One of the most important things you need to understand about fighting Autism is that it needs to be diagnosed as early as possible. Early diagnosis means early treatment; development of social skills; development of speech; creating a life and environment for them in which they can grow, not be restricted.
Red Flags
Not responding to their name by 12 months of age;
Not pointing at objects to show interest or curiosity;
Difficulty in establishing eye contact;
Not participating in ‘family time’; and want to be alone
Getting agitated in loud situations or in crowds;
Having trouble accepting change in their environment;
Having trouble expressing hunger, thirst, pain;
Have extreme reactions, to music, smell, food, colours, or the way their clothes feel;
Impulsive;
Impassive;
Short attention span;
Temper tantrums;
Or has flat or no facial expressions in different situations;
Delayed speech and language skills;
Repetition of actions or sounds over and over again;
Obsessive behaviour with one toy, or object, for long periods of time;
Hand movement, rocking of body, high energy and other self-stimulatory behaviours;
Or no energy at all, some kids are completely closed off;
I remember my cousins being so curious when they were infants, so interested in everything going on in the world and the people around them. Chris was interested in things around him but it was smalle
r things like he didn’t look at us when we spoke to him, he didn’t want to play with me he’d rather play with my things by himself, he would throw tantrums when he was thirsty but couldn’t tell us or point to what he wanted. For example, a child might be able to read long words but not be able to tell you what sound a “b” makes. When he grew up these things changed because of the early treatment he received. There was a year when we couldn’t hug or kiss him without him getting mad; there was a year of repeating the sound “ooh” every night before bed until i said it the right way, and most of the time i didn’t.
Repetition is huge with Autism. Actions, words, sounds, motions which can involve a toy, their body, an object, a person. These action are repeated over and over again. For instance, Chris likes to run up and down a room, when he’s happy and repeatedly flapping their arms, shake his head or make certain sounds. I’ve mentioned before how he likes to play with whipped cream and white flat-beans for hours; its the sounds, the feeling, the safety of repetition that draws him in; these activities are known as self-stimulation or “stimming.”
By their first 12 months a toddler will interact with people around them, by looking people in the eye, copying words or simple gestures like clapping and waving. You would expect to play peek-a-boo with them or interest them in playmobil toys; me and Chris played hide and seek sometimes, but it was mostly the case of me hiding and him finding me, or not knowing what had happened and getting on with a game by himself. We played peek-a-boo but he mostly looked at me like i was insane, there were times when he enjoyed it though. That’s another thing about Autism, they might close themselves off and then there’s this moment where you get to glimpse into their world, or they give you a look, a smile they have never given you before, and its beautiful.
Each person with ASD has a different set of social and communication skills; some speak, some don’t, some can but only some words, some can but cannot pronounce letters, some can write essays, some go to university. Don’t assume that Autism doesn’t speak, don’t assume that Autism doesn’t want friends, don’t assume that Autism doesn’t like handshakes.
People with ASD might have odd sleeping habits. They also might have moods swings or unpredictable emotional reactions. For instance, they might laugh or cry at unusual times or show no emotional response at times you would expect one. In addition, they might not be afraid of dangerous things, and they could be fearful of harmless objects or events.
Remember that Autism is a spectrum disorder, a child, or adult, will not have all the symptoms, or they might. That’s the thing about Autism, it keeps you on your feet; for the rest of your life.
Don’t be scared, don’t sweep it under the carpet.
Learn about it, educate yourself about Autism – get it diagnosed.
Just a boy 