Autism is a departure from reality. It is more often observed in schizophrenia or schizoid personality stock. The patient lives in the world of inner experiences, he lacks domestic skills and emotional connection with relatives, he is concerned only with his own difficulties. Sometimes he has artistic abilities.
Symptoms of child autism.
The most pronounced symptoms of autism in a child are closedness, poverty of expression of emotions, lack of interest in the world around them, weak reaction to external stimuli. Some mothers, describing such children, say: "they seem to live under a glass cap." Such children do not come into contact with others, treat relatives as inanimate objects, reject the tenderness that they provide or do not react at all to it. A child with autism is not able to play with other children, it is difficult to learn speech (if at all). He often repeats the same words, even despite the ability to speak. In addition, the child is unusual in perceiving himself. He can not identify his own "I", sometimes with any part of the body behaves as if it does not belong to him.
Other symptoms of autism: on the one hand - inadequate fears (fear of any common objects), on the other - the absence of a sense of real danger. Often in autistic children, there is causeless laughter, crying or bouts of anger.
Symptoms:
1. Later development of speech
2. Lack of logic in thinking and speaking
3. A peculiar perception of one's own self
4. Indifference and at the same time increased sensitivity
Specific interests
Autistic children experience great pleasure in the monotonous speaking of the same rhythmic movements, and therefore often display extraordinary musical talent. In addition, they may be interested in and capable of very specific things, for example, often such a child learns several pages from the phone book with ease, and at the same time he can not support an ordinary conversation about the weather or other everyday things.
Causes of Autism.
There are many different theories explaining the causes of autism. In the medical literature they write that often members of one family suffer from autism; we can assume that it is inherited. However, autism can be based on the fact that people from such a family, becoming parents themselves, are not capable of communicating, are pedantic, they have a difficult character, which greatly affects the innate abilities of their children.
Autism is not mental retardation. Although some children develop physical underdevelopment (for example, deafness), nevertheless, most of them have normal intelligence, and often in certain areas (for example, music, drawing, mathematics) their abilities are much higher than average. Unfortunately, even with normal intelligence, they can not use it.
How to help a child with autism?
Unfortunately, there is still no effective method of treating childhood autism. Due to the fact that often such children suffer from various phobias, it is very important for them that the environment is stable, the preservation of which helps to avoid stress. We need a strict regime of the day: every day at the same time they should eat, wash, go to sleep. In no case can not change the routine of the day, as the child may be intimidated. Often it is very difficult for parents to teach their child to do any new activities. But if he finally takes an innovation, then immediately strongly attached to it. It is difficult to accurately establish all the details of the child's condition, but it can and should be helped to ensure its more or less normal development and existence. Typically, children with autism can not attend a normal school.
Autistic children, even with a higher level of intelligence, continue to experience difficulties in independent life.
The parents of an autistic child have small chances. To open the "gates" in the soul of children is possible only with boundless love and patience towards them. It is extremely important that the parents, after observing the first symptoms of this disease in the child, turn to a psychologist or psychiatrist.