When Your Child Has Autism

Research on autism has shown that this type of disorder affects 1 in every 150 children. It is a type of disorder that disrupts the development of the brain thereby paralyzing the supposedly normal functions of a child. Autism is almost always recognizable in children below three years old.

A child with autism may seem unable to hear you when you call out to him or he may appear to be a late talker if he has never said a word or uttered something that sounded like a word at two years old. Although a deaf child may also have the same symptoms, other symptoms of autism include unusual reactions to sound, touch and other external stimulants. He may suddenly rock himself back in forth when he hears something that is unpleasant for him; he could wring his hands; or make a loud unintelligible sharp sound.

COPING WITH AUTISM

Autistic children display different behaviors; for some, flapping means that they are happy; while others look you in the eye and give you a hug. Some children learn to develop their own communication skills that help their parents, caregivers and therapists to better understand them. An autistic child will never look you in the eye as if to say he recognizes you but he will show his recognition to his parents in different ways.

When you have an autistic child, you must remember not to expect anything that you would from a normal child. Autistic children have their own worlds, with their own concepts of things and sometimes it is hard to understand their worlds. But with much determination and perseverance, you can have a glimpse of how they look at your normal world.

As your child may never speak, a therapist can help him communicate to you in ways that both you and him will understand. When he wants to tell you something, he will learn how to point to a thing or picture to relate what he wants to tell you. You in turn will answer in much the same way.

ITS A WONDERFUL WORLD

Having an autistic child may be exhausting and may have financial repercussions especially if you want to help him cope with his condition but its not the end of the world. An autistic childs world some experts would say is actually probably more beautiful than ours is. The important thing to remember is to abandon all expectations and deal with his condition on a daily basis.

You will constantly have to be watching him to avoid him getting hurt and at the same time watching his activities to better understand him. Keep a record of all your observations and look out for behavioral patterns concerning different stimuli. Also take note of which ones get him in a foul mood and which ones make him happy.

You have to have a heart of steel to avoid taking his negative behavior towards you as something deliberately thrown at you to upset you. Join a support group to help you cope with your childs condition and get good advice from parents and guardians who have been dealing with it longer than you.

Steve works for MTBBN where you can search Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, and Top 100 Baby Names.