Autism: Behind The Stigma

Imagine having a toddler who doesn’t make eye contact, doesn’t like affection or touch and has extreme tantrums when you take away the one toy they will play with for hours on end in a repetitive manner. They do not talk to you, they don’t express their wants, needs or emotions and cannot play appropriately with toys. This is a very basic picture of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and I can write books and books on the different behaviours they exhibit but since ASD by definition falls on a spectrum, each child is different.

ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is commonly misconceived, stigmatised or misunderstood. In my experience when people hear the word “Autism” or that I work with children on the Autism Spectrum, the first thing they tend to say is:
“Oh, I hear they are actually very smart” or,
“Aren’t they the ones who can memorise an entire telephone book?”

I am writing this article to shed a light on what Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is in order to raise awareness, increase understanding and to facilitate tolerance and inclusion.

The textbook definition of ASD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder which entails challenges in social communication and unusual behaviours and interests. The defining features as derived from the DSM-5 include persistent deficits in social communication across multiple contexts as well as restricted and repetitive behaviour, interests, or activities.
The social communication deficits include deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, non-verbal communicative behaviours used for social interaction, and deficits in developing, maintaining and understanding relationships. The restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour include stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech. It also includes insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualised patterns of verbal or non-verbal behaviour. They tend to have highly fixated interests that are atypical in intensity and they usually have hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment.

They either experience the world in extreme high definition or low definition. They might experience certain senses in high definition and others in low definition. This sensory dysregulation can lead to certain repetitive behaviours like excessively looking at spinning objects, making repetitive sounds because they like the sound, flapping their hands because it feels good or having extreme averse reactions to loud sounds, certain food textures or any other sensory input or changes in routine. Just like us, they have very unique and different likes, dislikes, and interests. They experience the world in ways we cannot always fathom.

An important step to overcoming the stigma is remembering that people with autism are “different, not less”. Many who receive the diagnosis are able to live happy lives, go to school, make friends, get a job, have a family and remain true to who they are as individuals.
The concern for many families of children with autism is due largely to developmental delays and behavioural challenges faced. A lot of children will need support in order to learn communication skills so that they are able to self-advocate and express their needs and desires the same way that you and I are able to. They will need support in reducing behaviours that interrupt their learning opportunities so that they may continue to develop vital skills that are needed. They will need to learn self-care routines and how to navigate different settings in the community under different conditions. And as they get older, they will need to learn vocational skills and the ability to be independent at home by making their own meals and planning their next shopping trip.

The most important message that we can hope to spread is this:
Be kind, be understanding and take action. If you suspect that someone you love has autism, contact us, there are different types of support available depending on what is needed.

Common signs to look out for:

• Lack of eye-contact
• Loss of previously acquired speech or babbling
• Delayed language development
• Loss of social skills
• Strong preference and persistence to be alone
• Difficulty in understanding or expressing emotions
• Repetition of sounds, words or sentences
• Repetition of motor patterns (rocking body, hand-flapping, spinning in circles, stimming)
• Restricted interests
• Avoidance to changes in routine or environments
• Unusual or extreme reactions to sounds, tastes, smells, textures, lights and/or colours