Autism Spectrum disorder is basically a rare disorder that is developed from childhood till the rest of your life years. It is said that it is caused by several abnormalities in the brain. It is basically a child born with some special handling.
They are usually known as God’s children as the Almighty has created them with some special love. As there is no Genetic Testing available we should accept them as they are.
ASD was before known as ‘PDD‘.It occurs in a child at the age of 2-3 years and it stays for a lifetime. But only the underlying characteristics are seen in childhood whereas Autism is fully developed in their later years.
Autism is a trauma for every parent to see their kids growing in an abnormal way. It makes them feel very sad that their kids cannot have a normal life journey like them. As per the study, one in 100 born kids is still facing ASD and the reason is still unknown. But we as responsible citizens of our country should make them feel normal and accept them with a whole heart.
Only if we take one step; opportunities can begin to open for them and would make their life easier. That constant support should not only come from their parents but also their society around. They shouldn’t feel intermediated or feel unsafe about their existence on this earth.
Autism Spectrum Syndrome is found more in Males than in Females.
Various causes for Autism spectrum syndrome may be:
- Genetic
- Older Parents
- Premature Baby
- Environmental factors
- Pregnancy
Genetic
ASD is seen mostly if there is a genetic disorder in a family and is carried from generation to generation. It is not the root cause as the specific reason for the cause of ASD is still under research. It is usually certain combinations caused in your DNA at the time of babies’ growth.
Like ASD is found most commonly in males gender, and if they have a family history of it is surely going to pass from one generation to the other.
The chances of ASD increase if you already have a family background of dealing with Down syndrome, Rett Syndrome, or Fragile X Syndrome.
Older Parents
Having Older parents can also be one of the reasons for the development of ASD. If your parenting would begin at an old age your body is not strong enough to support the growth of a child and would eventually cause complications.
So because your organs not being strong to support a child’s birth there can also be some chances for a child to develop ASD. As it is been said only one in 100 children have this disorder, which makes it more probable to give birth to a child with Autism.
Premature Baby
If a baby is born prematurely before 26 weeks of gestation, are higher chances for ASD. A baby whose growth is only incomplete has the maximum chance to be born with disabilities. It can be another way around too that premature babies are more intelligent than others.
The vital body parts of a baby like immature development of lungs, poor food intake, no balance for regulating body temperature, slow weight gain, etc. can risk a child’s growth perhaps leading to ASD.
Environmental factors
The environment is contaminated around with air pollution due to vehicles running in and out daily. We as human beings are used to breathing this polluted air from the surroundings, but a child’s growth can be heavily affected in an adverse way.
Even the sound pollution on the streets happening due to the honking and racing of cars can have an effect on an infant. The only solution to this is for everyone to make an attempt to plant at least one plant in our surroundings.
‘Go Green, Become Clean’.
Pregnancy
It is said that it is the happiest moment in a woman’s life to be pregnant. She becomes a medium to bring a new life to this world. It should be a happy and accepted journey for a female to become a mother.
But if this journey is stressful due to family tensions, stress about the journey after childbirth, not being happy being pregnant, or having pills during pregnancy can affect the brain development of a child eventually causing ASD.
‘Care for a Living, Not everyone is blessed with it’.
Various symptoms are seen in a child suffering from ASD:
- Disability phase
- No eye contact
- Difficulty in understanding Language
- Likes to play alone
- No sleep
- Aggressive behavior
- Rocking, Spinning, and hand gestures
- Use of Sign Language
- No feelings
Disability phase
In ASD, a child is already born with it, only its underlying characteristics are seen from age of 2-3 years till their entire life span. During this transition phase, it is very important for a parent to understand and support them with all our love and care.
To have a child to be born with ASD is the scariest nightmare for a parent to deal with that fact. But if as a parent we are accepting of our kid only then the people around will understand his existence.
‘Love what you sow’.
No Eye contact
In Autism, a child finds it very uncomfortable to make eye contact with a normal person as it makes them insecure and feel low about themselves. They generally fear not being treated well in the real world and want to run away from that fact.
‘Eyes are the camera of your heart’.
Difficulty in Understanding Language
A child with ASD finds it difficult to understand the language and speech of normal individuals. They feel that other people are abnormal and are talking in different types of language that are not easy to understand.
They will always have a blank faces with no expression whenever someone is trying to communicate with them.
Likes to Play Alone
In ASD, a child feels very difficult to match the grasping power of a normal kid. His brain is not fully developed like a normal child’s to understand things properly.
Also, they feel scared and insecure around normal children as they might bully them for their disability. So he prefers playing alone without any interference from any individual.
No Sleep
Due to the lack of proper development of a child, he doesn’t understand that his body needs to rest for some hours to charge up for another day. They can go sleepless nights for a longer period of time.
It’s mainly due to the mutations in their genes that cause links to no sleep or insomnia.
Aggressive Behavior
In ASD, a person can easily lose control and become aggressive to another extent. They tend to harm others and themselves if they have to prove their point.
They also become life-threatening at times and during the worst situations, they need to be chained for their own protection. Parents should know their trigger points and keep them away from those thoughts.
Rocking, Spinning, and hand gestures
In ASD, a child keeps on doing repetitive motions of rocking, spinning around, and doing up and down hand gestures. This is the first sign through which you can detect ASD.
It is very important to divert their minds as they might be signs of extreme emotion which can be both happy and sad.
Use of Sign Language
As it becomes difficult for them to express themselves in Language, they take the help of sign language and communicate through it.
They feel sign language doesn’t make them judge in society as their voice and speech are a little different from others.
‘Communication should be from your heart not by Tongue’.
No Feelings
Due to an underdeveloped mind, this person doesn’t understand emotions like happiness, crying, pain, sadness, etc. They don’t understand to express their own emotion when they want to do so.
That’s why they are called God’s child that needs to be given extra attention so that no one around takes advantage of them.
‘Love and pain both have a parallel journey’.
Treatment for ASD
There is no specific treatment for ASD, but early treatment can reduce the symptoms and can make a big difference in a child’s life.
That can be achieved as a parent first building trust with them and then understanding them to improve their skills in a productive way.
- Accepting your child as a special gift
- Making them competitive in the real world
- Making them feel worth
- Love them equally as you would if you had a normal child
- Treat them with Dignity
- Believe in Them
Only you as a parent can accept the fact and become his own Counselor. Only Talking therapy (CBT) can improve their symptoms in a better way.
