could someone please tell me arbout autism?

Question

i have a question that i would like some help with what is autism i have a interview in the morning and would like some help thanks

Answer 1

Hi what would u like to know ??
my twin son has severe autism non verbel
email so things you want to know and i will do my best to answer
angie

Answer 2

Here is a website that provides information on autism and tells you how to deal with the problem. http://www.arcwa.com/

Answer 3

What is Autism
Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD’s) are a group of developmental disabilities that affects the way in which a person interacts with other people. Autistic people have difficulties in social situations and find it hard to make friendly relationships. People with autistic spectrum disorders often show strange behaviours.

It is not common to notice that a child has autistic spectrum disorders before he or she is about 2 or 3 years old. The child will not grow out of an autistic spectrum disorder. He or she will become an autistic adult.
What causes autistic spectrum disorders
Autistic spectrum disorders are caused by an abnormality in the brain. It is not known why this happens. Sometimes there are several people in the same family who have autistic spectrum disorders. There are usually more boys than girls who have autistic spectrum disorders.
How does autistic spectrum disorders affect a person
People with autistic spectrum disorders are affected to different levels. Some people have only mild signs and can learn to live like other people. Others have more difficulties and need more help. ASD’s can not be ‘cured’, but it is possible to make it easier for the person to have a better quality of life.
Communication
People with autistic spectrum disorders have difficulty communicating with other people. Most have difficulty with words and trying to express themselves. They may have difficulty understanding what is being said. Some may repeat back whatever has just been said to them. Some may never develop speech and could be helped by learning simple sign language. Others may speak well and know a lot of words, but find it difficult to listen to other people. They may talk a lot about one subject that they are interested in.
Social interaction
People with ASD’s do not interact with others in the same way that most people do. Some do not appear to be interested in other people at all. People with ASD’s may not make eye-contact and may prefer to spend time alone. They have trouble understanding others feelings or talking about their own feelings. Other people with ASD’s may be interested in other people but may not know how to talk, play or relate to them.
Behaviour
People with ASD’s may repeat the same actions over and over. They may like to have routines so that they know what to expect. If these routines are upset for any reason, the person may become upset. Even a slight change may upset the person and cause unwanted behaviours.

People with ASD’s may become anxious in settings that he finds strange. He may try to cope with his feelings by withdrawing from the situation, and displaying behaviours that others find strange, such as rocking.
Development
Children with ASD’s develop differently to other children. Children with ASD’s develop different areas at different rates. For example, they may be average in motor skills, but very delayed in language and social skills. They may be good at puzzles, but not able to make friends. They may also learn difficult skills before the simple skills – know how to read long words but not know what sound each letter makes. Children may also learn a skill and then lose it.

Why do people with ASD’s show strange behaviour?
Many people with ASD’s do not experience the world through their senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell) in quite the same way as other people. A person with ASD may have senses that are very intense, or barely there.

People with ASD’s often have behaviours that relate to how they experience the world. This may be to block an intense sensory experience, or to stimulate one of the senses. Common behaviours are spinning, rocking, flapping hands








What can we do to help
•Use simple words and short sentences.
•Do not use metaphors or colloquial sayings. For example I laughed my head off.
•Give visual clues when talking to a person with ASD
•Be consistent
•Try and teach the person simple rules to interact with other people. For example turn-taking and eye contact in conversation, and what facial expressions mean.
•Avoid changes to routines wherever possible
•Help the person to organise and plan his day. If there are times with no planned activity, give suggestions as to what he could do. Make a plan for the day, drawing different activities. The person can use this to find out what happens next
•If a person with ASD shows behaviours that are unacceptable. Consider a behaviour management program (see Challenging behaviour)
•Befriend the person with ASD – take them to places a person of their age would normally go.
•Consider a sensory integration program

Sensory integration
If we know that some of the problems a person with ASD has may be due to problems with his senses, we can look at the environment around him to see how we can help.
For someone who:
•Rocks, swings or spins•Encourage play on seesaws, rocking horses, swings, hammocks
•Has difficulty stopping movements during activities•Break things down into small steps, use visual cues (lines)
•bumping into things•put furniture around the edge of the room
•put tape down / draw lines to show boundaries
•standing too close to people•teach person to keep 1 arms length from people when they are talking to them
•difficulty doing activities using fingers•encourage activities such as crafts to help person develop these skills
•responds to strong smells (faeces)
•licks items•use other strong smells as a reward (scent)
•dislikes strong smells, avoids those wearing scent•keep environment as unscented as possible, avoid scent, household fragrance
•distracted by visual stimuli / focuses on small details of objects•use natural light as much as possible
•try using sunglasses
•doesn’t appear to see very well•check eyesight!
•use more visual cues
•reacts badly to loud noises•keep environment quiet
•warn person if an area is likely to be noisy
•use ear plugs
•doesn’t seem to feel pain / self-harms•weighted blankets
•wrap up tight (swaddle)
•withdraws from touch, doesn’t like any activities which involves touch (washing and dressing)•allow to complete personal care himself
•warn person before you touch them
•encourage person to play with different textures / materials / do craft work
•eats everything (even if not food)•give highly flavoured and spicy foods
•avoids eating food unless bland, soft•mash foods to make them soft
•do not give very spicy foods