A therapist takes an autistic child through a body message using a studded ball that stimulates her body senses. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
About one in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
ASD is about 4.5 times more common among boys (1 in 42) than among girls
Children who have a sibling with ASD are at a higher risk of also having ASD.
Studies have shown that parents of children with ASD notice a developmental problem before their child’s first birthday
Studies have shown that among identical twins, if one child has ASD, then the other will be affected about 36-95 per cent of the time. In non-identical twins, if one child has ASD, then the other is affected about 0-31 per cent of the time.
There are no medications that can cure ASD or even treat the main symptoms. But there are medications that can help manage high energy levels, inability to focus, depression, or seizures. Source CDC - http://www.cdc.gov
Children’s growth patterns are normally measured against their siblings and in cases where they are the only child, how fast they walk or talk is likened to the neighbour’s kids or that of a relative.
While this comparison may not always be ideal, how children learn basic skills and whether they have delays might point to unknown underlying developmental problems.
According to the Centre for Disease control and prevention (CDC) children can be screened for developmental delays and disabilities as early as when they are two years of age.
How a child behaves is one of the ways in which doctors make a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) before a comprehensive evaluation is conducted.
Dr Pauline Samia, a paediatric neurologist with the Aga Khan University Hospital, says there are varying degrees of autism which can manifest with different symptoms in other people.
“That is why it is referred to as spectrum, two children might share symptoms but the levels of how autistic they are varies,” she explained.
Parents should be concerned when their children show slow development of verbal abilities, when they not only take time to speak, but seem to forget the basic words they learn while growing.
Regression
At the ages between 18 and 24 months it is possible to see the regression to the changing behaviours they may have formed.
For instance they may get upset when their routines, like the person feeding them, are changed, when they go to a different playground, prefer to wear clothes of certain colour and exhibit some “at times they do not want to wear some fabrics like wool or eat certain foods.”
Dr Samia said that for an infant of 1-2 years it is possible to tell if they are not making eye contact when you talk to them or call their name “they begin bubbling at six months as if they are starting to form words but by the first year they are not making any progress in speech,” she noted.
“Autistic children may also have an obsession with non-functional objects that they cannot operate without. Most times children with autism are comfortable at home, they are used to routines and any slight change of environment causes a lot of discomfort,” she says.
Other times, they exhibit persistent odd behaviour like preferring to play alone than in group of their peers. Unlike other children who mirror or like coping what the parents are doing or are inquisitive, they exhibit no such tendencies.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates the global prevalence for ASD to be six per 1,000 children and even flagged it as an issue to be concerned about in May 2014.
While the cause of autism is not known, certain medical conditions are known to be associated with it like neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumours to form on nerve tissue. Epilepsy can also be associated with autism, in that epileptic children also develop autism.
Research has also shown that as autistic children grow older they are more likely to develop learning disorders.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism can also coexist, meaning a child with ADHD can become autistic or an autistic child can develop ADHD.
“If a child is to be clinically diagnosed as being autistic they have to fulfil a certain criteria Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a catalogue put together by a group of psychiatrists” Dr Samia said.
While there is no cure for autism, parents need to understand that the condition is manageable when early intervention strategies are used. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, interventions whether dietary or behavioural are tailored to a specific child.
A doctor can prescribe occupational therapy at rehabilitation units twice or three times a week depending on the child’s needs. Others might require speech therapy to re-learn the things they have regressed on as well as pick up on new language.
Elimination diet helps some children- this involves removing sugar, diary and gluten foods which the kids will have an aversion to.
This however doesn’t work for everybody. The diet might reduce the level of hyper activity and wondering aimlessly in one child, but may have little or no impact on another’s behaviour.
“In some cases you might require to enrol children in special education programmes, be it private schools or in the integrated units in public schools where there are trained teachers to cater to their learning abilities,” she said.
Dr Samia added that some children can become fully socially re-integrated and grow up to live ordinary lives without others never knowing about their condition.
It is important, she said, for parents to remain patient with their autistic children and try to recognise their talents and use that to better connect with them.
“Some kids are musically gifted, others have colour and number recognition assessment, or might even be artistic which they can exploit to provide a source of livelihood even as they grow up,” she added.
There are several institutions that provide support for parents with autistic children including Autism Support Kenya, Autism Association Kenya, Autism Awareneness Kenya and the Kenya Autism Alliance.
The education of autistic children could be slower and they would need to stay in school longer so it would not be fare for parents to measure their chronological progression from one class to another.
Dr Samia observed that not all go to secondary school. Most of them go to vocational schools and find a skill they are good at, even make money from it.
