Archive for June, 2012

Parents take great effort to imbibe discipline in their children. In some families discipline is totally absent and children are indiscipline. But when in comes to an autistic child discipline is very necessary and to put in practice is very difficult. The approach to discipline in autistic children is difficult and parents when fail they should take the necessary help from the professionals. Constant, regular, positive and well timed approach in discipline is necessary and vital when it comes to imbibing discipline in autistic children.

Discipline towards autistic children should always be positive. All positive behavior from the children should be rewarded whereas avoid reward for the negative behavior. Such a treatment does well not only for normal children but does wonders for autistic children.

It is very important for the parents to find out when the children behave badly. It could be for fun or may be that they are irritated or under some pain. If they are disturbed try to divert their attention which will help them to relax. This method of relaxation may take time for them to learn but with regular practice and determination even the autistic child can achieve it.

The parents should have a constant discipline with the child and the moment they fail in it they will lose control over the child. For example punish for the child bad behavior and reward for good behavior.

The penalty given for bad behavior should remain the same each time. If the parents opt for the 1-2-3 technique then it should be the same always or else the child will not respond or learn things properly. The instant you lose control of the circumstances you should understand that the child has not learnt anything constructively.

Timing is a very important factor. The mother need not wait for the father to be back home to punish the child for his/her bad behavior. Scold or punish the child immediately when the incident takes place.

It is very important that both the parents use the same method when it comes to discipline as the child does not react properly to the parent who opposes the technique.

You can join the free autism newsletter to get more guidelines on parenting autistic children. Every bad behavior handled in the same manner gives the child gets a clear picture of thing to do and not to do. Postponed punishments do not produce positive result and the autistic child learns nothing.

Bringing up a normal child is challenging and the situation is multifold when the child is autistic. Avoid shouting or actions which can make the situation go out of control. When upset just walk away or else things may go beyond repair.

Handling autistic children is very challenging but regular practice things become very easy. Every child has its own way of learning discipline as long as there are immediate actions for every good and bad behavior there will be positive results and good progress in the autistic child.

There is a debate regarding Kanners research as some agree with his views on new ideas about autism while some scientists totally disagree with him on the point stating that autism is like any other brain disorder. The fact is that they refuse to accept autism as a type of syndrome because of the difference of opinion in Kanners research.

Some medical scientists who accepted Kanners thoughts followed his theories in their practice. But some who found it confusing started identifying all people with neurological problems as autistic misreading the studies of Kanner.

In late seventies another scientist Rutter developed new theories which could explain autism on the whole. To bring an end to the confusion he modified the Kanners concept of autism. Here are some of the new principles presented by Rutter in diagnosing autism.

Symptoms of autism begin in infancy by the age of three. Strange development socially observed from intellectual progress, poor communication skill, difficulty in adapting to the surroundings, repetitive behavior, and stick to the same practice.

Kanner says that autism and intellectual development are two different factors, Rutter says that the concept of autism is based on the intellectual progress. Rutter proved that autism is identified with the level of performance of intellectual development and Kanner symptoms and lack of cognitive skill go together. Although autistic persons have good memory and good logical skills their damaged mental skill does not allow them to exhibit it. This aspect was absent in Kanners studies.

Thus Rutters research has cleared many aspects of autism helping in spotting autism in a specific and accessible way. This was a giants leap in the practice of psychiatry which was not investigated earlier. Identify autism easily nowadays irrespective of many vague features said by Kanner.

Autism is a neurological brain disorder which affects the areas of speech, communications and social interactions. One can become aware of this autism in infancy by the time the child is three years of age which persists till adulthood but sometimes this is only in later part of life. Autistic children are distinctly spotted as their behavior is abnormal and different from normal children. Children basically like to be in the company of their parents and also like cuddling and a circle of kids of their age but autistic children prefer loneliness and are indifferent to the group around them and are also touch sensitive.

Self centeredness is the foremost trait in autism and in this behavior problem the child is indifferent even to its parents and caregivers keep away from all communication from them. Autistic children have classified, repetitive behavior problem and they cannot accept any change in their activity. Some children have destructive behavior like body rocking and head banging,

The next area where autism affects is the speech and communication skill. Some children refuse to speak totally while some have problem while talking and so cannot convey things. So they are reserved, inactive and do not react. Some even avoid eye to eye contact.

Autistic children are of two types. Some have mild autism while some have severe ones. Children with mid autism have good logic and intelligence in spite of their poor communication and social interaction skills. Such children excel in arts, music or sometimes in calculations and mathematics. But children with severe autism at times also suffer from mental retardation leaving no room for much development and are also very slow in learning.

What triggers autism is yet a mystery but the popular belief says it is caused genetically in the central nervous system due to malfunction of the inherited system. This disorder is irreparable but medical science can reduce the intensity of the problem. Proper rehabilitation and behavior modification therapies along with medical treatment and parental support can help these autistic children to improve their communication and social interaction skill to a great extent and lead a normal life.