The pregnant mother is always worrisome
of the possibility of bearing a child with
mental or physical functional limitations.
Not to take it away from the supportive
father who will have to face the challenges
together with the mother. Autism is one
such disorder that can give rise to a huge
challenge psychologically, socially,
financially and even physically on the
parent. Autism is a spectrum of closely
related disorders that share core of
symptoms. A "spectrum" is a broad range
of signs and symptoms of Autism (From
high function to dysfunction). It is a
neuro-developmental condition, meaning
that it is a disorder of the brain, targeting
the areas of the brain that control
communication, behaviour, sensation and
social interaction. It might also affect areas
of the brain that control movement.
The common symptoms shared in this
spectrum of disorders are deficits in
communication, behavioural problems
(repetitive, compulsive and stereotyped)
& problems with social interaction.
Deficits in communication can be that the
child might not have speech at all. In some
cases the child might have speech but will
choose not to speak. Some children have
speech, and choose to speak, but when
they speak they repeat exactly what is
said to them, this is called Echoing/
parroting. These children have difficulty
maintaining or starting a conversation (one
word vocabulary). They can create their
own words which cannot be found in any
dictionary of any language, or they mix up
words using an inappropriate and wrong
word in a sentence (this is called word
salad). These children may have
extremely good memory especially with
numbers and languages (high function).
Behavioural problems differ from child to
child along the spectrum, that is, from
high functioning children to low
functioning children. The behaviours are
repetitive, compulsive and stereotyped.
The child has specific unusual routines &
order called rituals, and he/she never
reacts well to change e.g. plays at the same
spot and with same part of toy/ any
equipment. The behaviors can be
attributed to the child experiencing
sensory problems. The five senses that
humans have can be experienced as too
high or too low (Highly sensitive or not
sensitive), for example the sense of
hearing can be too loud or too low.
Therefore the child will perform repetitive
behaviours to either seek the senses that
they are not experiencing, or to inhibit the
senses that are being experienced as too
high. The behaviours can be banging head
on wall, continuous scratching, clapping,
screaming, spitting, and/or jumping. The
child may have a poor attention span & is
always agitated (hyperactive), this will
cause difficulties with school work. They
also have difficulties with self-care
Activities of Daily Living, such as, dressing
(tying shoelaces, buttoning), bathing,
grooming (brushing teeth, combing hair,
applying lotion), and proper use of
toilet.
Problems with social interaction are
largely portrayed with being quiet and
isolated. They are not interested in other
people’s affairs. The child will have
difficulty making friends. He/ she cannot
keep eye contact and does not respond to
social cues e.g. smiling back, waving back,
and personal space. They do not show
empathy or sympathy.
Autism being a neurodevelopmental
condition, that is, problems with brain
development, it therefore implies that
anything that interferes with brain
development can cause autism. Any
interruption with brain development can
lead to the child being autistic, either
before birth, during birth, or after birth
(up to 3-5years). The possible
interruptions with brain development can
be attributed to genetics (problems with
chromosomal union), infection of the
mother during pregnancy (viral, bacterial,
fungal diseases), Malnutrition especially
folic acid deficiency (leafy vegetables,
citrus fruits, rice, beans, cereals),
nutritional diseases and infection of infant
(jaundice, epilepsy), trauma to mother or
infant, and/or Substance abuse.
Treatment of Autism is therapy based.
There are medications (drugs) for high
energy levels, & associated conditions.
Therapies that are implemented in the
management include Speech therapy to
manage communication deficits.
Psychological services assist in managing
cognitive & behavioural problems. Special
needs education to assist these children to
learn and attain academic qualifications.
Occupational therapy helps in the
management of sensory problems through
sensory integration. Occupational
therapists also assist with social skills
training to help the child to function in
society. Activities of Daily Living training
is also done in Occupational therapy. The
parent’s participation in all therapies is
very essential as they are the ones who
spend most of the time with the child.
A child with autism is also a child like any
other child, and therefore deserves to be
loved equally as any child. Parents,
siblings and the community should come
together to assist these children. More
needs to be done to raise awareness about
this condition.
Article written by : Tatenda Maphosa