AUTISM IN OUR OWN WORDS
There are countless resources: books, websites, magazines, doctors, therapists, physiologists, counselors and teachers whom may give you slightly different variations of what autism is. We've sited some information taken directly from some well known resources below but we would like to give you our own explanation of what autism is in general and also share some of the "symptoms" Ka'eo, Jr. had as a baby and has now as a toddler.
Social Disconnection
No matter if an autistic child is high functioning or non-verbal, the strongest notable trait is a social disconnection from other people, including family members, siblings, and even parents. Ka'eo, Jr. never really craved attention and physical affection in the way a neurologically typical child would. He never really responded to his name and we had to work hard for his eye contact as a baby.
Communication
Many young children with autism do not point nor do they begin to speak as early as many typical children. Ka'eo, Jr. never pointed as a baby and even today will not point for something he wants or is looking at. He will instead reach toward it or not at all. One technique we learned to encourage pointing is to blow bubbles into the air and as he reaches to pop each bubble, we gently curl his other fingers in so he can pop the bubble with his index finger, as if he's pointing at it. This worked initially with Ka'eo, Jr., but now he is more resistant to any hand-over-hand methods.
Ka'eo, Jr. is also delayed in speech. When he was diagnosed at 27 months old, he had no words at all. By 2.5 years old he learned 15 or less words and really didn't show that he knew what each word meant since he would often use the wrong word to express a need. For example, he would say "all done" if he wanted us to give him something, rather than when he was finished with an activity.
***We should mention that other children with high-functioning autism often have normal or advanced language development at an early age. It is very common for children with high functioning autism such as aspergers syndrome to not be diagnosed until 5 years old or even into their teens. This is often because they have enough language and cognitive skills to "pass" as typical until, eventually, their unusual social tendencies begin to separate them from other children.***
Repetitive Behaviors
Most children with autism do repetitive behaviors throughout the day. Most people refer to these as "behaviors" or "stims" (since they seem to be stimulating their senses), and Son-Rise parents call them "isms" (because they see it as truly a part of the child, just as a unique attitude or habit is part of certain people you know in your life).
These "isms" can range from hand-flapping, jumping, running back and forth, spinning objects, humming, squealing, fluttering fingers (often beside their eyes), rocking, ripping paper, playing with string, even talking in circles by repeating segments of movies, songs or books, to dangerous self-injury like head-banging, self-punching or self-biting. The defining characteristics of a “stim” or “ism” are that it is repetitive and exclusive. Tantruming or Crying are not "stimming", rather they are forms of communication from the child.
Ka'eo, Jr. has always had very cute isms. Before he was 2 years old, he would run back and forth, flip his cars over and spin the wheels, play with string, pick up sand and watch it slowly fall from his fingertips, and he would hum, especially when he was eating something yummy!
In fact, after he was first diagnosed, our ABA therapist began to tell us that all these cute things we loved about our unique little boy were actually not his own little "quirks" but they were actually just "symptoms" of his autism. We were absolutely heart-broken.
Now we know that his "isms" are absolutely his own, and are possibly his own ways of coping with his heightened sensitivities to his environment and his own body. But none the less, he does his "isms" because he chooses to, not because his autism forces him to. Just like you could rub your tummy for a sore stomach, you are choosing to deal with it in that way. Your stomach hurts because it hurts. Your way of coping with it is your unique choice, based on your own personality and what feels good to you.
As a 3 year old, Ka'eo, Jr. has changed some of his "isms". He really loves to gently touch soft things like his felt toy ball, Mommy's make-up brush, Mommy's eye lashes, or even Daddy's freshly buzzed haircut! He also covers his ears when he hears certain frequencies (not volumes). He still runs back and forth sometimes. He still hums when he likes what he's eating. He also likes to stack blocks or line them up, and then he likes to knock the blocks down or spread them out on the ground. When we're at the beach, he can sit in the sand for as long as we'll let him and just pick it up and watch it fall from his fingertips, over and over again. It’s truly like watching a monk in deep meditation sometimes...fascinating!
Social Disconnection
No matter if an autistic child is high functioning or non-verbal, the strongest notable trait is a social disconnection from other people, including family members, siblings, and even parents. Ka'eo, Jr. never really craved attention and physical affection in the way a neurologically typical child would. He never really responded to his name and we had to work hard for his eye contact as a baby.
Communication
Many young children with autism do not point nor do they begin to speak as early as many typical children. Ka'eo, Jr. never pointed as a baby and even today will not point for something he wants or is looking at. He will instead reach toward it or not at all. One technique we learned to encourage pointing is to blow bubbles into the air and as he reaches to pop each bubble, we gently curl his other fingers in so he can pop the bubble with his index finger, as if he's pointing at it. This worked initially with Ka'eo, Jr., but now he is more resistant to any hand-over-hand methods.
Ka'eo, Jr. is also delayed in speech. When he was diagnosed at 27 months old, he had no words at all. By 2.5 years old he learned 15 or less words and really didn't show that he knew what each word meant since he would often use the wrong word to express a need. For example, he would say "all done" if he wanted us to give him something, rather than when he was finished with an activity.
***We should mention that other children with high-functioning autism often have normal or advanced language development at an early age. It is very common for children with high functioning autism such as aspergers syndrome to not be diagnosed until 5 years old or even into their teens. This is often because they have enough language and cognitive skills to "pass" as typical until, eventually, their unusual social tendencies begin to separate them from other children.***
Repetitive Behaviors
Most children with autism do repetitive behaviors throughout the day. Most people refer to these as "behaviors" or "stims" (since they seem to be stimulating their senses), and Son-Rise parents call them "isms" (because they see it as truly a part of the child, just as a unique attitude or habit is part of certain people you know in your life).
These "isms" can range from hand-flapping, jumping, running back and forth, spinning objects, humming, squealing, fluttering fingers (often beside their eyes), rocking, ripping paper, playing with string, even talking in circles by repeating segments of movies, songs or books, to dangerous self-injury like head-banging, self-punching or self-biting. The defining characteristics of a “stim” or “ism” are that it is repetitive and exclusive. Tantruming or Crying are not "stimming", rather they are forms of communication from the child.
Ka'eo, Jr. has always had very cute isms. Before he was 2 years old, he would run back and forth, flip his cars over and spin the wheels, play with string, pick up sand and watch it slowly fall from his fingertips, and he would hum, especially when he was eating something yummy!
In fact, after he was first diagnosed, our ABA therapist began to tell us that all these cute things we loved about our unique little boy were actually not his own little "quirks" but they were actually just "symptoms" of his autism. We were absolutely heart-broken.
Now we know that his "isms" are absolutely his own, and are possibly his own ways of coping with his heightened sensitivities to his environment and his own body. But none the less, he does his "isms" because he chooses to, not because his autism forces him to. Just like you could rub your tummy for a sore stomach, you are choosing to deal with it in that way. Your stomach hurts because it hurts. Your way of coping with it is your unique choice, based on your own personality and what feels good to you.
As a 3 year old, Ka'eo, Jr. has changed some of his "isms". He really loves to gently touch soft things like his felt toy ball, Mommy's make-up brush, Mommy's eye lashes, or even Daddy's freshly buzzed haircut! He also covers his ears when he hears certain frequencies (not volumes). He still runs back and forth sometimes. He still hums when he likes what he's eating. He also likes to stack blocks or line them up, and then he likes to knock the blocks down or spread them out on the ground. When we're at the beach, he can sit in the sand for as long as we'll let him and just pick it up and watch it fall from his fingertips, over and over again. It’s truly like watching a monk in deep meditation sometimes...fascinating!
WHAT IS AUTISM?
Dictionary and technical definitions of autism can be frustratingly vague and don’t really describe autism. The following is from Autism Speaks, and it describes autism in a way that is easy to understand:
Autism affects the way a child perceives the world and makes communication and social interaction difficult. The child may also have repetitive behaviors or intense interests. Symptoms, and their severity, are different for each of the affected areas - Communication, Social Interaction, and Repetitive Behaviors. A child may not have the same symptoms and may seem very different from another child with the same diagnosis. It is sometimes said, that if you know one person with autism; you know one person with autism.
The symptoms of autism typically last throughout a person's lifetime. A mildly affected person might seem merely quirky and lead a typical life. A severely affected person might be unable to speak or care for himself. Early intervention can make extraordinary differences in a child's development. How a child is functioning now may be very different from how he or she will function later on in life (autismspeaks.org).
Autism affects the way a child perceives the world and makes communication and social interaction difficult. The child may also have repetitive behaviors or intense interests. Symptoms, and their severity, are different for each of the affected areas - Communication, Social Interaction, and Repetitive Behaviors. A child may not have the same symptoms and may seem very different from another child with the same diagnosis. It is sometimes said, that if you know one person with autism; you know one person with autism.
The symptoms of autism typically last throughout a person's lifetime. A mildly affected person might seem merely quirky and lead a typical life. A severely affected person might be unable to speak or care for himself. Early intervention can make extraordinary differences in a child's development. How a child is functioning now may be very different from how he or she will function later on in life (autismspeaks.org).
SOCIAL SYMPTOMS
The following information – about the social symptoms, communication disorders and repetitive behaviors associated with autism – is taken from the National Institute of Mental Health.
From the start, typically developing infants are social beings. Early in life, they gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile.
By contrast, most children with autism seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in the give-and-take of everyday human interactions. Even in the first year of life, many do not interact and avoid eye contact in a normal way. They may seem indifferent to other people, and prefer being alone. They may resist attention or passively accept hugs and cuddling. Later, they may fail to seek comfort or respond to parents' displays of anger or affection in a typical way. Research has suggested that although children with autism are attached to their parents, their expression of this attachment is unusual and difficult to “read”. To parents, it may seem as if their child is not connected at all. Parents who looked forward to the joys of cuddling, teaching and playing with their child may feel crushed by this lack of the expected and typical attachment behavior.
Children with autism also are slower in learning to interpret what others are thinking and feeling. Subtle social cures such as a smile, a wave, or a grimace-may have little meaning to a child with autism. To a child who misses these cues, “Come here” may always mean the same thing, whether the speaker is smiling and extending her arms for a hug or frowning and planting her fists on her hips. Without the ability to interpret gestures and facial expressions, the social world may seem bewildering. To compound the problem, people with autism have difficulty seeing things from another person's perspective. Most five year olds understand that other people have different thoughts, feelings, and goals than they have. A child with autism may lack such understanding. This inability leaves them unable to predict or understand other people's actions.
Although not universal, it is common for people with autism to have difficulty regulating their emotions. This can take the form of “immature” behavior such as crying in class or verbal outbursts that seem inappropriate to those around them. Sometimes they may be disruptive and physically aggressive, making social relationships even more difficult. They have a tendency to “lose control”, particularly when they're in a strange or overwhelming environment, or when angry or frustrated. At times, they may break things, attack others or hurt themselves. In their frustration, some bang their heads, pull their hair or bite their arms (nimh.nih.gov).
From the start, typically developing infants are social beings. Early in life, they gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile.
By contrast, most children with autism seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in the give-and-take of everyday human interactions. Even in the first year of life, many do not interact and avoid eye contact in a normal way. They may seem indifferent to other people, and prefer being alone. They may resist attention or passively accept hugs and cuddling. Later, they may fail to seek comfort or respond to parents' displays of anger or affection in a typical way. Research has suggested that although children with autism are attached to their parents, their expression of this attachment is unusual and difficult to “read”. To parents, it may seem as if their child is not connected at all. Parents who looked forward to the joys of cuddling, teaching and playing with their child may feel crushed by this lack of the expected and typical attachment behavior.
Children with autism also are slower in learning to interpret what others are thinking and feeling. Subtle social cures such as a smile, a wave, or a grimace-may have little meaning to a child with autism. To a child who misses these cues, “Come here” may always mean the same thing, whether the speaker is smiling and extending her arms for a hug or frowning and planting her fists on her hips. Without the ability to interpret gestures and facial expressions, the social world may seem bewildering. To compound the problem, people with autism have difficulty seeing things from another person's perspective. Most five year olds understand that other people have different thoughts, feelings, and goals than they have. A child with autism may lack such understanding. This inability leaves them unable to predict or understand other people's actions.
Although not universal, it is common for people with autism to have difficulty regulating their emotions. This can take the form of “immature” behavior such as crying in class or verbal outbursts that seem inappropriate to those around them. Sometimes they may be disruptive and physically aggressive, making social relationships even more difficult. They have a tendency to “lose control”, particularly when they're in a strange or overwhelming environment, or when angry or frustrated. At times, they may break things, attack others or hurt themselves. In their frustration, some bang their heads, pull their hair or bite their arms (nimh.nih.gov).
