According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1 in 36 children in the US are born with autism. Although no single cause exists for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research has identified several factors that may play a role in its development.
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder
ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an individual’s behavior, communication, and social interaction.
There are two main types:
- Autism spectrum condition (ASC), or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a range of complex neurodevelopmental disorders that affect the brain’s normal development of social interaction and communication skills.
- Asperger syndrome (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder that affects how people perceive their environments, communicate with others, and interact with the world around them. People with AS may have difficulty understanding nonverbal cues such as body language or facial expressions. According to an NCBI study, AS affects between 02% and 0.03% of children.
Causes of Autism
Autism is a complex disorder caused by genetic and environmental factors. It’s important to remember that autism isn’t just one thing. It’s different for everyone with it.
Genetics plays a significant role in developing an individual’s brain, body, immune system, and gut bacteria. If someone has specific genes, they are more likely to develop autism than someone without those same genes.
Autism can also occur due to early exposure to harmful chemicals. For instance, there’s a Tylenol autism lawsuit going on because it is proven through many studies that pregnant women’s exposure to Tylenol increases prenatal babies’ risk of autism and ADHD.
If you have faced such an issue, you can file a lawsuit against the Tylenol manufacturer to get compensation for your struggles. The Tylenol autism lawsuit payout you receive will depend on how severe your problems are and what consequences you have faced.
Hiring an attorney to help you with the lawsuit is vital to get the best payout. One of the best ways to find a lawyer is by reading reviews on Google. Genuine clients write Google My Business reviews and can give you insights into how good a company is.
You can read such Google reviews to determine whether the law firm fits your case well. For example, Lauren B, a Google account user, mentioned in a review how TorHoerman Law helped her with a personal injury case. Lauren mentions that the law firm’s dedicated staff helped her achieve positive outcomes. You can read reviews like the one written by Lauren B and get an insight into which law firm to go with.
Strategies to Cope With Autism
Coping strategies are things you can do to help deal with autism. They include the following:
Sensory Processing Strategies
Sensory processing strategies can help with sensory overload, under-responsivity, and seeking.
- Reduce Sensory Input (RSSI): This is used when the child or adult has difficulty tolerating sensory input. It involves using noise-canceling headphones and earplugs and wearing sunglasses indoors, and avoiding busy places like shopping malls with many people around. A person may also need to remove their shoes before entering a room so they don’t feel uncomfortable on their feet, or they might prefer not to wear socks at all because it feels too tight around their ankles when there’s pressure from socks rubbing against them all day long.
- Increase Sensory Input (ISI): This strategy helps children who crave more physical contact by providing gentle hugs/patting instead of hard parts, which could hurt someone sensitive. You could massage them gently instead of vigorously rubbing them because some kids might find this touch overwhelming rather than calming dueling swords in battle mode.
Communication Strategies
The ability to communicate is one of the most important aspects of living with autism. It’s also a skill that can be difficult to master. Here are some strategies for communicating effectively:
- Visual schedules and photos can help you organize your day and get things done. Use pictures as reminders of what needs to happen next, when it should happen, and where you need to go.
- Communication devices like an AAC device or social stories can help you express yourself more effectively when talking face-to-face with others. For the unversed, the communication speed can be ten times slower when using an AAC device. So, such people need to be given more time.
- Picture exchange systems involve exchanging cards with symbols on them for specific items or actions. This method requires two people one person gives information verbally. In contrast, another person uses cards filled out beforehand with symbols representing words from their conversation partner’s sentences and works well in situations where verbal communication isn’t possible at all.
Social Interaction Strategies
Social interaction is an essential part of every child’s development. Helping your child understand and navigate social situations can be challenging, but seeing them succeed in communicating with their peers and making friends is rewarding.
- Encourage the development of friendships by introducing them to other children who share their interests. You can even take turns playing with each other so that everyone can interact with one another.
- Practice empathy by modeling empathetic responses when seeing someone sad or upset. For example, saying, “That must be hard,” when they cry over spilled milk at lunchtime. If possible, explain why you think something happened the way it did so that they can learn more about why people act differently than they sometimes do. Sometimes kids need time before they’ll open up enough to trust others.
Coping With Meltdowns
A meltdown is a period of intense frustration, anger, and/or upset. It can happen due to sensory overload and can be triggered by certain stimuli, such as lights being too bright or sounds too loud. You can see this in the form of tantrums by children. According to MedlinePlus, tantrums in children usually begin in the 12 to 18 months age group.
When your child has had enough and the peak of their emotions, they may experience a meltdown. While it’s hard for anyone to know exactly what causes this type of reaction in someone else, especially if you don’t have autism, there are some signs that you should look out for:
- They may become very agitated or restless
- They might start crying uncontrollably
- Their body language will change
Conclusion
We hope that this article has helped you understand the causes of autism and some strategies for coping with it. It’s important to remember that everyone is different, so what works for one person may not work for another. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician immediately.
