Autism is not considered a learning disability but is prevalent today, even though we may have heard the term we may not know much about it. It is known as a complex developmental disability which shows itself during the first three years of a person's life. The condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on the normal functioning of the brain which affects the development of a person's communication and social interaction skills. To be diagnosed with autism, a child must have six or more of the following symptoms and two or more of those symptoms must fall under the social skills category.
Social skills
• Has difficulty with nonverbal behaviors, such as making eye contact, making facial expressions or using gestures
• Has difficulty forming friendships with peers and seems to prefer playing alone
• Doesn't share experiences or emotions with other people, such as sharing achievements or pointing out objects or other interests
• Appears unaware of others' feelings
Communication skills
• Starts talking later than age 2 and has other developmental delays by 30 months, and doesn't make an attempt to communicate with gestures or miming
• Can't start a conversation or keep one going
• May repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them
• Doesn't play make-believe or doesn't imitate the behavior of adults when playing
Behaviour
• Develops interests in objects or topics that are abnormal in intensity or focus
• Performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand-flapping
• Becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals
• May be fascinated by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car
Treatment options may include:
• Behaviour and communication therapies.
• Educational therapies. Children with autism often respond well to highly structured education programs. Successful programs often include a team of specialists and a variety of activities to improve social skills, communication and behavior. Preschool children who receive intensive, individualized behavioral interventions show good progress.
• Medication.
Sources: Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago – http:/www.autismtt.org., mayoclinic.com.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/
Thanks Marcia for that bit of information, it is prevalent right now in our schools. The school that I teach at has at least four cases. I am not competent enough to deal with these cases, that is why in my humble opinion I believe that there should be a special school especially for them. Based on what you mentioned above they are really disturbed even in the slightest change in their routine and becomes very disruptive even to the point of disturbing the entire school. Students are also insensitive in dealing with them that's why I believe as the school body we should all be sensitize in dealing with such delicate matters. All in all they do have better behavior and scores than the other students we perceived as "normal".
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