FAQ's on Autism

I am usually bombarded with questions from parents/caregivers and other people working with children suffering from Autism to get answers to their specific queries and problems. Many a times parents have told me that they felt completely lost when they discovered their child has Autism and few years back there was very little awareness and orientation about the problem. They kept wondering what causes Autism and why has this happened to their children

            One of the most frequently asked question is:

What causes Autism?

            The answer to this is debatable and there is no word or theory supporting it. Many theories have been put forward, some have good scientific backing others have weak scientific backing.

Some of the known causes are genetic complications (there is no one single gene involved and the answer to this is complex with many genes having a role to play, complications like maternal bleeding in the first trimester/diabetes/increased maternal/paternal age, chromosomal abnormalities, immunological incompatibility, neonatal complications like respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal anemia, neuroanatomical factors (temporal lobe damage usually results in restlessness, impaired social behavior, repetitive motor behavior etc.) and in some cases biochemical factors (high plasma serotonin concentration, high concentrations of homovaillic acid). There could also be certain environmental factors at play like metal poisoning, infectious diseases, parental smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use.

It can also be associated with neurological conditions like congential rubella, phenylketonuria, tuberous sclerosis, rett’s disorder and genetic disorders like fragile X syndrome.

In many cases children suffering from Autism also have mental retardation (severity varies), seizure disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders etc.

These are only some of the possible causes and theories put forward in the course of time by various researchers, there are many more hypotheses put forward but have yet to be proved and have scientific backing.

I personally feel that it is the responsibility of every mental health worker to educate parents about possible causes, characteristics, scope of improvement and available treatment with advantages and disadvantages. Parental counseling programs, programs based on orientation to autism are a must and should be religiously carried out from time to time. The pattern followed by most professionals is quick diagnosis and directing a set of treatment but what they often forget is parental counseling and education about the problem. Unless this is achieved percentage of denial amongst parents will be high and weaker the scope of improvement.

            The present article is to help parents/caregivers understand some of the causes related to autism and work towards effective treatment. :-)

Memories can Make U or Break U

Two quotes at this juncture today have touched my heart:

 “True Love burns the brightest, But the brightest flames leave the deepest scars.”  And There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.”

Memories are sometimes very short lived and at times it can last you a life time. It can be full of joy where you actually start laughing over some past action in hindsight or it can bring you to tears where you only wished those events had never happened in your life…

            Memories make you relive moments of joy, pain, sadness and innocence. Memories remind you of moments that are special and hold great significance in your life…it also reminds you of moments when you have been the weakest and wished if there was a medicine that could take all bitter memories away and set you free you from it forever..

It is the era where false façade is respected and honesty is reprimanded, where love begs to be heard and cries silently a several deaths, where “Move on” is the most casually stated word, where the race for money makes you loose in the race of life, where loved one’s usefulness is dependent on accreditation from others, and where love is taken for granted and forgotten. These memories break you and make you loose faith in humanity, where you feel hope is a distant star, where you find yourself alone in the middle of the shore and realize that what you were sinking on was an empty anchor and where certain people leave scars in your heart which probably only time can heal and you wish you can skip certain dates in the calendar and jump to the next without having any memory of it…

            In this struggle of life there also moments that remind you that you are not alone, those memories fill your gloomy day with a sparkling smile, where you realize that life is and always will be a struggle and to give up is to consider yourself dead… blissful memories take you closer to your dreams, it makes you restore lost convictions, it gives you the inner strength to try till you succeed.

            Memories can either break you or make you. It is you who has to make the choice. A quote by Dolly Parton, “Storms make trees take deeper roots” gives you the courage to proceed with firm determination and reinstate the belief that all that goes around does come around. At the strike of realization the truth shall unfold and there would be no place to hide but within yourself…

            It is my strong belief in a quote that says: “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.”

            I read this quote while surfing and it touched my heart: “I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”

                                                                                 

                                                                      Aditi Chaudhary