SOME FACTS ABOUT AUTISM

There are many myths and misunderstandings about autism.
Be aware that there is a difference between autism and spectrumdisorders.
But there are also many similarities if one looks through differences in gradation, etc.
That's why I use the term "autism" here for core autism and autism spectrum disorders as well.

·          Autism is not due to bad parenting.

·          Autism is not "between the ears".

·          and it can't be outgrown, can't be cured.

·          It's a neurological problem that leads to developmental problems.

·          And there's some genetical influence involved.

·          Not all autistic children show repetitive movements, but many do.

·          Many can learn though, so they can be conditioned to do something less irritating.

·          Autistic children can smile and laugh, but not always as a means of interaction.

·          Most autistic children don't like to be touched. It adds to the enormous amount of information they have to struggle through and it distracts their attention. Some children experience it as breaking into their concentration and they react with an emotional outburst.

·          Some autistic children are not able to talk, but many can.

·          Autistic children have a different perception from the world than you do.

·          Autistic people can give a different meaning to a perception than you do.

·          Autistic people have difficulties understanding others. They take most things literally.

·          Even though autistic people have difficulties communicating, most love to have friends.

·          Infant weight has nothing to do with autism.

·          Most autistic children have a strong bond with their parents and brothers and sisters, although it can be different than other child-parent bonds.

·          Most autistic children do have imagination, but most need a bit of help to use it.

·          When an autistic child gets angry it's worth the effort to see if it has a good reason to be angry.

·          Autistic children often also get angry when they are confronted with situations they don't understand.

·          And they can get angry when they get too many impulses.

·          Sometimes kids with autism have a refreshing kind of humor.

·          Autism can't be prevented by good prenatal care (yet).

·          Autistic children that are failing in regular schools can do very well at schools for children with special needs.

·          Less children in the classroom is easier for an autistic child.

·          Children with autism can show progress in many areas of life if they're supported well.

·          Generalisation is difficult. So when a child knows how to shop for vegetables, it doesn't say it can shop for milk.

·          Parental age has nothing to do with autism.

·          Nor has the number of siblings to do with it.

·          Contrary what some people say, autism is not caused by vaccinations.

·          Some children with autism can't exchange affection, but many others can to a lesser or more degree.

·          Some children can be helped with medication, others can't.

·          But medication can't cure autism.

·          When a child don't follow an order or request the way you want, he's not being stubborn or obnoxious. He most probably doesn't understand what you want.

·          Most autistic children have problems interpreting your facial expression. For example: they can't see if you are feeling ill or angry.

·          Most testsscores depend on the understanding of language and speed of processing that language and tranform a task into an action. Many autistic children are undervalued because of that, and are told to be mentally retarded, whereas they aren't.

·          When you blink/wink at them, most think you suffer from a muscle spasm at your eye.

·          Autism is not caused by food, nor can it be cured by healthy food or supplements.

·          Autism can be on itself or can accompany another main problem a child is experiencing.

·          Autistic children have a restricted number of areas of interest.

·          The total number of people who suffer from core autism and spectrumdisorders is unknown. It's suggested that about 5 to 10 to 28 % of the population suffers from it. That means it's in fact something normal.

·          Autistic and spectrumchildren thrive in a structured environment when they're used to it. In the past the schoolsystem was much more structured, as was the social environment.

·          Autistic children need more time to process information and make sense of it. If they're not given enough time they're disturbed in their concentration and can react with an emotional outburst. (Isn't it frustrating to live in a world that moves too fast???)

·          Experts can reliably diagnose core autism between the age of two and three, because of the failure of developing functional language.

·          Prejudice prevents an early proper diagnosis of many children with a spectrumdisorder. Behavioral problems are not ascribed to an unability to deal with the world, but to bad parenting.

·          About 20% of the children that are diagnosed with autism had a normal development, also in language and social skills, and suffered from "regression". So they lost already acquired skills.

·          About 3 to 4 times as many boys have autism than girls.

·          Children with autism can be trained from an early age on. They need intensive support on an individual basis.

·          Because so many people suffer from autism and spectrumdisorders there's a big variety of bussinesses "out there" who offer treatment of some sort, without proof the treatments are effective.
They're bases on the willingness of parents to try everything to help their children. All these parents do however is invest in the luxury lifes of others.

·          Many sites on internet don't offer new information, but have copied the information from other sites.

·          As long as we don't know much about autism and spectrumdisorders it's wise to rely on what neurologists, and specialised psychologists and psychiatrists say.
They should be part of an official acknowledged professional organisation.