Know more about Autism

Autism: A neuro-developmental disorder
Autism, a mentally retarded condition, is one of five ‘Pervasive Developmental Disorders’ and much deeply penetrated in our country than the records make evident. It usually manifests as problems that involve communication skills, motor skills, and social skills. In Autism, there is an uneven skill development- in fact this is the hallmark of autism. In some areas the child may show age-appropriate skills; in some the skills may be below the developmental level; and then again there are people with Autism who possess exceptional skills i.e. beyond their age level.

It is a neuro-developmental disability and the patient may experience difficulty in such areas as self-care, language, mobility, learning, self-direction, independent living or self-sufficiency. However, one should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. Autism manifests itself at a very early age, “before the age of three years” according to the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases.

Prevalence in India
From a physiological standpoint, autism is often less than obvious in that outward appearance may not indicate a disorder. Diagnosis typically comes from a complete physical and neurological evaluation. The absence of a screening tool for developmental disability in young children from developing countries has previously hindered autism research and services in these territories. There are no accurate statistics regarding to Autism, many who have some kind of autism haven’t been diagnosed. So the numbers are only rough estimations based on a nationwide prevalence rate of 1 in 150 that works out to approximately 4 million in our country.  Even this four million cases is a small figure since autism is highly underreported here.

The Autism cases have risen sharply over the last couple of decades. They were 17.40 lakhs in 2005, 40 lakhs in 2006, and today, the autism-affected population in India would be close to a crore.

As the medical community unable to find any suitable single cause for its root, the only way available are early detection and intervention. One of the major difficulties faced by parents of children with autism in India is obtaining an accurate diagnosis. If there are proper screening tools they will be able to arrive at a better picture of how many autistic people (at least in the age group they are screening) they have in India and initiate for therapy in the right light.

 

 

 

Clinical features
Some points suggestive of Autistic disorder are:

·         Autistic disorder is frequently evident within the first year of life, and must be diagnosed before age three. It is associated with moderate mental retardation in three out of four cases.

·         These children do not want to be held, rocked, cuddled or played with. They are unresponsive to affection, show no interest in peers or adults and have few interests.

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Other traits include avoidance of eye contact, an expressionless face and the use of gestures to express needs.

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Their actions are repetitive, routine and restricted. Rocking, hand and arm flapping, unusual hand and finger movements, and attachment to objects rather than pets and people are common.

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Speech, play, and other behaviors are repetitive and without imagination.  They tend to be overactive, aggressive, and self-injurious. They are often highly sensitive to touch, noise, and smells and do not like changes in routine.

 

Cause
There are numerous theories as to the specific causes of autism, but they are as yet unproven. Proposed factors include genetic influence, anatomical variations (e.g. head circumference), abnormal blood vessel function, Viruses and oxidative stress. Their significance as well as implications for treatment remains speculative. At present, it is believed that about 10% of all cases can be accounted for genetically.

Modalities available in India
More important parameters concern the available treatment and rehabilitation facilities and the ones that are essentially required. Currently, the needs of autistic children in India are not being met in either the regular or special education systems. As with most medical problems, the lack of awareness and specific medical care available is the major hurdle to win over Autism in India.

The picture has been slowly changing for the better recently though. Primarily as a result of intense work with the Ministry of Health, the Government of India now recognizes autism as a disability. Through the commitment of a community of parents, siblings, other relatives, and autistic people themselves, people with autism and their families now have a voice in the disability legislation and movement in India.

Treatment
At this point we do not know what causes Autism and so cannot fix (cure) what is wrong in the child’s brain. Many therapies (medications, diets, etc.) are being tried but nothing is proven. At present, there is no cure for autism.

The only consistently effective treatment for autism is a structured training program; therefore, a combination of a good school and parent training is the best known treatment. Autistic children can make significant progress if the intervention is appropriate and consistent. Early intervention, before the child is five, is especially crucial to the child’s progress. This is why an early and accurate diagnosis is so important.

·         Occupational therapists, Special educators, speech therapists, developmental pediatricians and counselors play an important role in designing program for a child with autism.

·         Communication training through speech, signs or pictures helps.

·         Structured teaching, behavioral therapy and social skills training helps.

·         Occupational therapy for self helps skills training and also using sensory integration principles is beneficial.

·         A special educator may be needed to work on the academic skills

 

The main goals of treatment are to lessen associated deficits and family distress and to increase quality of life and functional independence and treatment is typically tailored to the child’s needs.

Organizations
Organizations such as the Forum For Autism Awareness in (FFA) Mumbai and Action for Autism (AFA) in Delhi are formed by parents of Autistic children and provide a treasure-trove of Support, information on how to help your child, educating your child- The autistic child too has a right to an education.FFA is a group set up by parents of children coming under the autism -Pervasive Development Disorder (P.D.D.) spectrum. FFA can be contacted on 32949595

Awareness
2^nd April is declared as World Autism Awareness day across the globe. We at Khushi would have all the professionals and parents involved with Autism to have a concert on the 5^th where the kids would be performing and lectures would be held to create awareness. You are cordially invited to contribute towards making this event a success. For more details visit www.khushi.net.in  or call 9819561468.