As an educator and the mother of an autistic child, I am regularly asked to explain in 30 seconds or less what it means to be autistic. A distant relative may wonder what to expect during an upcoming visit. A neighbor may be trying to politely discern why my child acts a little "different" sometimes. A well-meaning friend may feel that he is around enough to declare authoritatively that he sees nothing whatsoever wrong with my child, and am I quite sure of the diagnosis? A concerned church member may ask for clarification as to exactly what my daughter "has" and what can be done. Should she be included on the weekly prayer list? Well, I'm not going to turn away any offers of prayer, but I can't help but wonder if this lady thinks my daughter has caught something akin to the chicken pox.
There are other times that the sheer embarrassment of a situation, or the expression on some random person's face, tempts me to expound, uninvited, into an explanation of autism and its characteristics. At the grocery store, my daughter throws a tantrum because I go down the grocery aisles in a different order than last time (of course, I have no idea in what order I went last time, as I was thinking more along the lines of, "What foods do I need to buy today?"). While standing in line at the bank, she is talking loudly, repeating the same phrase over and over again, to the visible annoyance of those around us. I am reminded of a parent I once knew who would pass out pamphlets on autism to anyone who stared, whenever her son began spinning or rocking in public.
Especially for those closest to an autistic child, it can be difficult to distinguish between what makes the child "autistic" (according to doctors and various assessments), and what makes the child who he or she is as a person. The answer to this distinction is that while the label of "autistic" doesn't even begin to define the individual, it does represent some central themes that are irretrievably woven throughout the unique fabric of each child's personality. For this reason, and because symptoms can present themselves in any combination, there are countless variations of how autism presents itself behaviorally, even at similar levels of dysfunction.
Still, the question remains: What is autism? According to Dr. Bryna Siegel who wrote The World of the Autistic Child (1996), autism is a "developmental disorder that affects many aspects of how a child sees the world and learns from his or her experiences." I love this description because Dr. Siegel puts the emphasis on how autistic children perceive, learn from, and experience life differently, rather than on the specific challenges associated with autism; however, these challenges or deficits, as reflected in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (the DSM IV), define autism in terms of diagnosis. Broadly speaking, autistic children have qualitative impairments in the areas of communication, social relating, and sensory perceptions (autistic and sensory integrative disorders often, if not usually, overlap). Autistic children are also noted for persistent, atypical interests and/or behaviors, such as a compulsive adherence to nonfunctional routines or rituals (ie. my daughter at the grocery store), that may or may not be related to the primary impairments.
There are countless "types" of autism, most of which have yet to be identified and labeled. For now, we (particularly those in the educational realm) generally categorize autistic individuals according to the degree to which they seem to be affected (mildly, moderately, or severely). Some currently identifyable types of autism include Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD,NOS), Rett Syndrome, and Asperger Syndrome. Autism and mental retardation, as well as other disorders, often coexist, which can make a diagnosis of autism more difficult than when autism is the primary disorder. Whether subtle or dramatic, the traits of autism remain fairly constant across all types. For instance, autistic children tend to struggle socially, whether this is represented in a complete lack of connectedness or in the social awkwardness that is common among children with PDD,NOS or Asperger Syndrome. |
