mummiez & daddiez magazine

New Report says Children
can Recover from Autism
Autistic Spectrum disorders such as autism,
pervasive developmental disorder and Aspergers
Syndrome are a group of disorders that affect
social and communication skills. The spectrum
itself is wide with some forms of autism
showing significant delay in cognitive
development and others such as Aspergers
showing little to no delay.
It is thought that rates of autism in children is
increasing globally with as many as 11 children
in every thousand affected. There may indeed
be an increase or it may be that there are now
better diagnostic methods and criteria that mean
that more children are getting
diagnosed. Support and teacher education in
schools may also mean that children are being
referred for assessment.
Previously it was thought that Autism was a
lifelong disorder with no cure available. A new
report published by the University of
Connecticut has found that children may in fact
outgrow autism. Dr Deborah Fine and her team
studied 34 children who had been diagnosed
with autism in early childhood. They found that
they went on to function just as well as 34 other
children in their classes at school. The study
showed that they now showed no symptoms of
problems with social and communication
skills. The cause of autism is not known,
genetics, environmental exposures, viral
infections and digestive disorders have all been
suggested as possible causes.
Children may not in fact outgrow autism but the
years of intervention therapies undertaken by
parents, caregivers, outside agencies and the
children themselves may in fact have significant
impact and improve the social and
communication skills of children affected by
autism. More research into the long term results
of these therapies needs to be carried out.
A diagnosis of autism can help families
understand and work with their child; it can also
help the children understand themselves. The
NHS in Northern Ireland provides support to
families with autism, children at risk of autism
can be referred to social communication clinics
that can assess for autism. Occupational and
speech therapy is available to help children
improve communication and learn strategies to
overcome the social problems they have.
Often children with autism have sensory
problems such as being sensitive to noise,
certain sounds, smells and textures. These can
impact their everyday lives significantly. Once
they learn strategies to overcome these it helps
them live and learn and achieve along with their
peers. It is also thought that digestive issues and
intolerances to certain foods such as gluten in
wheat, milk and milk products and additives
could have an impact. Sometimes when these
are removed from the diet parents report a
significant improvement in how their child
functions and achieves in their everyday life.
There are two support organisations for Autism
in Northern Ireland. They provide advice and
guidance as well as training courses for parents,
caregivers and professionals working in the
field.
Their contact details are:
National Autistic Society, Belfast Tel: 028 90
687066 http://www.autism.org.uk/
AutismNI Tel: 02890401729 (Mon, Wed, Fri
9am to1pm) http://www.autismni.org/
National Autistic Society, London Tel: 020
7833 2299 http://www.autism.org.uk/
Meg