Autism

What is Autism?

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a condition characterized by some combination of repetitive behaviors, as well as atypical social functioning, general development, and speech/nonverbal communication. Diagnosing ASD includes a developmental screening and a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation.

Where Do I Start?

As you would with any child, be informed about your child’s development. Educate yourself about how to challenge your child at any age level. Refer to our Developmental Screening Tool to determine what milestones your child should be working toward.

Who can help my child?

In addition to the guidance of your pediatrician and other parents who have children with Autism, Physical Therapy can help your child develop gross motor skills including balance and coordination. Occupational Therapy can help your child with fine/visual motor skills and behavior/sensory/feeding needs. Speech Therapy can help with speech/language functioning and the development of feeding skills.

When should we start therapy?

Early diagnosis and treatment are imperative

in helping your child reach their full potential. Weekly therapy is recommended as children grow and change so rapidly. In addition to helping your child remain on track in reaching developmental milestones, therapy can also help increase overall behavior by equipping the child with the communication skills they need to be successful.

Social Skills

Information

Individuals with Autism often face adversity with verbal and nonverbal communication skills. As a result, social skills can become a struggle for the autistic individual. Appropriate use of gestures, eye contact, tone of voice, facial expressions, and spoken language are areas of growth for individuals with Autism and can be addressed in therapy.

Areas of Impact with Autism

Social Development
- Enjoys unique ways of playing with toys, such as lining items up or focusing on a specific component of a toy
- Can be perplexed by the emotions of others, however, this allows children with autism to be more open to a variety of emotional expression
- A tendency to be very straightforward and honest in conversation regardless of the social situation. Lesser amounts of direct eye contact may help neurodivergent children connect with anxious individuals who are uncomfortable with a lot of eye contact.
- A vivid imagination allows children with autism to create novel concepts easily but may impact typical imaginative play with other children
Motor Impairment
- Synaptic pruning, or the way your brain decides which synapses are necessary and which are not, is less efficient in children with autism. These children retain so much information that it can be difficult for their brains to focus on mastery of fine and gross motor skills at developmentally appropriate times.
Language Development
- Echolalia, or repetition of what others have said, is a tool used by children with autism to develop their receptive language skills. Repetition is used by most people to learn various things, so this is not necessarily a negative action.
- Everyone has misunderstood a joke at one time or another. Neurodivergent children are more likely to misinterpret jokes and sarcasm because they think in concrete, factual ways more than abstract ways.
Cognitive Functions
- The cognitive difficulties identified in children with autism, poor academic performance, disorganization, and difficulty with problem-solving, are an indicator of rejecting the rigidity of educational norms and not one of your child’s intelligence. An exceptional memory may result in your child becoming bored at school which results in a focus on novel information and interests rather than what is currently being taught.
- Children with autism often prefer concrete directions to meet a goal. If your child is instructed to “organize their desk”, they may not know how to go about it. This does not mean your child is disorganized but that they need to be given step-by-step directions on how to do so.
Emotional Regulation
- Autism causes heightened senses which can lead to your child becoming overwhelmed in loud or chaotic environments resulting in “meltdowns.” All children are learning to regulate their emotions and will use actions versus words when they aren’t sure how to express how they are feeling. Sensory overload in children with autism simply causes their active expressions to be more intense.
- A preference for routine results in distress when there is a deviation from the usual schedule. The sensory overwhelm often can cause anxiety when new sounds, sights, and people are introduced. It is beneficial for children with autism to know what to expect and when to expect it. This is why changes in daily routine have a significant effect on children with autism.