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Every hour a child with Autism is being born in South Africa.
It is believed that 2% of the population of South Africa has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. This translates to about 1 000 000 people with ASD in South Africa! Only 1 - 2% of these children and adults receive the correct intervention.
Characteristics of Autism (reproduced with permission from Autism South Africa)
Due to physiological changes within the brain, people with autism cannot fully comprehend thought processes and reactions of others, thus finding it difficult to interact and so prefers to be alone.
Cognitive development is severely hampered, affecting lifelong learning, the understanding of abstract concepts and imaginative play, e.g. cannot play with a wooden block as if it is a car.
The development of speech and language may be deviant, delayed or absent. 40% of people with the lower functioning form of autism (Kanner Autism) never speak.
The area of the brain responsible for encoding verbal communication is affected, often resulting in minimal or no comprehension of speech.
The inability to fully understand communication and thus the reason for changes in routine or environment may cause extreme confusion and anxiety.
To ensure a feeling of safety and predictability, familiar activities are often performed repetitively with severe resistance to suggestion of change
Self-injurious behavior, e.g. head banging, biting etc may be noted as a way to create foci of severe pain to block out overwhelming sensory bombardment
Displays of aggressive behavior or tantrums are not generally “bad” behavior, but occur as a result of extreme anxiety, frustration or fear.
People with autism battle to look at detail and listen simultaneously. One will often observe little or no eye contact as they attempt to understand what one is saying.
No real fear of danger sadly leads to many accidents and/or the premature death of people with autism.
Due to heightened sensory perception, a dislike to being touched or held is often present.
Uneven gross and fine motor skill development can result in diverse inabilities and unusual abilities.
Inappropriate attachment to objects.
- Sense of touch, taste, sight, hearing and/or smell may be heightened or lowered.
- Sudden laughing or crying for no obvious reason.
- Unusual habits such as rocking, hand flapping, spinning of objects etc.
- Abnormal sleeping patterns.
- Prefers to play alone.
Autism South Africa provides many very informative brochures about Autism. These include 'Autism Practical Aspects', Dietary Interventions and many more. Their brochures are free and can be found on their website, under Resources.
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