Autistic children can live happy, productive lives<\/p>\n
Sheila S. Quarles van Ufford-Thomson, Contributor, Jakarta,
\nquarles@cbn.net.id<\/p>\n
A wealth of evidence currently exists to suggest that autistic
\nchildren who are exposed to early behavioral interventions will
\nlead happier and more productive lives.<\/p>\n
Jakarta resident Marie-Claude Osterrath, mother of Matthew, an
\nautistic three-year-old boy, believes unequivocally in this
\ntheory. She explained, \"some doctors worldwide don't feel
\ncomfortable diagnosing children with autism until they are 5 or 6
\nyears old, but by then it is too late to intervene effectively.
\nEighteen months is the optimum age to begin therapy.\"<\/p>\n
Diagnosed with autism at the age of one-and-a-half, Matthew
\nhas undergone intensive therapy for the past two years.<\/p>\n
\"Our goal is for Matthew to go to school and be
\nindistinguishable from his peers. We want him to be happy and to
\nhave healthy relationships,\" explained Osterrath.<\/p>\n
Autism is a neurological dysfunction that is severely
\nincapacitating. According to the American Psychiatric
\nAssociation's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
\nDisorders (4th Edition), widely used by medical personnel to
\ndiagnose the condition, autistic people are diverse, yet share
\nthree common behavioral characteristics: social difficulties,
\nimpaired communication skills and specific behavioral patterns.<\/p>\n
Autistic children often show little interest in other people.
\n\"When someone new entered the room, Matthew never looked at that
\nperson. Normally a child will look at a stranger and then turn
\naway out of shyness, but Matthew simply never looked,\" said
\nOsterrath. \"He was always content to play on his own.\"<\/p>\n
\"At first I just thought he was keras kepala (stubborn)
\nbecause he never accepted any instructions. I couldn't teach him
\nto wave to me. He also never responded to his name, although I
\nknew that he wasn't deaf,\" explained Osterrath.<\/p>\n
Impaired communication skills are a second characteristic
\ncommon to autistic people, 50 percent of whom never develop
\nspoken language skills.<\/p>\n
\"By the age of 17 months, Matthew had stopped speaking
\naltogether. He was my first child and people kept telling me not
\nto compare him with other children, as every child develops at a
\ndifferent speed,\" said Osterrath.<\/p>\n
\"Everyone says that boys develop more slowly than girls, so I
\nwasn't too worried. We were also introducing two languages at
\nhome and I thought that this was causing a retardation in his
\nspeech.\"<\/p>\n
\"Only when I spoke to a pediatric neurologist did I realize
\nthat Matthew had stopped saying 'mama'. I was living the life of
\na busy mother and hadn't realized that after developing normally,
\nhe had suddenly stopped saying 'mama'.\"<\/p>\n
Autistic people also display specific behavioral patterns.
\nThey find change distressing and develop repetitive motor
\nmannerisms.<\/p>\n
\"My son was obsessed with spinning the wheels of his toy car.
\nAlthough many boys spin wheels, Matthew could do it incessantly
\nwithout regard for hunger, thirst or anyone around him,\"
\nexplained Osterrath.<\/p>\n
After conducting considerable research into autism, Osterrath
\nand her husband, Mark Oliver, decided to design their own in-
\nhouse program for Matthew. He now undergoes a 35-hour-per-week
\nApplied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) program, the most
\nscientifically proven successful method of treatment for autism.<\/p>\n
Developed by Dr Ivar Lovaas, ABA is based on discrete trial
\nteaching. New skills are broken up into small components and
\nstudents are set up for success. They are then rewarded with
\nsomething tangible that they like.<\/p>\n
\"In order to teach Matthew to clap his hands,\" explained
\nOsterrath, \"I would say, 'Clap your hands, Matthew'. Then I would
\nbring his hands together so they 'clapped' and reward him with a
\ntreat, as well as a lot of praise. Eventually the tangible reward
\nwas taken away and the words of praise became effective in their
\nown right.\"<\/p>\n
In addition to discrete trial teaching, ABA requires that the
\nautistic child practice the skills learned in the therapy room,
\nin a variety of 'natural' settings. Only with the help of trained
\nand fully supportive family members and teachers, will discrete
\ntrial teaching be effective.<\/p>\n
\"My husband and I interact with Matthew in a meaningful way
\nevery moment that he is awake. He is never left idle, not even
\nfor a minute. It's exhausting but we have no choice. I am going
\nto get my son out of this. I know that we can do it and that it
\nwill take time. I feel so lucky to have been given the chance to
\nhave had an early diagnosis.\"<\/p>\n
Diet is another factor that can heavily influence the behavior
\nof an autistic child. Matthew's parents had blood tests done for
\nhis food allergies and found that he had several.<\/p>\n
\"Matthew is now on a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet. As
\nhe is also allergic to corn and rice, we make almost all of his
\nfood from scratch,\" explained Osterrath.<\/p>\n
\"The change in diet has made a huge difference to Matthew's
\nbehavior. He used to wake up in the middle of the night,
\nscreaming in terror, and 'squishing' his head between objects.
\nThis has stopped since we introduced the new diet and he now
\nsleeps through the night. Also, since the diet change, Matthew
\nhas more eye contact with others; he is more aware of his
\nenvironment and his learning curve has increased considerably.\"<\/p>\n
Matthew undergoes an hour of occupational therapy each day to
\nenhance his gross and fine motor skills. His senses are also
\nstimulated during these sessions in order to improve his
\nattention during the ABA therapy.<\/p>\n
\"Matthew craves pressure and so we do deep-pressure brushing
\non his body to reduce this craving,\" explained Osterrath. \"This
\nimproves his concentration and allows him to learn new skills.
\nOtherwise, he would be fixated on rubbing his arms or legs.\"<\/p>\n
All of the hard work done by Matthew, his parents and his
\ntherapists are paying off. Although each skill has sometimes
\ntaken months to develop, Matthew now has a wide range of them. He
\ncan eat by himself, dress himself and wash his own hands.
\nSocially, he says hello to strangers, he answers basic questions
\nabout himself and he can make his basic needs known through
\nspeech.<\/p>\n
Physically, Matthew is at par with other three-year-olds. He
\nswims alone and rides and steers a bicycle on his own. His
\nvocabulary has improved and he now understands hundreds of words
\nand can speak more than 50 words well. He has also just begun to
\nconstruct full sentences.<\/p>\n
The positive attitude of Matthew's mother, in particular, has
\nplayed a crucial role in his recovery. \"We are involved in a race
\nagainst time,\" said Osterrath.<\/p>\n
\"As autistic children get older their rituals and repetitive
\nbehavior become set, and almost impossible to change. There is no
\ntime to grieve. We have to cherish even the smallest of victories
\nand just get on with it!\"<\/p>\n
Valuable resources on autism and ABA include the following:<\/p>\n
* Let Me Hear your Voice by Catherine Maurice (book)<\/p>\n
* The Me Book by Ivar Lovaas (book)<\/p>\n
* Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism by
\nCatherine Maurice (book)<\/p>\n
* autism.com (website)<\/p>\n
* rsaffran.tripod.com\/aba.html (website)<\/p>\n
* Lembaga Pelayanan Anak Raja (yayasananakraja@centrin.net.id)<\/p>\n
* Yayasan Autisma Indonesia (autism-indonesia@egroups.com)<\/p>\n
* Dr Rudy Sutadi, Jakarta Medical Center<\/p>\n
* Fajar Nugroho, school for autistic children, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Sheila S. Quarles van Ufford-Thomson, quarles@cbn.net.id,
\n08174903670.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/autistic-children-can-live-happy-productive-lives-1447893297",
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