Autism
Some of you may have a relative who has autism. You may have autism yourself. Or you might not know anyone with autism.
Autism is a disorder that affects one's ability to effectively communicate. Those affected by it may be called any number of ignorant names, simply because people do not understand it. Hopefully this myTake can help raise a little awareness.
The causes
There are no definite causes of autism. It isn't yet understood why one child may have autism and the next doesn't.
It does tend to run in families. Genetics and biology play a major role in the development of autism in children.
Some theories include pharmaceuticals age of parents, and environmental abnormalities.
The symptoms
Symptoms typically begin occurring between 12 and 18 months, when learning seems to reverse, and things are forgotten, like the alphabet, or how to count to 20.
Avoiding eye contact
Spinning in circles
May react unusually to senses, such as smell or touch
Unaware of others emotions
Impulsivity
Repetition of phrases or gestures
Lack of verbal communication
Obsession over a topic, such as math, trains, cars, puzzles, etc.
These are just a few symptoms listed. Autism has many varying degrees of affected individuals. Not every person has every symptom.
I have seen full blown autism, a young 6 year old girl with no verbal communications, who only wanted to swim and eat popsicles.
I have also witnessed mild autism. My older brother would not make eye contact, but he would talk about videogames for hours.
Treatments
Autism therapies can be very unique, in the way each affected individual is handled. Non verbal communication can be difficult, they may respond better to pictures or numbers than to words. Sometimes they can't tell you how they feel.
Animal assisted therapies can prove helpful. Sometimes it's easier to connect with animals than humans - I can relate to that, lol.
Anger management
Family therapy
Sensory processing
Speech therapy
Occupational therapy
Psychiatrist
Caregivers
Some medications may include the following
Haloperidol
Risperidone
Clonidine
Abilify
While medications can help treat symptoms of autism, it does not cure autism. What my family found actually helped my brother, was interactive games on the iPad. Helped focus his attention. Every case has different needs and requirements. Sometimes creative, out of the box thinking is required.
I look at the little girl I babysit.. She is happier than I am most days, I think autism can be a blessing in disguise. There is no doubt it is not an easy journey, but it is always a unique one. I hope this take was an educational read, and may help someone in the future. Please, feel free to add your opinions on this take as well as your personal experiences.
If I missed something, or if I got something wrong, feel free to let me know. I want to have accurate information up here. I've done research on autism in the past, and I believe everything I have posted is accurate. I am only human however, and I do make mistakes. Correct me if I do.
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