Autism

A year ago, I met an autism boy who appears as a healthy and active boy. I feel for his parents, he has a loving mother who gives up her career and income to take care of him; and a loving father who is easy-going. He also has a talented sister. Life has so many mysteries. Many WHY in my mind.

‘Living life behind glass...’ that’s how Wendy Lawson, a person with autism, described how it is to have autism.

Although autism was first identified in 1943, it is still a relatively unknown disability. It is a lifelong condition that affects the way a person relates and communicates with others. A person with autism, generally has impairment in his or her communicative, social interaction and imaginative abilities.

People with autism may have related learning disabilities but everyone with the condition shares a difficulty in making sense of the world. Autism is also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to represent the myriad of characteristics that people with autism have. However, it is important to note that autism is not a mental condition.

What are the characteristics of autism?
All people with autism have difficulty functioning adequately in these 3 areas:
1. Interaction
Difficulty with social relationships eg. Appearing aloof and indifferent to other people
2. Communication
Difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication eg. not really understanding the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice
3. Imagination
Difficulty in the development of play and imagination eg. having a limited range of activities, possibly copied and pursued rigidly and repetitively

Additional info:
Autistic individuals seem to have larger brains. They also seem to process information differently; in other words, their brains are “wired” differently.

What causes autism?
The exact cause of autism is still not known. Research suggests a genetic link. It also indicates that autism may be associated with a variety of conditions affecting brain development which occur before, during or even soon after birth.

Heritability contributes about 90% of the risk of a child developing autism, but the genetics of autism are complex and typically it is unclear which genes are responsible. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. childhood immunizations.

a few rare genetic disorders and toxic exposures are known to cause autism.
“spontaneous” genetic mutation which are not inherited. In addition, studies have shown that parents from families with autistic members are more likely to have autistic children, and families with one autistic child are at increased risk of having more than one autistic child.

@~@
Researchers at Cambridge and Oxford universities believe both Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton displayed signs of Asperger’s Syndrome – a type of autism.
Many people with Asperger’s are often regarded as being eccentric. They sometimes lack social skills, are obsessed with complex topics and can have problems communicating.
“What most people with Asperger’s Syndrome find difficult is casual chatting – they can’t do small talk.” Blueroselady also does not like small talk, we have to read books on how to start a small talk, sigh.

Although there is no known cure for autism, early diagnosis, intervention and specialised education can make a big difference to the life of a person with autism.

Our Questions:
How can we prevent autism?
How can we cure autism?
How can we help autistic children to live a better life?

References:
Wikipedia
http://autism.about.com/od/whatisautism/p/autismcauses.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2988647.stm