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Autism and aggression unfortunately often co-exist. For a parent this can make autism even more volatile to cope with. When dealing with a high needs child it takes patience and understanding but when they become aggressive it can make it all the more difficult to cope with. No matter how the aggression manifests in your child it can be both upsetting and dangerous. Overcoming this aggression is something you need to focus on as a parent to assist your child in coping in their autistic world. So what can you do as a parent to assist in curbing this behaviour?

Medication. This is the first recommendation given by medical professionals. If the child cannot control the anger on their own, the medication will help control it for them. Therapy. Sometimes the use of therapy is a positive alternative for the parent looking to seek help without medicating or further medicating their child. Triggers. It can also help as a parent to determine your child’s trigger points of aggression. By avoiding these potentially explosive situations you can circumvent having to cope with the aggression at all. Food Sources. Just like everything in their autistic world. Changes in behaviours and mannerisms can be triggered by things such as food sensitivities and allergies. Eliminating the food from their diet can help alleviate their aggression and make living with them easier.

It is quite well known that at this point in time there is no actual cure for autism, yet an earlier diagnosis of the disorder will help in selecting a treatment that will help the individual better cope with day to day life. Therapy may be in two different forms, depending on the degree of autism exhibited by the patient. In examining the autism statistics, the earlier the therapy is started, the more positive will be the results. in general terms it appears that treatment administered to a child between two to three years old, has the most chance of success. Waiting until the later ages can decrease this result by as much as 36 percent.

Steady Rise Over Two Decades

According to the latest autism statistics, the number of children diagnosed with autism is rising steadily. It appears that since the 80’s the number of people afflicted with this condition has increase by 600%. These children can only hope that their therapy will start before they are three years old and even then the chance of a total recovery is less then 40%. Doctors say that the autistic child’s nervous system is not set up properly and that therapy will prevent further damage and partially repair the problem. Every year that delays the therapy appears to allow the nervous system to solidify and stabilize its condition making it harder and harder to effect proper repairs.

Many think that a diagnosis of autism means a child is doomed to a lonely life devoid of any accomplishments. History has proven this theory to be false, and many people with the higher-functioning forms of autism have gone on to do great things. There are some autistic famous people who though may have struggled initially can be an inspiration to children with autism, or their parents.

Autism does not have to be a dark and lonely existence. Some autistic children are very bright, and they have a personality to match. No one with a disability should be underestimated, and this goes for those with autism as much as for anyone with any other condition.

Though it has not been proven, some speculate that Albert Einstein may have had a high functioning form of autism. Because he is no longer alive, there is no way he can be diagnosed. However, these theories are popular, and they are attributed to some behaviors that he demonstrated, and that he was, in his own words, very much a loner and did not feel particularly connected to anyone, even his immediate family members. He was brilliant with math, but by some accounts, did not begin to speak until the age of two or three. He would often become so involved in his work that he would forget to eat meals and if a lecture he was giving drew no observers, he would lecture anyway. Again, this is just a theory, but it would appear that this assumption could be valid.

Do you know children affected with autism find it difficult to communicate and to become socialized? There are two notions about the existence of autism. One thought is that autism is due to a bio-chemical imbalance, and the other notion is it is a psychological disorder. The autism-affected children seldom communicate with others except to fulfill their needs.

Autism spectrum disorders can be called an umbrella term since it covers classic autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and Asperger’s syndrome. Autism can be termed a spectrum disorder as the intensity and the number of the symptoms of autism differs from person to person. Autism causes impairments in the people in three areas: social relationships, communication, and restricted patterns of behavior. The spectrum of autism can be classified as severely affected, less able, and dependent on others. This also includes persons with above-average intelligence and independence, but lacking social skills.

Autism sufferers lack a proper response to social and environmental stimulations. The affected child would be in a separate world. The child’s communication will be very minimal and he will not be able to communicate his emotions and feelings properly.

With the growing awareness and recognition of the Autism epidemic in our society, more and more people now know someone affected by this developmental disorder.

According to experts and recent research, Autism can be detected and diagnosed by a well-trained professional by the time a child reaches 18-months of age. It is very difficult to determine if a child younger than this age is showing signs of Autism.

There are, however, normal developmental milestones that parents can monitor to ensure their infants and toddlers are developing at a normal rate. It is important to note that just because an individual child does not meet one or more of these milestones it does not mean the child has autism or any other disorder. All children will develop at different rates. If your child does not meet these milestones and you feel something may be wrong, your best bet is to consult your family physician and get your child tested further.

There are three major areas where Autism will present itself in children. These areas are social skills, communication and behavior. Let us examine each.

Autism and instruction strategies in children must be individualized in order to gain the greatest degree of success. Children with autism frequently struggle to learn at the same rate as non-autistic children, and therefore very specific modifications must be made for autism and instruction methods to cater to the autistic children’s unique needs.

The following list includes autism instruction strategies that have been known to help autistic children in the classroom. These are only broad descriptions as any practiced strategies must be child-specific, depending on the individual’s needs, symptoms, and strengths.

1. Autistic children tend to be visual learners. Therefore, a visual structure to the overall learning environment should be carefully designed in order to allow the child to clearly see and comprehend expectations of him or her. This should include clearly defined workstations and other basic elements of the classroom. Visual schedules are also an important part of the classroom’s visual structure, as they allow the autistic child to benefit from a predictable routine where the expectations are laid out specifically in a visual way. This minimizes unexpected occurrences and allows students to anticipate and prepare for transitions in their day.

Can autism be prevented? Unfortunately, no, it cannot be prevented or cured. Early diagnosis is critical and may help maximize an autistic child’s ability to speak, learn and function. Regular visits to a pediatrician can help with early signs and detection. The earlier treatments can begin, the more effective they will be.

Autism is a pervasive development disorder. It is actually a group of illnesses that cause delays in the development of many basic skills, such as, the ability to form relationships and socialize with others, the ability to communicate and use imagination. Many children with autism are confused in their thinking a have problems with the world around them. They usually have a limited range of interest and are unable to bond with their parents or siblings.

Symptoms of autism will usually appear before age 3, but will last throughout life. Some of the symptoms are difficulty with communication, including using and understanding language, difficulty in using non-verbal communication, such as, gestures and facial expressions and the inability to make friends and even preferring to play alone. An autistic child may have a distinct lack of imagination and be unable to adjust to any change in routines or surroundings. They may exhibit an unusual insistence on following daily routines in exact detail.

Autistic children often have issues with self-control and self-discipline. So much of their world is completely out of their control they easily become frustrated and overwhelmed at the things they cannot change and the frustrations they cannot communicate to those who love and care for them. Aggressive behaviour is one example of the behaviours they exhibit in frustration and upset. By providing the child with self- management tools you give them back the tools to cope with life and leave them in their control.

Self-management skills work effectively for the autistic child because it gives them back some of the power they have lost over their lives as a result of autism. By teaching them their own self management tools they can use them in school, at someone else’s house, in your home or anywhere they feel they are losing self-control. By starting with relatively short intervals and building up you give them more and more control of their world. Be supportive and set clear goals, reassure the child regularly they are in control of themselves. Set goals for the child to obtain, such as no aggressive behaviour for the afternoon. By being clear and reassuring them of their own control over their actions and behaviours you may see a positive change in the child that will grow as their time in control grows.

Once the brain is formed, there is little you can do to change it. Even in the years of decline when people believe that you are slowing down and gradually becoming grumpier as you also become senile, evidence has strongly suggested that in the absence of disease, there really isn’t anything the matter with you - the mind you had when you were younger is still pretty much the same mind you have now that you are older.

If you think of autism along those lines, you will understand the meaning of the prognosis on the disorder. Autism has no known cure at this time, so once the disorder is established you had better realize that you are going to be saddled with this patient for the rest of your life - or theirs.

Certain forms of autism, like Asperger’s syndrome, which is classified as high functioning autism, may show remarkable improvements of the symptoms as the patient gradually becomes of age and they can learn to live on their own. Even then, you do have some work to do to ‘teach’ them to be able to function independently; plus, may have to be checking up on them from time to time to ensure that they are getting along.

Autism is a type of brain disorder that starts shaping up in early childhood and runs through the entire lifetime of an individual. Symptoms of mild autism are normally associated with another neurobiological disorder known as Asperger’s Syndrome. A child may not normally show any signs of autism until reaching the age of 3 years and it is only past that age that the parents may start observing symptoms of mild autism. In most cases the children exhibiting symptoms of mild autism grow up to have average IQ levels and sometimes even higher. In order to help parents to correctly identify such symptoms in a timely manner, we are outlining some of them as follows:

No. 1: A child suffering with symptoms normally finds it difficult to initiate conversation or making friendships with other children. Even in the cases where the child initiates a discussion, he/she is unable to sustain it for long.

No. 2: The child may get so preoccupied in playing with a certain toy that he/she may completely ignore the presence of other people around him/her. On certain occasions, the child showing symptoms
may also continue to stare at a particular toy for a long stretch of time period.