Stand up for Autism on World Autism Awareness Day

Stand up for Autism on World Autism Awareness Day

By Muhammad Javed Pasha

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of one’s life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism impacts the normal development of the brain in areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulty in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and leisure activities. Autism was once believed to be a psychiatric disorder, but is now known to be neurological, even though many of its characteristic traits appear psychological.

Autism is a developmental disorder about which very little is known in Pakistan. The people falling within the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can have severe to mild developmental disorders. The latest statistics from the Autism Society of America show that the incidence of autism can be as high as four in every hundred people. This would mean that in Pakistan, there are more than 600,000 people suffering from ASDs. On December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution tabled by Qatar, which declared April 2 as the World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in perpetuity. The theme of this year’s WAAD is “Stand up for Autism”.

This UN resolution is one of only three official disease-specific UN days and will bring the world’s attention to autism, a pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions. The WAAD resolution encourages all member states to take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout society and to encourage early diagnosis and early interventions. It further expresses deep concern at the prevalence and high rate of autism in children in all regions of the world and the consequent developmental challenges.

Objectives: ...To bring together Autism organisations all around the world, to give a voice to the millions of individuals worldwide who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and looking for help. ...WAAD aims to increase people’s awareness about people, especially children, with autism. The day often features educational events for teachers, health care workers and parents, as well as exhibitions showcasing work created by children with autism.

Autism is a highly variable neuro-development disorder that first appears during infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission. Overt symptoms gradually begin after the age of six months, become established by age two or three, and tend to continue through adulthood, although often in a more muted form. It is distinguished not by a single symptom, but by a characteristic triad of symptoms: impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted interests and repetitive behaviour. Other aspects, such as atypical eating, are also common but are not essential for diagnosis. Autism’s individual symptoms occur in the general population without a sharp line separating pathologically severe from common traits.

There are many anecdotal reports, but few systematic studies, of aggression and violence in individuals with ASD. The limited data suggest that in children autism is associated with aggression, destruction of property, and tantrums. A 2007 study interviewed parents of 67 children with ASD and reported that about two-thirds of the children had periods of severe tantrums and about one-third had a history of aggression, with tantrums significantly more common than in non-autistic children with language impairments. A 2008 Swedish study found that, of individuals aged 15 or older discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of ASD, those who committed violent crimes were significantly more likely to have other psychopathological conditions such as psychosis.

Communication problems of people with Autism: About a third to a half of individuals with autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs. Differences in communication may be present from the first year of life, and may include delayed onset of babbling, unusual gestures, diminished responsiveness, and vocal patterns that are not synchronized with the caregiver. In the second and third years, autistic children have less frequent and less diverse babbling, consonants, words, and word combinations; their gestures are less often integrated with words. Autistic children are less likely to make requests or share experiences, and are more likely to simply repeat others’ words (echolalia) or reverse pronouns. Joint attention seems to be necessary for functional speech, and deficits in joint attention seem to distinguish infants with ASD: for example, they may look at a pointing hand instead of the pointed-at object, and they consistently fail to point at objects in order to comment on or share an experience. Autistic children may have difficulty with imaginative play and with developing symbols into language.

The exact cause of Autism is still not known, however, researchers indicate that Autism can be caused by a variety of conditions, which can affect the development of the brain and can occur before, during and after birth. Autism almost always reveals itself before the age of three years. Poor parenting, family income, life style and educational level do not affect the chance of Autism occurrence.