The many faces of autism – Fiqihislam.id

Autism, a social disability with many differences and degrees. Some have a more difficult time than others. What exactly is autism and how do you notice it?

What is autism?

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder. The disorder is characterized by the fact that the person processes information differently, has limitations in social life and communication, and in his/her repetitive/structured behavior. Autistic people also have a different way of thinking. This is more noticeable in verbal and non-verbal communication, in social development, in reactions, in dealing with people, environment and situations. There are also different degrees, so not every form is equally serious. Autism can indeed be hereditary, it is in the bloodline. You don’t have to be completely autistic for that, you could just as easily have an autism spectrum. The disability can be very confusing because people with autism look quite normal and you don’t notice it right away. Autism is also different for every person. Autism is present from birth, but it is never immediately apparent. Some parents, doctors or bystanders discover this after the child turns three years old. For some people it only becomes clear that they are autistic at a much later age. Autism is also not always related to giftedness. There are certainly autistic people who are gifted, but not all of them have that characteristic. Unfortunately, someone who has a severe form of autism cannot lead an independent life. Unfortunately, autism cannot be cured.

Different types of autism

Kanner’s syndrome (or classic autism)
Asperger syndrome
PDD-NOS
Rett’s syndrome
Multiplex Developmental Disorder

Signals

Babies and toddlers

Show no interest in getting out of the crib.
Babies don’t laugh or fuss much when you talk to them, and they don’t look at you either.
Never imitate anything.
They attach themselves to one specific object and are not interested in other toys.
Cry for a long time for no apparent reason, so they do not respond when you comfort them.
They never seem to need anything and are generally very calm.

Preschoolers

They have little to no imagination in playing. Or they will imitate other children.
Preschoolers do not respond to group instructions.
Some have little interest in playing with other children and prefer to play alone.
Others play with other children, but they behave very dominantly and want to have everything under control.
They can be unruly, stamping on everything or trying to hurt themselves.
They can also be very quiet and barely active than other children. For example, they just walk around or sit somewhere.

Children and young people

Communication

They don’t know how to ask for help properly.
Their facial expression does not match what they are saying at that moment.
Not noticing subtle signals that others send through body language.
They use incorrect voice intonation.
Their vocabulary is more limited and strange.
They have more difficulty making language understandable to everyone.

Social and interaction

Remaining aloof from activities that take place in groups.
They have difficulty dealing with complex friendship relationships.
Make no or fleeting eye contact or look strangely.
They hardly pay attention to or respond to other people.
They are mainly interested in factual data about people and not in their social lives.
Have little insight into the intentions or feelings of others.

Imagination

Repeating the same questions or topics to talk about over and over again.
Always carry out activities according to the same structure or very chaotically.
Do some activities only with one specific person.
An absolute preference for specific brands.
Have a hard time with sudden, unexpected changes.
React with panic or anger when their structure is disturbed.

Adults

Doing a job doesn’t work out too well.
They experience difficulties in organizing their households and daily lives.
Being physically hypersensitive to hearing, seeing, smelling, feeling and tasting.
They have difficulty maintaining their social relationships.
Making decisions is either a difficult task or choosing is stereotypical.
Have difficulty coping in complex life.

Diagnosis

A diagnosis can best be made by a team of specialists. This team includes an educationalist or psychologist, a speech therapist, a physician and a social worker. A diagnosis can be made based on observations and conversations with the parents and/or the person himself. These observations can be made in the person’s daily life or in a test environment. A genetic and/or medical examination of the blood, urine and hearing must also be carried out. You or people close to you can also help in advance by recording the activities and actions in detail. These are then discussed during the conversation. While the research is ongoing, an extensively detailed inventory is kept of development and behavior and the problems that arise. It is also important to draw attention to the weaknesses and strengths of that person’s functioning. Test and observation instruments and questionnaires are used for this, among other things. Research is being conducted (2015) into whether autism can also be diagnosed by means of a brain scan via an MRI.

Dealing with autism

Dealing with autism is a difficult task that requires many efforts. You must, among other things, ensure that someone with autism retains structure and can feel safe. It is best to adapt your own way of conveying information. This is easier and autistic people will understand better what you just meant. Try to understand them too. Be careful when you tell a joke, people with autism take it literally. So tell them you were joking. People with autism have difficulty with physical contact and eye contact. Let him/her do everything themselves and don’t try to force them to touch them. Autistic people get upset when something has to be done immediately, they need time to process information. As mentioned earlier, autistic people do not cope well with changes. If something is going to change in his/her life, tell him/her well in advance so that he/she is more or less prepared. If you want to teach an autistic person something, keep it short, clear and concise. Pay extra attention to whether he/she has understood and repeat if necessary. They must be taught how to interact socially with others. For this purpose, rules of the game, rules of conduct and specific rules about power and authority must be drawn up and repeated. Autistic people also try their best to fit in socially and to fit in. However, this never completely works. Therefore, try to empathize and understand that this is lonely and also costs them a lot of energy and effort. For some activities they need much more time, both to learn and to perform. Please be patient with this and make sure they understand. Respect their need for privacy and solitude. Daily life already costs them a lot of effort. Some people with autism have certain actions that they perform repeatedly. These usually seem strange to bystanders, but for them this is a way of learning to deal with their fear. Let them do the same, but what’s even better is tackling the cause of the fear.