April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day:

Be a special friend

All of us know that we are all unique, but some of us are so unique that we do not fit into the typical group. It is of vital importance for typically growing children to know about other different people. One such difference is autism.

With no visible features or symptoms, autism is a complex condition to understand, especially for children who come across it for the first time.

Autism is not a disease or ailment as tuberculosis or the common cold, so there is no way you will be infected by it.

Autism is a neurobilogical or brain disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate, form relationship with others and respond appropriately to the environment.

According to available statistics, about 67 million people around the world are affected by autism. It is believed that this year, the number of children diagnosed with autism will be more than the number of children diagnosed with diabetes, cancer and AIDS combined. There is no medical detection or cure for autism.

Children with autism experience objects, things, sights, sounds and even games or play activities differently.

They feel smothered or overwhelmed by sounds, smells, movements, feelings and sights.

Specific characteristics of autism:

* Lack of eye contact

* Rarely seeking others for comfort or affection

* Rarely responding to other people’s miseries or happiness

* Hardly initiating play with other children

* Difficulty in understanding rules and regulations

* Hardly greeting others or saying “hello” or “thank you”.

* Not responding when called by their names

* Preoccupation with some objects, especially spinning objects such as fans and tops.

* Some children with autism may never learn to talk.

* Some of them repeat everything that others say like a parrot (echolalia)

* Use of “you” when they meant “I”.

* Abnormalities in pitch, rhythm and intonation

* Lack of pretend play

* Talking to oneself

* Attachment to unusual objects

* Having strong likes and dislikes with smells

* Extreme sensitivity to touch

* Difficulty in understanding jokes

* Distress over changes in the environment

* Stereotypical and repetitive behaviours such as rocking and spinning

You do not find all the features listed above in every child with autism. These are the common difficulties encountered by them.

The strengths or the positive aspects of children with autism:

* Quite good at puzzles

* Ability to remember information for a long time

* Preference for order in everything they do.

* Learning by memory

* The ability to use verbal information meaningfully

* The ability to learn and read long routines.

* The ability to concentrate on narrow topics of specific interest

* Skill in their area of interest

* Ability to take in chunks of information quickly - the whole thing

The study of autism is relatively new and most people have had little or no experience with autism. Some people have heard about it from movies and news reports. In the movie “Rain Man” Dustin Hoffman plays the role of an autistic savant and he won and Oscar for his role in that movie.

Next time when you come across a child with autism, all you have to remember is, that once you make friends with a child with autism, he/she will remain a loyal friend and will never let you down. Remember all the positive aspects of his/her personality.

More than anything else, he/she needs a friend like you and don’t forget to see the movie “Rain Man”.

- Courtesy: The Hindu