So what does all this mean?
One of the first thing many parents who have children with Autism notice is that their child does not seem to understand them. Many times the child may appear as if deaf, not responding to any sounds around them and not making any sounds of their own. When my son was a toddler, for example, we moved from one state to another and so started seeing a new pediatrician. This doctor, for months, assumed that my son was deaf. At the time, we were trying to use sign language with my son to communicate, and so she never asked about his deafness, she simply took it at face value. Then one day my son was in her office for a checkup and he suddenly made some kind of sound or another and almost scared the doctor out of her wits. It was the first time she had ever heard my son utter a sound of any kind.
The second thing many parents notice is that their child does not seem to really care if others are around or not. For example, as an infant, the child may rarely fuss, except when held. If left alone, he or she may appear perfectly content. When held, the child may arch his or her back, indicating displeasure, or may simply stare through the person, as if there is no one there. With my own son, he was perfectly content to be in his own little world all of the time. When someone did get his attention, he would usually do what was asked of him, but then back to his own little world he would go.
As for as Imagination is concerned, many children with Autism appear to have no imagination at all. Many sit and stare into space for hours at a time, maybe rocking back and forth, totally oblivious to the world around them. When play does occur, it is often repetitive in nature. For example, twirling an object just to see it spin, over and over, or lining cars up in a perfect row, time and again. My son used to gather all of his cars and place them in a straight line, bumper to bumper, like the worlds largest traffic jam from one end of our house to another.
The child may also become attached to an object and use it for play when the object is not usually something that would be played with. An example of this would be: one time my son found a red brick, like those used in building houses. For over three months he carried that brick everywhere with him. He bathed with it, he slept with it, he gave it rides on his bike. If you saw my son, you saw this brick. It was like his American Express, he never left home without it.
While each child is truly unique, most children with Autism do experience the Triad of Impairment in some way. Some may experience more problems than others, some only slight problems, but the problems are there. In the past, Autism was used to refer to those children who truly were in a world of their own, those most severe. In recent years, however, the realization is being made that not all children with the signs and symptoms of Autism are incapable of learning. Many children with Autism do learn to speak, to play, to use their imagination. Some make so many advances one cannot even tell a diagnosis was ever made. It all depends on the child. The important thing is to never give up. Never, ever give up!!!! |
