Sunday, May 6, 2012

What I have learned with creating a blog

     Creating a blog has been very exciting.  This is actually the second blog that I have created.  I have found them to be very exciting especially if you can get other involved in providing feedback.  The creation process is very easy.  I decided to create this blog concerning autism because I have a passion and desire to work with children of autism.
     Autism is a very sad disease and when a family is faced with autism it can be heartbreaking and a challenge for families.  This blog is designed to help educate family, friends and students about autism and how to deal with children that have been diagnosed with autism.

Cheers,

Edward Smith

Autism and Social Behaviors

Child with autism usually has issues with social interaction, and most will prefer to play alone. Children will struggle having social contact with others, and will not respond when they are addressed. Children with autism will struggle to communicate with language issues. Many will not respond to their own name. Many will not make any form of communication, and most will not usually look at you when being addressed. Behavior can be very challenging for children with autism. When something is changed in the lives of children with autism, it becomes a major issue for them. Children with autism, will most likely be in a constant movement, and find it very hard to remain still (Anonymous, 2010).
After speaking with a member of our church who is a teacher and has a child with autism. She advised me that one problem she has noticed with teachers and helpers who work with autism, they seem to think that all children are the very same. What works for one child does not always work for another child, and teachers must use “trial and error” to find out exactly what will work for a specific child.
Parents and teachers must recognize the characteristics that are associated with autism. This would include such thing children beginning to talk much later, than other children do, and often is accompiended by children repeat words and sounds over again. Most children who have autism also have great memories and can usually remember things that get their attention such as cartoons and characters on television (Anonymous, 2010).
Children with autism must stay on a routine. The do not deal with change very well, and routine is essential for them or one can expect behavior issues to arise from the change. It is very normal for children with autism to become violent almost instantly when change takes place and can happen instantly. One article stated that children with autism simply take everything literal, and they do not understand and comprehend the difference when a person is joking, they simple take everything at its word.
Social interaction remains a major issue for those with autism. Child struggle to build relationships, which many times this causes children to play alone and not interact with other children or adults (Levy, 2009).

What is Autism?

According to information provided from the Mayo Clinic (2010), autism is “one of a group of serious developmental problems called autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that appears in early childhood usually before age 3”. There are many different symptoms and side effects, but it was noted that “all autism disorders affect a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others”.
Here is a useful link for more in-depth information about the specifics of autism.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348