Parenting Blog

Autism is a brain disorder, appearing mostly in childhood, which causes restricted social interaction and difficulty in communication. Autism is strongly associated with genetic makeup of the child and is more likely to be induced by factors that also cause birth defects. Symptoms of autism usually appear before the child is 3 years old and, if left untreated, can cause serious distress among kids. Since symptoms of autism are wide-ranging and many of them also characterize other disorders, the diagnosis of autism is rather difficult. Further, the diagnosis is based on behavioral observations i.e. there is not medical test to determine whether or not a child is autistic. 

Following are some behavioral characteristics that are indicative of autism. In case one or more of these is found in your child, you need to take him/her to a psychologist for the possible presence of autism. 

• In the later months of their first year or shortly afterwards, the child shows a decreased responsiveness to parents and other people/things. He/she does not look at the parent or person speaking to him/her. Also, he/she does not look into the parents’ eyes while they talk to him/her.
• The child resists cuddling and screams upon being picked up.
• In a little older age, the child keeps aloof from people and does not take part in play or social interaction with other kids.        
• Abnormally intense screaming fits and tantrums are displayed by the kid who is autistic.
• The child shows fascination with a single, apparently ordinary object (broken pieces of plastic or an unattractive tool).
• Decreased or no response to environmental conditions (heat or cold) is seen in many autistic children such that an autistic child may remain indifferent to hot or cold bath even in weather that is not at all friendly for such a bath.
• Many autistic children repeatedly show odd body movements like grimaces, flapping arms or hands, jumping from one foot to another etc.   
• Some autistic children may show signs of ‘geniuses’ e.g. they may be very good at a particular activity or subject like music, mathematics etc. But their over all performance as a child remains either very passive or over-reactive.  
• On the average, autistic children show poor language performance.  Some may show literal or pedantic use of words. And many autistic kids repeat the question or sentence instead of answering or expressing their own thought.
  

Parents need to take children, showing any of these signs of autism, to a psychologist who may also involve a pediatrician in treatment of the child. Parents will be required to work in close collaboration with the doctor/therapist to effectively treat their child out of autism.

Toddler aggression is not an uncommon observation. Some children, mostly those at the age of around one and a half year, show unusually aggressive behavior like kicking, hitting, biting, and pushing etc. This brings embarrassment to their parents and guardians since these children are rarely welcome at playgroups or at the neighbor’s. It is important to remember that such exhibits of temper are not the child’s deliberate effort to irritate the elders. The child is just expressing him/herself in a way of whose moral impact he/she does not know. Therefore, it is wrong for parents to show anger or irritation by verbally or physically punishing the kid. Following are some guidelines on handling aggressive behavior when the child strikes out.

• Intervene as soon as possible.
• Don’t take sides. Console the child who has been hurt.
• Take the aggressive child aside and tell him/her, ‘I understand you are angry but hurting someone is not allowed.’
• Each time the child goes astray during play, stop the game or take a time-out. This makes the child feel that what he/she did is not welcome.
• If you feel that a certain activity, that requires sharing, repeatedly causes aggression in your child, try to get him/her involved in activity that does not require much sharing, e.g. painting or filling colors in a drawing. But remember not to isolate the child from others. Allow such independent activity to go in groups.
• Praise and reward the child’s good behavior.
• Never hit your child while purporting to discourage aggressiveness in him/her. Punishing or getting too hard on the kid just reinforces the thought that hurting solves problems.