Saturday, January 1, 2005

What is Autism?

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears in the first three years of a child's life. It is primarily a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of communication skills and social interaction skills.

Autism is found throughout the world in families of all racial, ethnic, income levels or social backgrounds. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls. In the 90s, the incidence was as high as 1 in 10,000 births, as per the latest statistics from the US Dept of Education and other Government agencies, autism is growing at a rate of 10 – 17% per year and it is found to be 1 in 150 births.

Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. The disorder makes it hard for them to communicate with others and relate to the outside world. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present.

Persons with autism may exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects and resistance to changes in routines. Individuals may also experience sensitivities in the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste (sensory processing difficulty).

Some signs to look for in a child with autism:

* Lack of or delay in spoken language (does not babble coo by 12 months)
* Repetitive use of language and / or motor mannerisms (e.g. hand flapping, spinning objects)
* Little or no eye contact
* Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp) by 12months
* Lack of interest in peer relationships
* Lack of spontaneous or pretend play
* Has any loss of any language or social skills at any age
* Persistent fixations on parts of objects


A child showing any of these above mentioned behavior should have further evaluation by a multi disciplinary team comprising of neurologist, psychologist, development pediatricians, speech/ language therapist, special educator or other professional well versed in Autism.

Children do not outgrow autism. A child with autism grows into an adult with autism. Early diagnosis and interventions are very important to the successful prognosis of the child. Parents all over the world have been trying out various kinds of therapy and treatment techniques for many years now. There is no one definite method for all the children because each child in the spectrum is unique and truly needs a program tailored to suit his or her needs. A child with autism needs an integration of several methodologies to obtain an appropriate education. The tested and well researched methods are ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), TEACCH, PECS(Picture Exchange Communication System).

Posted by Rahul Nair at 2:12 AM
 

Bubbles Learning Centre For Autism

The intent of creating an online space for Bubbles Learning Centre is to target a wider audience and to help autistic children reach us at a much earlier stage.

There are very few schools in Bangalore who cater to children with autism. We have very specific programs addressing each of their deficits in skills such as language and communication, play and social skills.

Apart from this, we run an early intervention programme where in skill training is given with a holistic approach.

In Bubbles, we ensure that the student-teacher ratio is small, typically around 1:2.

We lay emphasis on the overall development of the child and enable them to lead independent lives.

Parent empowerment, family counselling, training and their involvement is given major priority in the training process.

The purpose of the counselling sessions is to promote the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and economic well-being of families. The intent is to help the parents understand the full potential of their children and in training the children to achieve the same.