Autistic children need special care, says Alexandria Syiem
A BOY deeply inspired by Peter Parker and his secret identity as Spiderman, associates his daily actions with that of Peter Parker’s. He intelligently learns basic math by using associative cues for example: reading the signs “<” and “>” as a crocodile’s mouth. A child with autism is as normal as any other child, except that he or she may behave differently. They have the same feelings but do not express them in the same way, in the early years of childhood.
Einstein had Asperger disorder, which is part of the spectrum of autism. He had a speech defect as a child. Other famous figures in history who had autism are Michelangelo, Mozart, Newton and Darwin.
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterised by minimal social interaction, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication and restricted, repetitive behaviour. How this occurs is not well understood. It is one of the three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum, the other two being Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.
At Mary Rice School and San-Ker, I observed that these children make little eye contact or none at all and are more comfortable around people who they are used to seeing regularly. “It would be good to let people know that autism exists here and it’s not a disorder that occurs only in the West,” said Sandi Syiem, a senior psychiatrist at San-Ker. “There is no specific treatment; most of sessions with the children involve training and therapy.”
“The kids come here and are allowed to choose from the various activities we have, like painting and matching shapes,” said a therapist who specialized in psychology, as she helped the children play. She added that in doing these small tasks, the children increase their concentration span and practice making eye contact with the objects that are placed in front of them.
Parents of such children find it difficult to understand their demands and hardship. They need to go for counselling sessions on how to respond to the child’s needs and how to guide their behaviour at home. In schools such as Mary Rice, it is compulsory for the parents to join the children in the group therapy sessions. A schedule is set up for the children to follow. “Schedules are very important for a child with autism, it helps them to get used to a certain routine to keep themselves occupied”, said a teacher. “We have individual sessions and independent sessions for these children. In order to let them know when each session is done the words ‘it is over’ is important to mention.”
Autistic children tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me”. Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favourite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation. These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioural symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged.
In infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement. About 20-30% of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.
A parent at San-Ker had brought his child for therapy and said, “My child’s progress is slow, but the teachers at his school and the doctors and therapists are trying very hard to improve his responses.” He mentioned that from the first few days at Mary Rice School and at San-Ker, his son has shown improvement, although it would be too early to judge.
The sessions help parents learn ways to communicate with their children. “They even suggested that we admit our child into a sign language class. That would be easier for them no doubt but we would also have to learn.” Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child.
Institutions like Mary Rice School help us look at the positive and hopeful sides of autism. Aubrey, a teacher at Mary Rice School, said: “It is so much fun being with these kids because the learning process is mutual. The best part is when the children are used to you and start expressing some emotions.” Most teachers here are trained in Kolkata by the Autism Society and form daily schedules for the children to follow.
Early diagnosis and training increases the chances of helping these children live a life as normal as everybody else. Social acceptability will improve with increase awareness.
