder usually appears before the child is three | | | | ability to implement them. |
| years old. People with autism often also have learning | | | | It is generally recognized that early recognition of the |
| disabilities, but a minority have normal or high general | | | | condition together with some form of highly |
| intelligence. Boys are 4 times more likely to have | | | | structured intensive program is important. Programs |
| autism than girls. | | | | are numerous, they range from child centered ones |
| People with autism have difficulties in three areas, | | | | built around the child's interest to behavioral programs |
| known as "the triad of impairments": | | | | based on rewarding desired behavior that fits in with |
| 1. Social interaction. Difficulty in relating to others. | | | | a set syllabus. |
| 2. Communication. Difficulty in understanding, acquiring | | | | The approach that I take is very much an eclectic |
| and using verbal and non-verbal communication. | | | | one, I am only interested in what makes a difference |
| 3. Imagination. Difficulty in developing pretend play | | | | for each child. However, I have found that certain |
| and generalizing learning. | | | | elements just work better than others. Before you |
| People with autism often have an uneven profile of | | | | subscribe wholesale into any particular approach, I |
| skills, with a marked difference in their abilities in | | | | recommend that you take time to think about |
| some areas compared to others; they often show | | | | whether all of it applies to your child, in the end you |
| strengths in those areas that are independent of | | | | know your child better than anyone. |
| social understanding, e.g. manipulating numbers or | | | | So what are the elements that I say work? |
| working with computers. | | | | They are summed up in one word: engagement. |
| Autism affects individuals to varying degrees and this | | | | Have you ever noticed when you are fully engrossed |
| is reflected in the term "Autistic Spectrum Disorder". | | | | in something, how you could keep doing that thing |
| The difficulties in each area of the triad of | | | | for a long time and be content? Unfortunately for |
| impairments may be expressed in different behaviors, | | | | most of us, social demands interrupt and we usually |
| e.g. the difficulty in social interaction may be | | | | have to allow them to intrude. However, we are |
| expressed in terms of aloof behavior, where the child | | | | dealing here with children with autism, a condition that |
| will have little to do with others, or as over familiar | | | | has a disorder in social functioning at its very core. |
| behavior, such as touching strangers in the street. | | | | Social demands are not going to so easily interrupt |
| There is currently no cure for autism, although there | | | | our children! |
| are lots of interventions available that can make a | | | | So we have a choice, do we make use of what |
| difference. Early diagnosis and treatment can be | | | | already engages them in our intervention program or |
| particularly effective. Individual children with autism | | | | do we ignore it and try and impose our program on |
| have different needs and a treatment that works | | | | them? I argue for the former. |
| well for one child may work less well for another. | | | | |