Due to the fact that the 2nd of April (this past week) was World Autism Day I thought it would be good to post a little information on autism. While we might refer simply to 'autism' it is more recently and accurately know as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and is understood to be a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour. It is also important to understand that for each individual with this disorder it presents uniquely, in other words, no two people with autism will display the exact same characteristics or severity of the disorder. Autism is most commonly identified within the first three years of a person's life.

The hallmark feature of ASD is impaired social interaction. They may seem socially clumsy in less severe presentations of ASD, or in the more severe cases people avoidant. Many with family members suffering from the disorder report that they tend to avoid making eye contact. Children with ASD may fail to respond to their names.  They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can’t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions; they also do not watch other people’s faces for signs of appropriate behaviour.  They present with a lack of empathy.

Often there is a resistance to physical contact, being hugged or tickled may generate a negative response. Sudden loud noises can be unpleasant or even shocking to a person with ASD. The same negative response can be elicited with sudden changes in smells and with intensity of light. People with ASD often do not respond well to change but if prepared for the change tend to respond better to the change situation.

The speech of a person with ASD may sound much more formal, flat and woody if compared to other people's speech. The higher the severity of the autism, the more affected a person's speaking skills will be. Many children with ASD do not speak at all. People with autism will often repeat words or phrases they hear.

While their repetitive behaviours may seem strange to us, routine and repetitions bring those with ASD comfort, they like predictability. As mentioned earlier people or children with ASD  do not cope well with change and this includes change to their routines.

Autism has the potential to touch anyone, irrespective of race or social standing.
• Autism is a lifelong condition that affects 1 in every 110 children born
• In South Africa, a child who will develop Autism is born every hour
• Studies suggest boys are 3-4 times more likely to develop autism than girls
 

With all of this in mind there is diagnosis and help for people, children and families affected by this disorder, for further help or information go to Autism South Africa, http://www.aut2know.co.za or  phone +27 11 484 9909.