Understanding autism in children

Often misunderstood, autism is a disability that currently affects around 500,000 families in the UK. 'Your family' finds out more

Joe, six, is a beautiful child. If you met him, you’d think he was affectionate, cuddly and full of energy. But if you saw him in the supermarket, screaming and running for the door, you might also think he was very badly behaved. You would be wrong: Joe is autistic.

To understand what life is like when you are autistic, try to imagine you are in a strange country where you don’t speak the language, and where people talk and greet each other in ways you can’t work out. This country may also be full of strange, frightening sights, sounds and noises. You don’t know how to react, communicate or even cope. Sometimes, you want to shut down or simply run away. That’s what life is like for many autistic children.

The latest research

Because autistic children are not physically disabled and look just the same as children without the disability, people often don’t realise that the child who flaps his hands oddly, stands too close to people or runs about making strange noises isn’t badly brought up, but is autistic. 

“I wish people knew that autistic children often aren’t being naughty when they are shouting, screaming or even hitting. They may be trying to cope with very frightening sensory difficulties,” says Joe’s mum, Christina.

Autism is a complex condition that causes problems with communication, imagination and social interaction. According to recent research, up to one in every 100 children could have some form of autism, and the condition affects four times as many boys as girls.

What causes autism?

The causes of autism are still being investigated and it’s not clear whether the rise in cases is a real rise, or one caused by better diagnosis. There is strong evidence to suggest that autism can be caused by a variety of physical factors, all of which affect brain development. There is also evidence suggesting that genetic factors are responsible for certain forms of autism, and some scientists think that the condition may be associated with hormones that affect the baby in the womb.

Other experts believe that viruses, toxins (such as mercury in fish and the environment) and even, controversially, vaccines, may be involved in triggering autism in vulnerable babies after birth. However, one thing is certain: autism is never caused by bad parenting.

Signs of autism

New research shows that autistic children’s brains work differently to other people’s. Although autism doesn’t affect intelligence — some autistic children are in fact highly intelligent — autistic children’s brains don’t seem to make connections or process information from their senses very well. As a consequence, these children often have poor coordination and strange reactions to physical sensations. Some hate to be touched or cuddled and are wary of feelings such as grass under their feet, while others need a lot of physical contact.

Joe, for example, loves nothing more than to cuddle, disproving the myth that all autistic people cannot show or feel affection. “Joe is the most affectionate of my three children,” says Christina.

Many autistic children have repetitive rituals or make little movements that help them feel secure, and some are quite rigid in their interests or conversation — for example, becoming obsessed with trains or with putting toys in categories instead of playing with them. Most autistic children also don’t instinctively copy other people, which is how children usually learn to do things.

Early signs of autism

Indications that a child may have autism can include: 

• Slow early speech development
• Not pointing at things to indicate interest by 18 months
• Lack of interest in playing imaginatively with toys and pretending
• Doesn’t bring objects over to you to show you something
• No interest in others and difficulty in sharing happiness or distress
• Inability to form friendships
• Sensory problems (such as hating certain textures or sounds)
• Obsessive interests
• Behavioural problems
• Resistance to even small changes.

If you think your child may be autistic, contact your GP or health visitor.

The autistic spectrum

No two autistic children are the same, and the condition is so varied that experts talk about an ‘autistic spectrum’. Some children who are severely autistic are unable to speak and have learning difficulties. Others who experience difficulties with communication and social development, but are of average or above average intelligence, might be described as having high-functioning autism or be diagnosed with Asperger’s Sydrome.

The exact difference between high-functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome has not yet been clearly defined, although the age of onset of the two conditions may help to differentiate them (diagnoses of Asperger’s Syndrome tend to be made when children are older). Additionally, children with Asperger’s Syndrome generally speak fluently, while those with high-functioning autism often experience language delay.

Hugo, five, has Asperger’s Syndrome. He is highly intelligent and can read fluently, but has problems socialising with other children. “Although Hugo loves people, he sometimes talks at them rather than with them,” says his mum, Celia. “He also doesn’t feel the same desire to join in or copy as other children do, which can isolate him.”

Getting the right support

Children never grow out of autism, and many severely autistic children will need some kind of support all their lives. However, those with Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning autism may well go on to work, get married and have a family like anyone else.

To help autistic children fulfill their potential the right education is vital. For some, that means a school that specifically caters to their needs. “Joe is so much happier in his new school, but mainstream school was a disaster for us,” says mum Christina. “The new school has smaller classes, a sensible curriculum emphasising life skills, and access to hydrotherapy…”

Children with fewer difficulties can, however, do well in mainstream school, as long as the school provides adequate support and encourages other pupils to understand their autistic classmate’s problems.

Helen’s son Jake, eight, has high-functioning autism. Since his diagnosis at the age of four, Jake has flourished at his mainstream school. “Getting a diagnosis helped us understand the way Jake is,” says Helen. “And who is to say it’s wrong to be like that? It’s just different.”

Find out more

• Independent Panel for Special Education Advice
  www.ipsea.org.uk
  
  
• The National Autistic Society
  www.autism.org.uk
  
  
• Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome? A Guide for Friends and Family
  by Jude Welton (£6.95, Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
  
  
• How to Help Your Autistic Spectrum Child
  by Jackie Brealy and Beverly Davies (£7.99, White Ladder Press)
  
  
• Parenting a Child with Asperger Syndrome: 200 Tips and Strategies
  by Brenda Boyd (£12.95, Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
  
  
• Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autistic Spectrum
  by Julia Moor (£13.99, Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
  
  
• Now read our features "William's assistance dog has a calming influence on him", "People don't understand Charlie is autistic" and Could my child have a disability?