Introduction
It is not always the case that children will develop in an expected way. There are times when their mental and physical development results in difficult behavior. Autism is one of these difficult behaviors that result from disturbing development. At first sight, it is very easy to distinguish an autistic child from a normal one because they appear to be different even from children with common kinds of childhood disabilities. However, some of the problems depicted by children with autism can be found in other handicapped children, especially those whose perception and language development are impaired. Practitioners must be sensitive to the individual development of each child and children should be stretched and not pushed behind their capabilities, so that they can continue to enjoy learning. This paper looks at the evidence that proves that the problem of autism is a reality and that it exists in Maryland. It also gives the behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions of autism and concludes by looking at some of the prevention measures that can be used to prevent and control the condition.
Evidence that the problem exists
Autistic children have been in existence for centuries although they were recognized as a separate group from other mentally handicapped children in 1943 by professor Kanner. Since then, many professors and researchers have developed an interest in these children. They have come up with many different theories as to the causes of the problem and have been able to observe the behavior of these children in detail. As a result of these studies, many workers have come to the conclusion that Kanner’s early childhood autism is not a separate condition since they are many children who do not show the full syndrome although they have autistic features (Belli, 2010). These are exceptional children who have the same needs for special education and management just like autistic children although it is hard to recognize them. Therefore, it is hard to estimate the number of children with autism which makes it difficult the provision services for this special group of children.
Trivedi (2005) in his article believed autism to be an inborn condition and not a disease. He observed that even children who appeared to have a normal development would develop the same syndrome after one year or two. Other researchers found out that, children with three or four years would also develop the syndrome and that’s why it is known as childhood autism as opposed to infantile autism as had been found out earlier. Trivedi found that children can develop psychoses even after the age of five although these seem to be different from those developed in early childhood. Some of the psychiatric conditions observed in adult life include mania, psychotic depression, and schizophrenia. These problems are difficult to find in childhood where childhood psychoses are common. Trivedi’s article advocates for the recognition of autism rights and the enforcement of the same.
According to Belli (2009), the first association for parents and interested professionals for autism was set up in 1962 in the United Kingdom and since then many associations have been formed in different countries of the world including Maryland. These associations have been working on ways of recognizing the problem, its early diagnosis, better services and better education opportunities for children suffering from autism. After many years of research, it has become clear that most of the children suffering from autism would have to live and work in sheltered settings for their entire lives and it is upon the voluntary societies to develop residential centers to cater for adults with autism and other related conditions. Some progress has been made in the provision of such services although there is yet much to be done.
A detailed look at the causes of autism by the state services in Maryland in 2009 reviews that, the rate of autism is on the increase. It has been noted that there has been an increase in the cases of autism in the country. This article tries to establish the causes of autism and how this condition can be reversed. It was written after Maryland Autism Summit and Maryland Commission on Autism that was attended by Governor Martin O’Malley, Speaker Michael Busch, and State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick in 2009. According to this article, the number of children suffering from autism in Maryland increased from 1900 in 1999 to 7, 500 in 2009 (State takes a detailed look at autism causes, services, 2009). The number of boys affected by autism is higher than the number of girls; it is estimated that four times more boys than girls are affected by classic autistic.
Macks & Reeve (2007) wrote an article that focuses on the differences between psychosocial and emotional adjustment of autistic children’s siblings and those of non-disabled children. Their opinion was that successful management of Autism in children hinges on the education of both the children and parents to identify Autism symptoms. Nevertheless, due to a lack of awareness, it is likely that parents will delay seeking medical care for a number of reasons. This obstructs the management of Autistic children. Sorry to say, once an Autistic child has been presented to the school to learn, some teachers do not pay much attention to helping these children. Some treat them as normal children and ignore their special needs. Obviously, one of the aims of education needs to focus on helping parents with Autistic children identify the signs and symptoms of this handicap in order to reduce the devastating effects of Autism upon the children
Population definition
Behavioral dimension
All autistic children, regardless of their level of intelligence, have the same underlying handicap but some children are able to develop the cognitive capacity to learn how to socialize which enables them to compensate for their handicaps. This proves that participation in and tolerance of social interaction tends to increase with age and can be assisted by carefully managed exposure to social situations. Some researchers have found out that, intelligent autistic children learn appropriate behavior in a different way as compared to non-autistic children. One of the most common characteristics in almost all autistic children is that of eye gaze. It has been found that young autistic children show marked visual avoidance. However, as they mature, eye contact tends to occur more often, but its timing is abnormal. The autistic person is not able to communicate appropriately with the eye gaze. Sometimes, he may look too closely or for too long into the eyes of another person and other times he may not look at all. It has also been noted that autistic children hardly use gestures for communication, unlike deaf children who use them as a substitute for speech. Some attempts have been made to teach autistic children how to use sign languages, but with very little success. Those children who are able to learn some of the obvious signs tend to copy them when prompted but hardly use them (MacFarlane & Kanaya, 2009).
Psychosocial dimension
According to Matson, Wilkins & Fodstad (2010), some subjects taught in special schools are similar to the ones taught in the normal school curriculum, for instance, reading, writing, arithmetic, cooking, and music, among others. The only difference is that most autistic schools cater for a wide range of abilities and only a few children are able to move on to wider subjects while others acquire only a few skills. The majority of autistic children are very handicapped in learning, but being in school helps them to improve on the ability to deal with life. A good teacher is one who knows when to watch and wait, and when to use pressure in a child’s learning. He should be able to encourage the child and how to make use of every opportunity that comes his way to ensure that a child does not lag behind in school.
Environmental dimension
The school experience is important in a child’s learning because it provides a structured environment for children to socialize with others. Events such as school outings, birthday parties, and daily assembly, give a pattern of life that makes the children feel comfortable. A successful school should be one that develops a tradition of reasonable behavior which helps even the emotionally disturbed children to become calmer and co-operate more. Crozier & Tincani (2007) found that autistic children are significantly influenced by the social pressures in schools, although they seem to ignore other children. It is therefore important for a parent to observe the social competence that can be acquired in a school before making a decision of what is the right kind of school to enroll his child in.
Prevention and control
The best way and yet the most efficient to prevent autism is for mothers to visit pre-natal and post-natal clinics. This is a place where there are taught how to take care of their children before and after giving birth. In the post-natal clinic, mothers have explained the different stages of a child’s development and how to observe changes in their children. It is through visiting such clinics that mothers can be able to observe when their children are not developing as expected and seek medical attention before such abnormalities become a problem or develop into a condition like autism (Fradin, Cheslack-Postava, Ladd-Acosta, Newschaffer, Chakravarti, Arking, & Fallin, 2010).
Steuernagel (2005) has done substantial work on how autism affects children’s development. A number of research findings have also indicated that the well being of every child is intricately linked to the functioning of the family in which he or she is being brought up in relation to socio-economic resources which are limited; these findings also indicate that the daily socio-economic challenges can negatively affect the mental health of children. According to Steuernagel parents’ associations in Maryland and other western countries have been working on ways of recognizing the problem of autism, its early diagnosis, better services and better education opportunities for children suffering from autism. These associations have found out that a teacher is one of the members that should help autistic children cope with handicaps. He has to work with the parent, doctors and psychologists to help such children. He also has to have a wide knowledge and experience related to normal child development in order to monitor the progress of autistic children. However, a teacher’s role in helping autistic children achieve their full potential becomes easy if the child has been taught how to behave socially. This includes how to feed, wash, dress, and keep himself clean throughout the day. However, the teacher has to start by teaching these skills to ensure that all children are at the same level. After establishing the basic behavior, the teacher can go-ahead to teach other basic things.
If parents are able to accept the situation that their children are in, then it is easier to deal with the situation and treat their handicapped children just like other normal children who need a home, love and care, family, security, and an opportunity to develop their talents and skills. Each autistic child is unique with a unique personality that helps him/her react to the handicaps. It is for this reason that, parents and teachers who understand this type of handicap and who work with these children do not like to refer to them as autistics because this will imply that the handicap is the only thing that matters.
The teaching methods used should be adopted as per the children’s handicaps, and many techniques for blindness, speech disorders, and deafness have to be used. The use of Montessori equipment has been proved to be a good instrument in teaching autistic children because much of it gives children the opportunity of using touch and movement for learning. Other teaching methods include; teaching motor skills by guiding the child’s limbs, using pictures and diagrams to put an idea more clearly (Crozier & Tincani, 2007). It is advisable that teachers of such specialized children should maximum on the use of action without solely depending upon words. Some words such as ‘sit’ or ‘stand’ should be accompanied by the real action to help the children understand the meaning of such words. In some cases, teachers are advised to use objects or animals in the classrooms when there are referring to them. For instance, instead of drawing a bird, the teacher can go with a live bird to the classroom to ease the understanding of the children.
Plays form the basis for the development of speech, language, and communication in a child. Through plays, an autistic child is able to imagine and act in different roles that help him to be creative as he develops his communication skills. The children’s communication, language and literacy skills are supported by stories, conversations, nursery rhymes and songs happening in several activities. They also develop an understanding of numeracy when counting the dots on the dice and learn about science when observing insects, talking about animals and playing with water. Through a variety of art, music, movement and dance activities, the children’s creativity is being extended (MacFarlane & Kanaya, 2009). Communication plays a great role in a child’s social interaction and education. It is through communication that a child identifies her/himself and gets the nerve to interact with others. Adults influence the growth and development of children. As a parent or a practitioner, one is supposed to help these children grow and recognize their potential in life. Children can not learn how to communicate unless they are guided by adults. This can be through reciting small phrases, songs, and mastery of the alphabets.
There have been debates about the role that an inclusive education system can play on autistic children: inclusion systems are an education system that is molded to cater to children with special needs like autistic children. Modification and accommodation are the methods used to manipulate the system to make the favorable for these students. Cognitively upright children attend the same classes, eat the same food, play together and read together with children with severe disabilities. There is no separation in the way things are conducted generally, but the system offers special attention to these kids.
Through interaction with other students, the children are able to develop interpersonal skills that will assist them to cope in society more appropriately than if they were in a home-based program or place where they get special education. As they develop, they interact with others and develop a sense of esteem since they realize that theirs is only a condition. This makes them develop high self-esteem. Parents should encourage the children to participate in school activities, together with others.
Professionals quote low self-esteem as the major cause that hinders children with special needs to attain and develop their talents. When they are included in such programs, they can realize their potential.
Through playing games and spending time together, children with special needs develop good communication and listening skills. They can interpolate body language, facial expressions among other communication strategies. This goes a long way in assisting the child to cope with life.
These systems call for interaction between the parents, teachers, administration and students for its success. The administration is mandated to build classes that can accommodate these children, have a flexible timetable, for example, it can allow these students to come late or leave early (Macks & Reeve, 2007).
Teachers are supposed to give attention to these students and make their system flexible for them to fit. For example, they can give recorded lessons which the child can review after school. A parent should ensure that the topics of the day have been reviewed after school and assist the child in areas like homework and encouragement.
Perception towards these students is made positive when they spend time with others. Their peers who are not troubled get a chance to learn the strong points of the children and appreciate and live with their conditions in harmony. They won’t discriminate against them. This helped in making a society that is well integrated respecting each other.
Despite the strong points of the system, there are some challenges that come with it, they include that the system requires special infrastructures to be put in place for its effectiveness. This is costly. Much attention is given to the children with disability at the expense of other students. These efforts may not be proportionate to the outcome derived from the system. The shift of attention may lead to a society with talents that have not been nurtured appropriately (Macks & Reeve, 2007)
Conclusion
Autism is a mental disorder that affects children; mostly below the age of five years. Some children are born with the syndrome while others develop it as they grow. Autistic children are exception children who require special care and attention which can only be found in special schools. They are non-communicating children who are not able to communicate verbally or use gestures. They differ from other handicapped children in that they can not use sign language, gestures or facial expressions to communicate. The number of autistic children has been on the increase in many parts of the world, for instance in Maryland, the number of autistic children increased from 1900 in 1999 to 7, 500 in 2009. Autistic children require special attention which can be given by parents and teachers. Parents have a big role to play in the development of children. They are the first teachers to the child and should therefore assist their children in role-plays. Teachers also have a great role to play when it comes to the development of language and communication in autistic children. They should involve them in imaginative plays and storytelling. This does not only help the child to develop his communication skills but also his social interactions improve and he is able to appreciate and respect other children. Adults influence the growth and development of children. As a parent or a practitioner, one is supposed to help these children grow and recognize their potential in life. Children can not learn how to communicate unless they are guided by adults. This can be through reciting small phrases, songs, and mastery of the alphabets
References
Belli, B. (2010). The Search for Autisms. E: The Environmental Magazine, 21(1), 24.
Crozier, S., & Tincani, M. (2007). Effects of social stories on prosocial behavior of preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 37(9), 1803-1814.
Fradin, D., Cheslack-Postava, K., Ladd-Acosta, C., Newschaffer, C., Chakravarti, A., Arking, D. E., & Fallin, M. (2010). Parent-Of-Origin Effects in Autism Identified through Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis of 16,000 SNPs. PLoS ONE, 5(9), 1-8.
Kenworthy, L., Black, D. O., Harrison, B., Della Rosa, A., & Wallace, G. L. (2009). Are Executive Control Functions Related to Autism Symptoms in High-Functioning Children?. Child Neuropsychology, 15(5), 425-440.
MacFarlane, J., & Kanaya, T. (2009). What Does it Mean to be Autistic? Inter-state Variation in Special Education Criteria for Autism Services. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 18(6), 662-669.
Macks, R. J., & Reeve, R. E. (2007). The Adjustment of Non-Disabled Siblings of Children with Autism. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 37(6), 1060-1067.
Matson, J., Wilkins, J., & Fodstad, J. (2010). Children with autism spectrum disorders: a comparison of those who regress vs. those who do not. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 13(1), 37-45.
Steuernagel, T. (2005). Increases in Identified Cases of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 16(3), 138-146.
The state takes a detailed look at autism causes, services. (2009). Baltimore, Maryland, US: Maryland Department of Education. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Trivedi, B. (2005). Autistic and proud. New Scientist, 186(2504), 36-40. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.