Report on a Community Problem

Children with autism require a lot of comprehension and support from their families and friends. These children need to be understood and treated with a lot of patience since their way of learning and expressing themselves is different from how any other children would do so. Having a kid with autism is not easy. It can become very challenging for the parents and siblings of the child. Families of these children must recognize that their child has special needs in order to provide them with the support they require and attention they deserve. Autism affects many children in the U.S, not only the child with the disorder is affected by autism; the family goes through it as well.


People should inform themselves about what autism is in order for them to recognize and help these special children. Autism is not viewable at first sight and it is not a disorder that is seen physically. People who are unaware of the signs of an autistic person might judge these kids and misunderstand them without the person knowing that it can affect them or their families. The people, who judge these children might be thinking that they are “misbehaving” because children seem to be rude when other persons talk to them, greet them or smile at them and the child does not respond back to them. People may right away judge a kid like this, not realizing that is something they cannot control, that it might be a disorder like Autism, a disorder that is more common than any other disorders in children.


Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects normal activities that a regular child would perform in daily basis. Such as communicating with people around them, expressing them-selves and playing with other children. Autism causes children to see the world around them in a different way that other normal children would be able to experience it. Their brain has trouble comprehending simple information such as speaking normally, sounds being made, and understanding what is going around them. Things like this can irritate kids and cause them to act in a certain way that other might see as offensive or rude. Some of the signs that these children show are: the way they play, the way they speak, they don’t keep eye contact when been talk to and if they are observed closely people may notice that their behavior is different from how a normal kid would behave. Autistic children may repeat words over and over. They may also produce loud noises or sounds repeatedly, which persons around them might find it quite strange. When they play, they might just use the same particular toy or arrange their toys in a certain way all the time. These children might feel disturbed when their routines plan changes.


Autism sadly has no cure; therefore, the child needs special help and extra support from their families and close friends. The causes of autism are not known. According to Autism Speaks (2005), one in every one hundred ten kids is detected with autism and every year, autism increases 10-17 percent. This makes it more common than any other diseases that children get every year. Autism is more common in boys than in girls, it is said that in the United States 1 in 70 boys has been diagnosed with autism but girls tend to have the more severe symptoms of the disorder.(Autism Speaks, 2005). There are different therapies that can help the parents and sibling with an autistic child. They depend on the level of autism the child has and the types of needs they might require. These therapies help the child with activities that they would perform in every-day life and it helps their parents and siblings understand them better and help them in the ways they are capable of. At school these kids need special teachers with a lot of patient and trained to understand the problems that they face when it comes to communicating with them and being able to learn (MD, Dowshen, 2008, p.3).


For a parent knowing that their child has autism can be shocking and disturbing and especially finding out that their way of living is not going to be the same as other families. A parent would normally expect some display affection coming from their child, parents with kids with autism may find heartbreaking that their child may not show this normal behavior towards them, since autistic kids may not like actions of affection. A kid with specials needs can turn around the way a household was structured and the schedules were set. Children with special needs require more attention than what a normal kid would. Schedules might be full with therapies and doctors appointments. Having an autistic child can be very challenging for parents to handle, especially when they have other children too. Parents need to balance the way they focus the attention on the kid with special needs and their brothers and sisters, since their siblings may not fully understand that their brother or sister requires more support and attention from their parents, because they have a special necessity. Therefore, parents have to explain carefully to the other siblings that their brother or sister have difficulty making sense of the things happening around them and how they need special attention and help from them. It can be very risky if a parent does not take the proper measurements explaining the other children in the house what their special sibling problems are because they might take it towards them in a negative way and other consequences may appear later down the line, for example making them feel less that their sibling with the special needs. Parents need to know that focusing all the attention to the special child affects the other children around them in a negative way and other problems can occur. It is not easy at all to deal with a child that has autism, but therapies and doctors can help the family with this challenge being faced. These children and families are not alone; there are many organizations, therapists and other families with the same obstacles that can help them go through it.

Autistic children need a lot of support from their families and the people close around them in order to face the obstacles that life gives them with the autism disorder. People need to comprehend that not all of the children that they tend judge because they seem to be misbehaving or being rude is a bad behavior; it might be part of a disorder they have no control of and that they face along with their families like autism. If people would get their selves inform more on what autism is about, they wouldn’t judge these children and they might be able to assist them if they ever came across an autistic person. These kids need comprehension, not judgment from others.
With the help and support of professionals, parents, siblings and close friends, kids with autism can live a better life and make it thru life with this challenging disorder they would face throughout their living. It is important for people to be aware what autism is, especially for parents to recognize the signs of an autistic child in order to provide them with the help they require as soon as possible.
















References


Autism Speaks. Be informed. (2005-2011) Autism Speaks. Retrieved February 16, 2011 from http://www.autismspeaks.org/be_informed.php


MD. Dowshen, S. & MD Hartman-Burdo, A. W, (April 2008) Autism. Kid’s health. Retrieved February 16, 2011 from http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/brain/autism.html#


Ross, D. S., & Jolly, K. A. (Eds.). (2006) That's life with autism: tales and tips for families with autism. London; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.


Thomond Christopher (photographer) (2009). Autistic-boy-in-Leeds-lib-001. (Photograph)
Retrieved March 9, 2011, from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/15/autism-libraries-boardmaker-software