Autism
Tamia, Breunna, and Rachel!
What is Autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. There is little to no features that show that the child has Autism. The only way you will really know is if you were to test them on behavior, leaning abilities, or actual speech testing.
As you can see in this picture the child looks normal. That is because autism has no effect on the way you look. The mental development of the child is the only way that you can know that someone has Autism.
Signs/ Symptoms
- Very little to no eye contact
- Resistance to being held or touched
- Tendency to get too close to others while talking
- Minima knowledge of others
- Difficulty understanding jokes
- Baby doesn't coo by 12 months
- Baby doesn't gesture or say a single word by 16 months
Causes, Cures, and Treatment
Theres also no real known cause metabolic neurological factors in the child. If the mom while pregnant doesn't get enough iron it can cause Autism. Theres no cure but there is treatment, Some times the treatment can cure Autism.
Strategies:
There are many strategies to help people with Autism,
- When having a meltdown- Outsmarting the explosive behavior of individual with Autism helps. This means don't make them feel dumb but instead don't argue and fight with them. Think before you do.
- Make picture/Flash Cards for the person to understand whats going on so they know what time it is or when to stop. A lot of times you will find out that giving a visual representation will help individuals with Autism.
- Have regular checkups, eat healthy, exercise, and take all recommended vitamins and medications.