about autism 8 things kids with autism have special abilities
Recently, a 42-year-old single father in Fuzhou suddenly passed away after finishing his night shift, leaving behind his 17-year-old son with autism. He had sent 10 'love messages' to the rehabilitation center teacher, detailing his son's daily habits from eating and sleeping to using the bathroom and bathing. However, this strong and optimistic father left his child without even a chance to say goodbye.
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Children with autism do not have physical defects; they just lack the expected reactions to everything in this world. For example, they have vision but do not want to make eye contact, can speak but find it hard to communicate, have hearing but are often immersed in their own world, and their behavior often contradicts what is expected.
Unlike common diseases, no two children with autism exhibit exactly the same symptoms. Their manifestations vary widely, yet they are all filled with a profound sense of loneliness.
Do you remember the 'One Yuan Painting' donation campaign initiated by Tencent Charity last year? The campaign went viral on social media and drew concentrated attention to children with autism. Through these paintings, many people believed that children with autism might just be quiet and not fond of social interactions, but they could possess astonishing skills in certain areas, much like Raymond, the protagonist of the movie 'Rain Man,' who, despite his autism, had extraordinary memory and mental calculation abilities.
You might think that not liking to talk but having 'special abilities' is pretty good, but the fact is that only 10%-20% of patients have such abilities. The vast majority of people with autism do not understand social interactions, cannot integrate into society, and often cannot even take care of themselves.
In addition, here are 7 things you need to know about autism.
When a child is diagnosed with autism, many parents feel guilty, suspecting that they made mistakes in their parenting, such as leaving the child to be raised by introverted grandparents or being too busy with work to spend time with the child.
In fact, autism is a pervasive developmental disorder of the brain that is congenital and not directly related to parenting styles. Due to excessive or insufficient neural connections in certain areas of the brain, normal functions cannot be performed, leading to lifelong impairments in the nervous system's information processing capabilities, preventing individuals with autism from achieving a quality normal life.
Diet-related theories were once mainstream explanations for the causes of autism. Some people believed that casein in food caused autism; others blamed vaccines, particularly the preservatives in the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Some researchers suggested that autism resulted from autoimmune reactions or nutritional deficiencies. However, none of these theories have been confirmed.
When autism is mentioned, people often think of individuals who appear dazed and foolish. Do they really have intellectual problems? Statistics show that about two-thirds to three-quarters of children with autism have varying degrees of intellectual disability, while one-quarter to one-third have IQs equal to or higher than the average person.
Although doctors sometimes use medications, they only target certain symptoms such as anxiety, hyperactivity, repetitive behaviors, impulsive aggression, appetite, and sleep disorders. For the core symptoms of autism, no medication is effective.
In autism rehabilitation training, some children who had poor abilities before entering training institutions sometimes make rapid progress, while some children with a good foundation may progress slowly. There are no two identical children with autism in the world, and there are many uncertainties in the rehabilitation of children with autism.
If there are children with autism around you and you do not want to pay special attention to them, just treat them normally and give them basic respect. If you want to help, you can learn relevant knowledge to interact with them. If you are a parent of a typical child, please view them correctly and tolerantly as long as their presence does not affect your life.
A child's recovery is not just the responsibility of school teachers or one or two parents; it is a family affair! The process is long and difficult, requiring long-term persistence and full cooperation.
Parents of children with autism must know the following points:
1. So far, the most effective treatment for autism is persistent and scientific rehabilitation training. There are no other good solutions.
2. Training must focus on the core goals of autism. Parents must understand that in the process of using methods, the means should not be confused with the goals. The ultimate goal of training children with autism is to improve their social skills. Therefore, many educational aids and various methods are needed. For example, teaching a child to draw a triangle is not about how well the triangle is drawn but about improving the social skills and levels demonstrated in the process. Parents should affirm and encourage their child's proactive social communication.
3. Most autism training needs to be lifelong. Autism is not like other diseases that can be cured after a few courses of treatment. Once diagnosed, interventions will be lifelong. Due to individual differences, the intensity of interventions will vary.
4. Autism training needs to be conducted anytime and anywhere. The best teachers for training children are their parents. The correct approach is to start training as soon as they wake up, using scientific methods to educate the child at all times and in all places.
5. The earlier the autism training, the better. There is no 'too late'; lifelong training is valuable. It is important to seize the time before the age of 6, as children at this age are highly malleable. With the right methods, significant progress can be made.
There may be geniuses among those with autism, and some may have 'special abilities,' but they are a very small minority. When you see these children from the stars, it is best to treat them normally. This is basic respect and the best approach.
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