Autism is a very complex disorder and the needs of people living with this disorder vary accordingly. While autism cannot be cured yet, research has shown that traditional and contemporary approaches are improving on the understanding and treating the disorder. Ruth Olurounbi writes on some of the treatments, concluding that people living with autism are normal.

TUNDUN (not real name) and her husband just had their second baby girl. Six months after the baby came home, Tundun noticed that her baby girl, Abayomi, did not display growth patterns which children of her age group do. She called her husband’s attention to it and he assured her that there was nothing to be worried about, that their daughter might just be a little slow. She agreed with her husband but kept having doubts.

So a month later, by which Abayomi was seven months old with still no improvement; Tundun decided to take her child to the hospital. At the hospital, Tundun explained to the doctor that her daughter didn’t show signs of normal growth. She said Abayomi rarely smiled or acknowledged anyone’s presence in the room.

She told the attending doctor that her baby girl did not show any interest in things like toys, people and most of the time just stared into the space. She said she got more worried when her daughter did not show interest in her and the father, let alone the older brother. She added that her baby cried excessively when she was touched or cuddled.

The doctor, after  listening to Tundun, carried out some tests. He then referred her to a neurologist. The neurologist delivered a very bad news to Tundun and her husband: their baby girl is autistic!  The worst being that autism is not curable.

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that impairs normal functioning of neural development. Because of this, the cells in the brain are confused, therefore, making autistic people to process information and their surroundings slower than “neuro-typical” people. This disorder, medically known as autistic disorder (known also as infantile autism or childhood autism) develops before the age of three and is characterised by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction or other behaviours, which in severe cases, could be self destructive and physically violent.

Several years ago, the most cited statistic was that autism occurred in 4.5 out of 10,000 live births. The statistic was based on large-scale surveys conducted in the United States and England. Recently, however, experts on autism claim that about 8.7 of every 10,000 children are autistic, and more than one in 300 children have some form of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD).

They believe children with autism often have extreme difficulty developing normal relationships with others, as they tend not to share in the interests their peers have. In many cases, these children are not able to interpret non-verbal cues of communication, like facial expressions.

Experts are of the opinion that autism is a lifelong disease that ranges in severity from mild cases in which the autistic person can live independently, to severe forms in which the patient requires social support and medical supervision throughout his or her life.

Medically, there has not been a known cause of autism, but, experts say there is growing evidence that autism is caused by a variety of problems. They say there is a growing indication that there are some genetic influences on autism. This indication has caused a great deal of research to focus on locating what researchers call the “autism gene.” However, many researchers have speculated that three to five genes may likely be associated with autism. There is also evidence that the genetic link to autism may be a weakened or compromised immune system.

Some other researches show that depression and/or dyslexia are quite common in one or both sides of the family when autism is present. They also worry that toxins and pollution in the environment can also lead to autism.

Autism is not curable, yet. But research is ongoing towards getting a cure to the disorder. Right now, researchers have found some form of treatment for children with autism. Some of these treatment work, giving autistic children hope for a better and healthy life, while some have, sadly, made little or no impact at all. The only consistently effective treatment for autism, experts say, is a structured training programme;  a combination of a good school and parent training.

According to Autism Society of America (ASA), treatment approaches are evolving as more is learnt about autism. As a result, there are many therapeutic programmes, both conventional and complementary, that focus on replacing dysfunctional behaviours and developing specific skills.

ASA says different treatment approaches, such as auditory training, discrete trial training, vitamin therapy, anti-yeast therapy, facilitated communication, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and sensory integration provided to children with autism can generally be broken down into three categories:  Behavioural and Communication Approaches, Biomedical and Dietary Approaches and Complementary Approaches.

Experts agree that early intervention is important in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. “The earlier treatment is started, the better the chance the child will reach normal functioning levels,” ASA said. Also,  “many of the approaches described can be used on children as young as age two or three.”

Behaviour modification, according to Professor Ayotokun Olayiwola, a researcher in autism, involves highly structured, skill-oriented activities that are based on the patient’s needs and interests. It usually requires intense, one-on-one training with a therapist and extensive involvement of a care provider.

ASA believes that autistic children are best treated with therapy to enhance their sensory integration, social interaction and communication skills. Sensory integration therapy, it says, focuses on helping autistic patients cope with sensory stimulation by having the patients handle materials with different textures or listen to different sounds.

Professor Olayiwola, while corroborating an article, says social stories can also be used to improve undeveloped social skills. These stories, he says are designed to help autistic patients understand the feelings, ideas, and points of view of others, or to suggest an alternate response to a particular situation.

They also may be used to help patients understand and cope with their own feelings.

Communication therapy involves picture exchange communication systems (PECS) which enable autistic patients to communicate using pictures that represent ideas, activities or items. The patient is able to convey requests, needs and desires to others by simply handing them a picture. Communication therapy is used to treat autistic patients who are unable to communicate verbally, or to initiate language development in young children with the disorder. Speech therapy may be used to help patients gain the ability to speak.

Some people have ignorantly assumed that autistic people have no feelings. This assumption is as wrong as wrong can be, according to Mrs. Margret Ashaolu, who has been catering for people living with autism in the United Kingdom for the past 12 years. In her opinion, autistic people feel love, happiness, sadness and pain just like everyone else, adding that some of them just don’t know how to express these feelings in the same way non-autistic people do. “People with autism are ordinary people... with autism,” a writer once said.

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