KIDS WITH AUTISM-AUTISM IN CHILDREN

QUESTIONS ABOUT KIDS WITH AUTISM?

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As we have have a daughter with autism I thought I would write some articles about autism here.

The purpose of this is to provide information to families who have kids with autism.

Our daughter is twelve so we have a fair bit of experience of living with autism. Geoff and myself also work with young adults who have an autistic diagnosis.

To avoid swamping this page with to much information you can read facts about autism here. You can read the answers to questions such as "what is autism"? There are famous people who have autism, read about famous people with autism here

It is important to know the early symptoms of autism because it is very important for their to be early intervention. This is because we all want to see our children reach their full potential. The earlier and better the intervention the more likely that your child can learn strategies to better cope in the world.

You will often find that these kids stand out, not necessarily because they look different but because of their interaction with the world and those around them. This makes it much harder on these kids, they don't look different and therefore there is an expectation for them to behave normally. When this doesn't happen our kids are often susceptible to bullying by both other children and ignorant adults alike.

Often our children will suffer from extreme anxiety if they are unsure about anything. This can be as little as a new pencil being given to them, to a change of teacher and changes of routine.

For instance our daughter has been terrified of trees and tall buildings, old church buildings, buildings that smell a certain way etc. As you can imagine this makes some outings extremely difficult and we have needed all our patience to remain calm to deal with these situations as they arise. These are issues that not only impact our daughter but her siblings too.

Life for parents of autistic children can be very demanding and stressful. At one point our daughter couldn't bear us going to the loo without her and would be inconsolable if we were out of her sight(she was 6). It is important to look after yourselves as parents or carers and take time out where possible, even if it's just a hot soak in the bath.

Extreme sensory issues can also impact a child with autism. This may mean that they cannot tolerate baths, hair being brushed, certain clothing, being touched at all etc. Your child may have difficulties around smell and noise as well. Even eating can be difficult with only a few foods being tolerated at it's worst. Your child may not like bright lights, may dislike the look of food on a plate or differently colored food touching. The good news is that there are strategies and things that you can do to help your child reduce the impact of these things on their lives.

Kids with autism can be anywhere on the autistic spectrum from mild aspergers at one end to a child who is severely impaired at the other. Sometimes children with autism are said to have a diagnosis of A.S.D which stands for autistic spectrum disorder.

I suppose the best place to start would be with the symptoms of autism. It is important to understand that each person with autism is very different. Our daughter started off being diagnosed with aspergers syndrome. This changed to high functioning autism and even this is questionable when she is stressed or out of her comfort zone. You can read about these autism signs here.

You may want to also check out the characteristics of autism. Again these will vary from child to child. There are varying behavior characteristics of autism. You can read about them here.

These days you can get some very good toys for kids with autism. These toys are developed to help the sensory requirements of autism. Children with autism often have a sensory impairment and these toys are designed to cater to this. They are often designed to make a particular noise, to be fiddled with and to feel good. They might even have a smell. You can read more about this here.

There are some good kids with autism books on the market. You can read about our favorite autism books here.

You can read about strategies that you can use with your autistic child here. You may find it valuable to use charts, timetables, timers and pecs(picture exchange communication system). Anything you can use to help your child make sense of the world around them is invaluable. It is often a case of trying things to see which works the best with your unique child.

School can have a huge impact on our children. Check out our autism in the classroom page and our autism in the classroom facts where you can find a checklist to get help for your child in school.

Would you like to tell us about your kids with autism? You can tell us your story here:

I wrote this today, we are going through a lot at the moment. It is such a struggle to get people to understand including schools.

Our child is unique –one of a kind

She may not see things the way that you do.

She knows the triggers but cannot say

She hides behind that smile or frown

She shares with us how her day has been

In her safe place she finally is free.

 

Our child is unique one of a kind

The things you do for others may not work for her

She understands you one day but not the next

Her trust is spent when you do not hear

She tries so hard to fit into life

In her safe place she can be herself

 

Our child is unique one of a kind

What is it I want you to hear?

To understand - to reach out and hear

To celebrate her successes but be near her in pain

To understand that life is hard

She wants black and white but only gets grey

Ater all she is unique

 

Are you unique one of a kind

What would you do if you did not understand –

How would you live if you did not grasp life?

When the world around seems oh! so strange

When people say "yes" when they really mean "no"

When the world seems grey and not black and white

How would you cope?

Where would you go?