Parenting a child with autism

If your child - or the child of a close friend or relative - has just received a diagnosis of autism, you are probably feeling baffled and overwhelmed.

It is never easy to learn that someone you love has a serious health or developmental condition. But we can help by providing basic information about children with autism, autism symptoms and treatment, and how to get help.

Learning all you can will help ease your fear and confusion, and provide the tools you need to find the support that children with autism - and you yourself - really need.

How to identify children with autism

Autism is a developmental disorder that emerges in early childhood. It is the most common condition in a related constellation known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).

Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).  Autism and other ASDs can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms and degree of impairment - ranging from mild to severe - are different for every child.

Some features of autism include:

• Social withdrawal
• Verbal or non-verbal communication problems
• Rigid and repetitive behaviour

In severe cases, an autistic child may never learn to speak or make eye contact. But many children with autism and other ASDs are able to live relatively normal lives.

Signs and symptoms in children with autism

Autism usually appears before a child is three years old. Some signs of autism may be evident by 18 months of age.

Although they vary widely, the signs and symptoms of autism in children typically include:

• Impaired communication skills
• Difficulty making eye contact
• Repetitive behaviour and activities such as arm-flapping, head-banging or twirling an object over and over
• Rigid behaviour and difficulty with change and transitions
• Narrow range of interests and activities

What causes autism?

Experts do not know exactly what causes autism. In the past, people blamed parenting, which gave parents already struggling to cope with a disabled child an extra burden of guilt and shame. Today, most scientists believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors causes autism.

Recent research confirms a genetic link. Other scientists are looking into environmental triggers, including exposure to certain viruses. But a number of comprehensive studies have discounted a link between vaccines and autism.

Over the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism. Experts do not know whether this is because the disorder is actually on the increase, or whether doctors are simply diagnosing it more effectively.

We should learn more answers to questions like these over the next few years. Many researchers are now investigating the origins, prevalence and treatment of autism.

Treatment for children with autism

Child development experts agree that a child with autism should receive treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis. There is no cure for autism, but early intervention using skills training and behaviour modification techniques can yield good results.