Autism—Meeting the Challenges of a Puzzling Disorder
CHRISTOPHER was a handsome, well-behaved little boy who stopped responding to his name at 18 months of age. At first, it seemed as if he were deaf, yet he always noticed the rustle of a candy wrapper.
In time, other puzzling behaviors also manifested themselves. Rather than playing with his toys in the usual ways, he would just spin their wheels over and over again. He developed an unusual interest in liquids, pouring them out at every opportunity. This, along with his love for climbing, led to many precarious situations and to a great deal of anxiety for his mother.
Most troubling of all, he was oblivious to people, often appearing to look right through them as though they weren’t there. By the time he was two years old, he had stopped speaking altogether. He spent much of his time rocking himself back and forth, and he began having violent temper tantrums, often for reasons that were incomprehensible to his parents. Bewildered, they began searching for answers.
What was the matter with Christopher? Was he spoiled, neglected, mentally retarded, or schizophrenic? No, Christopher is one of at least 360,000 people in the United States who have autism. This puzzling disorder occurs in 4 or 5 out of every 10,000 children worldwide, posing a lifetime of challenges.
Autism is a disorder of the brain in which social behavior, communication skills, and thinking ability fail to develop normally. It affects the way sensory input is processed, causing people with autism to overreact to some sensations (sights, sounds, smells, and so forth) and underreact to others. The impairments of autism produce an assortment of unusual behavioral traits. Symptoms, which usually appear before the age of three, can vary greatly from child to child. Consider the following examples.
Imagine reaching out with love to your own beautiful child and getting no response. This often happens when a child has autism. Instead of interacting with people, most children with autism prefer to be alone. They may dislike being cuddled, avoid eye contact, and use people as they would tools—showing little awareness of others’ feelings. In severe cases some do not seem to make any distinction between family members and strangers. They appear to live in a world of their own, oblivious to the people and events around them. The term “autism,” from the Greek word au·tos´ meaning “self,” refers to this self-absorbing quality.
In contrast with their indifference to people, children with autism may become preoccupied with a particular object or activity, pursuing it for several hours at a time in a bizarre, repetitive manner. For example, instead of pretending that toy cars are real ones, they may line the cars up in neat, straight rows or may endlessly spin their wheels. They display repetitiveness in other ways also. Many are intolerant of change in their daily routines, insisting on doing things exactly the same way every time.
Children with autism may also respond in strange ways to the events and situations that they encounter. Their responses can be baffling, since most of them are unable to describe what they are experiencing. Nearly half are mute; often those who can speak use words in unusual ways. Rather than answer a question by saying yes, they may simply repeat the question (a phenomenon called echolalia). Some use expressions that seem strangely out of place and that can only be understood by those familiar with their “code.” For instance, one child used the phrase “it’s all dark outside” as his term for “window.” Many also have difficulty using gestures and may scream or throw a tantrum to signal a need.
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