Supporting Children with Autism

The taboo about Autism is widely reflected in the society; by the way we treat people having the condition. This taboo vision has been so wide spread that world health organization have dedicated an entire month of April just to celebrate the people, who are being neglected because of autism.

SThis where, we beg to differ in the opinion! Because at Kick Start we believe dedicating an entire month to autism, will not educate people about the condition; rather create a larger discrimination against the people having autism. This is because at Kick Start we believe autism is not a disease rather it is a condition that gives people special powers beyond our common understanding. Since we cannot compete or understand these super powers, as common human nature we tend to keep these people away from us, by tagging them as unfit.

But not anymore, this april on the eve of the autism month kick start pledge to support the children with Autism. Because at Kick Start we believe special powers requires; special attention, and care.

Let’s walk you through what is autism and how to support children dealing with the condition and how kick start therapy can help you achieve this vision!

What is Autism?

Autism, alternatively known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental and neurological condition that can affect an individual's ability to communicate and have social interactions. There are five main types of ASD they are:

Asperger’s Syndrome

Rett’s Disorder

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Autistic Disorder

These conditions can result in social, behavioral and communication challenges in individuals because of which people having one or multiple of these conditions often shy away from interaction. There are multiple known and unknown causes that act together causing ASD including, exposure to environmental toxins, low birth weight, genetic mutations, family history, mothers’ exposure to viral infections, etc. Nonetheless, there continues to be questions regarding the unknown causes of ASD as many causes remain undiscovered. It is important to note that ASD is not exclusive to a particular race, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic group. Further, with discrimination against such individual with these conditions the end result may often be permanent psychological damage.

This where Kick Start steps in, because we believe people with one or multiple of these conditions are blessed with other powers beyond our logical understanding. And hence the things these individuals say have much deeper meaning. To help such people with autism spectrum disorder at Kick Start we bring you some steps that we all can practice to support these people.

Supporting People with Autism

It is advisable to follow these little measures if you are having an individual in your close proximity suffering from the condition:

Be patient and spend time without getting irritated by: People with autism don’t have control on their behavior, but patiently handling them can help them calm down.

Listen to them closely: Their way of thinking and approaching things are much different than us. So listen closely as these people often provide insights that you might never think about.

Do not discriminate: These people are extremely true and honest and hence are very emotionally charged. Discriminating against them often results in emotional triggering which might result in aggressive behavior. So it is advisable not to discriminate and treat them equally.

Give them space: Like previously mentioned their brain is an epicenter of noise. Hence it is advisable to talk to them slowly, and then they can easily follow command.

Talk to them slowly and don’t be loud: Like previously mentioned their brain is an epicenter of noise. Hence it is advisable to talk to them slowly, and then they can easily follow command.

Be Reasonable: People with autism are bluntly honest, so approach them with reasons that are honest and not societal driven. This helps them to stay on the same page with others.

If you follow these basic measures when dealing with people with autism, you will soon understand they are much more than our regular eyes and understanding can meet.

Now that we know how to support these individuals let’s walk you through some of the common characteristics of Autism.

Characteristics of Autism

As suggested by its name, ASD places individuals along a spectrum which ranges from severe or low-support needs to mild or high-support needs. Nonetheless, it is not representative of an individual's competency. Additionally, it is important to recognize that each individual with an ASD diagnosis can present varying needs, signs and symptoms.

Some general signs that could be present in individuals with Autism:

Hyper- or hypo sensitivity refers to an individual being over or under stimulated by sensory inputs (e.g. loud noises, certain smells, being a part of a large group or crowd, etc)

Repetitive behavior or activities (e.g. rocking, jumping, lining up objects, closing doors, etc)

Heavily reliance on rules and routines (e.g. the individual may have trouble adapting to small or big changes to their routine)

Repetitive interests (e.g. individual is fixated on conversing about a topic such as, cars, Christmas, airplanes, etc)

Repeat or echo words, phrases, songs, etc (e.g. the individual may meaninglessly repeat another person’s spoken words either immediately after or at a later time)

Trouble interpreting other people’s emotions and expressing their own (e.g. they may not appropriately respond or respond at all to a display of emotions, unable to express their own emotions, etc)

Prefer playing alone (e.g. individual finds turn-taking challenging, does not like to share, uncomfortable in a group setting, etc)

Difficulty with gross or fine motor skills (e.g. difficulty writing or holding a pencil, manipulating small toys, difficulty coordinating movement such as jumping or turning around, etc)

It is important to discuss with a pediatrician or family physician for a more accurate in-depth list and evaluation of the child or adult. Early diagnosis can assist with implementing early intervention as early intervention is proven to result in positive long-term and short-term effects on the individual's development of communication and social skills and overall quality of life.

Besides these characteristics often overlooked in the area of Autism is Auditory Processing (APD). To help you understand what is Auditory Processing we have compiled a complete understanding APD and how it is directly related to Autism.

Auditory Processing in Autism

Auditory Processing is the ability to filter out and manage the various competing sounds we come into contact with daily. Our ability to receive and filter these noises rely on the many functions of the ear in dampening the signals before they are sent and processed within the brain. When noise is not adjusted in a way our brain can manage, we experience hypersensitivity or difficulty interpreting sound in what is known as Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) that can result in dysregulation and impaired verbal comprehension. This can be remedied with various sound-based therapies which create structured sound environments to train the brain in processing and regulating sounds.

Auditory Processing and Learning: When Does It start?

Auditory learning begins even before birth. While in the uterus, fetuses are exposed to various low pitched sounds like rhythm and prosody (intonation, stress) coming from the environment. This exposure can carry notable effects for the developing brain’s plasticity, which can impact the child’s ability to communicate after birth. During infancy and childhood, the effects of auditory learning on language development continue as the child begins the most vital period of development and growth.

Auditory Processing and Developing Communicative Skills: The Relationship

Auditory Processing plays an influential role in a child’s speech-language development by creating opportunities for them to experience speech sounds and understand the context in when and how they are used. It is the repeated exposure to sound that creates a foundation for children to transition from listening to babbling to vocalizing, as our working memory transfers the listened information into long-term storage for us to recall and recognize. Therefore, addressing auditory processing disorders early can aid in the development of speech and language.

Now that we have a complete overview of Autism, and how people with Autism are completely different than our common understanding. At Kick Start we have created a perfect routine to support these people. A complete treatment approach developed on evidence based studies that can help people with Autism to improve and face reality, while helping you understand how to handle them.

Autism Services We Offer

At Kick Start Therapy, we work alongside families to apply various communicative and behavioral practices. Some of these practices include:

Speech-Language Therapy

1:1 Language Building: With the help of a therapist, various speech-language goals will be introduced and worked on throughout the one-to-one.

Parent Training Programs: Encouraging social and behavioural learning at home through training programs like Project ImPACTand JASPER where parents become an active participant in their child’s development.

Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy (ABA):

Behavioral Training: Through reinforcement and modeling, the therapist guides the individual into developing productive behavioral practices.

Occupational Therapy (OT):

Sensory Processing Needs: Developing healthy ways to approach and regulate the individual’s sensory processing needs.

Auditory Processing Support

The staffs at Kick Start Therapy are certified in various music therapy programs to assist individuals with auditory processing and, inevitably, positively influence their social and communication skills. The staffs are equipped with certifications in an array of different programs such as the Safe and Sound Protocol and Bellis Model, to be able to appropriately utilize the most suitable program for the individual.

These are some of best clinical approaches that we apply in order support people with Autism. Further, it is important to recognize that these practices are not ‘cures’ to Autism Spectrum Disorder as the disorder is not something which needs to be cured. These practices are meant to develop auditory, behavioral, and communication skills that better the quality of life of individuals and help them in creating opportunities and leadership roles in the community.

So, now that we have complete view on Autism this April on the eve of Autism month let’s pledge to handle the condition with the care and comfort it deserve. Because at Kick Start we believe, this small step towards autism that we take today, can help create the Super Heroes of Tomorrow.