Growing in to Autism

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Flo Yeah, all through my childhood and my teenage life and my adult life you’ve been so accepting, I’m going to cry, of everything that I am.

It’s really beneficial for those of us who are involved in supporting individuals with autism to understand the concept of “flying under the radar.” So rather than expecting our loved ones to grow out of autism, I am suggesting that we help our loved ones with ASD grow INTO their autism. The most effective therapies and interventions are often different for each person. However, most people with ASD respond best to highly structured and specialized programs. 1 In some cases, treatment can greatly reduce symptoms and help people with autism with daily activities. If you have a question about treatment, talk to a health care provider who specializes in caring for people with ASD. These resources have more information about treatments for autism: In the 1990s, news reports described a few people with ASD whose behavior improved after getting secretin during a test for digestive problems.Our recent case studyprovides reflections from our perspectives as a psychologist (Tamara) and a late-diagnosed autistic woman (Carol). In the discussion, Carol describes her confusion and challenges growing up, and how they resurfaced following traumatic experiences as an adult. The strength of these early signs varies, and they’re often subtle, but they show up in multiple domains, from movement and eye-gaze patterns to language responses and social interactions. Regression should be seen not as an event but as a process — occasionally sudden but usually protracted, Katarzyna Chawarska, a researcher at the Yale Child Study Center, said at the meeting. Trying to separate the children who regress from those who don’t, she said, “can be like drawing a line in the sand” — an unreliable marker in shifting terrain.

Professor Dissanayake says it is parents and carers who have the best insights into whether or not a child needs to be assessed. To understand this shift from the innate-versus-regressive dichotomy, it helps to understand how that split took hold to begin with. It originated, as journalist Steve Silberman’s bestselling book “NeuroTribes” describes, in Leo Kanner’s seminal 1943 paper describing autism. In that study of 11 children, Kanner claimed to have identified a new developmental syndrome. Although this syndrome, autism, overlapped heavily with a broadly defined developmental condition others were then calling ‘childhood schizophrenia,’ Kanner argued it was unique in that it was present “from the very beginning of life” — even if it only became apparent later. By contrast, childhood schizophrenia, he contended, usually occurred only after “at least two years of essentially average development.” While I can’t take on the huge topic of motivation here, suffice it to say that being motivated (or not motivated as the case may be) has a huge impact on the perceived ability of the individual with autism. I suspect that is coloring the situation for this family.

Citations

Identifying and characterizing autism susceptibility genes. It is still unclear how the large number of genetic variants associated with ASD increase risk for this condition. All medications carry risks, some of them serious. Families should work closely with their children's healthcare providers to ensure safe use of any medication. 3

Parents should always act on their instinct and if they think something isn’t right then they should get their child assessed,” she says. The gastrointestinal, or gut, microbiome is another area of interest to researchers looking for factors that contribute to autism. Being autistic, but not diagnosed, can lead to a lifetime of struggles and being misunderstood for women. Helt, M., Kelley, E., Kinsbourne, M., Pandey, J., Boorstein, H., Herbert, M., et al. (2008). Can children with autism recover? If so, how? Neuropsychology Review, 18(4), 339–366. Murray’s mum That just sums up everything about Murray, and it’s just lovely to be telling us how his world is.The government-wide Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) includes representatives from NICHD. The reality is that an autistic brain has developed in a way that is different and unique in response to the autism, and that probably never changes. That by no means precludes the ability to improve the life experience of the individual with ASD and their family! If you are unable to attend this workshop at the scheduled time; please note that it will be recorded. A link will be sent to all attendees after it has taken place, so that you may watch it at a time that is suitable for you. Professional development certificates are available for up to 12 months from the date of the live event.