Autism is an extremely prevalent condition, but what is it?

WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism is a lifelong, complex condition that occurs as a result of disordered brain growth, structure and development. Autism is believed to stem from a genetic predisposition triggered by environmental factors and affects 4-5 times more boys than girls. There are a vast number of ways that a person can manifert their autism and as a result this condition is now more often referred to as “Autism Spectrum Disorders” (ASD).

TYPES OF AUTISM
In broad terms, there are 2 main “types” of autism on the spectrum; “Kanner/Classic Autism” where in addition to the autism, there is also intellectual impairment. Statistically, it is consider that 76% of people with autism have “Kanner/Classic” Autism (i.e also have intellectual impairments in varying degrees), where as 24% of people with autism do not have any intellectual impairments, nor speech delay in early childhood years and these people are classified as having “Asperger Syndrome”, displaying a “normal” or more than often, above average intellectual ability.

TRIAD OF IMPAIRMENTS
Regardless of the manifestation of autism, ALL people on this spectrum, are affected in different degrees, by the “Triad of Impairments” that causes a disturbance in quality of development in the following areas:-

1. Language and Communication. 40% of people with “Kanner/Classic autism” never speak nor fully understand verbal communication. People with Asperger Syndrome with seemingly fluent speech will have areas of their communicative abilities that are adversely affected; for instance an extreme difficulty in reading non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, body language etc.
2. Social Interaction. For a person with autism, the area of the brain that enables us to understand other people's emotions and feelings is altered and thus a person with autism cannot fully understand the complexity of the thoughts of people around them and the resulting social interactions. This can result in people with autism reacting “differently”, thus confusing those around them who do not know the extensive ramifications of autism.
3. Imagination and Creative Play. A person with autism usually becomes trapped by rigid thought patterns and behaviours. In addition, despite good intellectual abilities, there is still an inability to understand the abstract concepts and the day-to-day jargon we regularly use flippantly in conversation, such as “It is Raining Cats and Dogs”, “Throw the baby out with the bathwater”, “I nearly died laughing” …….

RED FLAGS FOR POSSIBLE AUTISM IN A YOUNG CHILD (Taken from Autism Ontario - Durham Region).

• No babbling by 11 months of age
• No simple gestures by 12 months (e.g., waving bye-bye)
• No single words by 16 months
• No 2-word phrases by 24 months (noun + verb – e.g., “baby sleeping”)
• No response when name is called, causing concern about hearing
• Loss of any language or social skills at any age
• Rarely makes eye contact when interacting with people
• Does not play peek-a-boo
• Doesn't point to show things he/she is interested in
• Rarely smiles socially
• More interested in looking at objects than at people's faces
• Prefers to play alone
• Doesn't make attempts to get parent's attention; doesn't follow/look when someone is pointing at something
• Seems to be “in his/her own world”
• Odd or repetitive ways of moving fingers or hands
• Oversensitive to certain textures, sounds or lights
• Lack of interest in toys, or plays with them in an unusual way (e.g., lining up, spinning, opening/closing parts rather than using the toy as a whole)
• Compulsions or rituals (has to perform activities in a special way or certain sequence; is prone to tantrums if rituals are interrupted)
• Preoccupations with unusual interests, such as light switches, doors, fans, wheels
• Unusual fears
• Doesn't respond to parent's attempts to play, even if relaxed
• Avoids or ignores other children when they approach