Autism, like many conditions I write about, needs more than a day to be aware, awareness of such conditions gives us the opportunity to learn and show empathy for those suffering a condition, and help break down fears and education is key to this.
Autism is said to affect 1 in 70 people living in Australia, which means it is likely that you know someone, or a family that has a child, children, or adult with Autism. Often one may hear someone say that a person is on the spectrum, which is referring to the Autism spectrum. The spectrum is large and refers to the unique and shared traits that sufferers of Autism may elicit, as some traits can impact people differently, meaning that functioning can be different for each person.
Often people with Autism, may learn differently due to the way they process sensory information, creating challenges for the person and their families.
When I was a child growing up in Australia, children were labelled as being odd, or silly because they did not fit the mold that was expected for them at school, meaning that many kids were isolated, and alienated along with families, making everything worse, when in fact they need our support.
Educating the community means that children & adults with Autism can become included in our communities, assisting inclusiveness in the community, thus contributing and living meaningful lives.
What can you do?
If you are out and about and see a parent trying to cope with a child acting out, we can be quick to judge, however, instead of judging and thinking the child is badly behaved, they may be having an overwhelming response to a sensory stimulation that may seem ordinary for you. Asking if the parent needs help or just showing empathy with a comment of how hard it is will help the parent realize that you care.
If you know a person with Autism, before you buy birthday, or Christmas gifts reach out to the family to make sure your gift will assist their sensory response and not make things worse. (Aware that this changes too as they grow).
There are resources below to educate yourself which can assist you.
Treatments:
There are lots of treatments for Autism, related to individual symptoms and sensory load and is individualized, and this may take a long time to work through.
Starting with one’s GP and refer for diagnosis, help through psychologists, Occupational Therapists can assist and provide support and treatments.
Support for children, teenagers, and adults with Autism through NDIS. can be available too. However, it is important to point out that funding for services is quite stretched.
Massage may assist with some Autism symptoms. However, the massage therapist needs to show patience with the client as it can take different pressure as some people with Autism, like light pressure and others prefers firm pressure related to their sensory responses.
Massage therapists can also help parents by teaching them some simple massage strokes that their child likes to help build that child-parent bond.
It may take some time to find the correct massage therapist for you but speaking with other families with children of the Autism spectrum who may have found someone for them may shortcut your search.
References:
Resources:
Ask a Question | Noah's Ark (noahsarkinc.org.au) covers Echuca
intereach.com.au (Echuca)
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