The messages given to me by several readers have said that many people have several misconceptions about "autism", so I plan to write this article as a popular science article.
Misconception one: Autism = autism, autism is caused by the acquired environment.
Misconception two: Autism can be cured through the company and care of family members.
My earliest contact with the group "autism" was a class activity at my middle school level. Later, I saw that the neighbor's child was diagnosed, lost and found again and again; my own twins were suspected of having "autism" and ran through several hospitals and countless institutions; and a group of mothers who had been with them for 3 years had children diagnosed with "autism".
The deeper you get into this group, the more you will be afraid, afraid of the despair that goes straight to the bottom of your heart again and again, afraid that your children will become one of them.
The more I delve into this group, the more I want to treat them normally, not squinting or looking around, and respecting each of them individually. Because, they are the stars that have fallen into the world, and they have a beautiful name "Children of the Stars".
1
"Autism" is not "autism"
We sometimes joke and say, "I'm getting autism!" ”
But in reality, autism is just an expression of emotion, a temporary isolation of the self from society.
"Autism" is a disease that leads to physical and mental development disorders due to abnormal brain function, and the scientific name is "autism". Children with autism are called "children of the stars."
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes typical autism, atypical autism, Asperger's syndrome, and more.
Some autistic patients have made outstanding contributions in the fields of science and art, including: scientist and physicist Albert Einstein, the father of modern Western music, Amadeus Mozart, the king of popular music Michael Jackson, Isaac Newton who found gravity under the apple tree, impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, scientist, inventor and painter Da Vinci and so on.
Pictured: Einstein, Mozart, Michael Jackson, Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh
2
Three core disorders for people with autism
First, social impairment, which is also the point that most troubles autistic people.
The world in their eyes is different from ours. They cannot understand the human world normally, they cannot communicate normally, and they can only live in a world where they are alone, a distant and lonely planet.
Children on the earth will slowly understand and deepen social rules with age and experience, social and communication skills will continue to strengthen, and emotions will be richer and deeper.
And the children of the stars cannot be upgraded normally, and their cognition will always stay at the level of children.
Second, language communication barriers.
In general, autistic children are found to be different from their families, all because 2 or 3 years old cannot speak and communicate normally.
My twins couldn't say words other than "Mommy and Daddy" and "Water" until they were 2 years and 3 months old. So for several months after the age of 1 and a half, I have been groping for the crux of several problems of language impairment, hearing impairment, and autism, going to the hospital to see a doctor, doing tests, and finding training institutions.
Most doctors did not say anything about giving me a definite answer, until the child had a cold and saw a Chinese medicine expert, who had no intention of talking about the child's question of not opening his mouth, and he affirmed: "Can you understand?" It is no problem to understand, open your mouth late, maybe they are still smarter. ”
I was like taking a reassuring pill, and I firmly believed that this expert had seen too many children before he dared to make such a conclusion. Fortunately, as experts say, the child opens his mouth late, but not long after he opens his mouth, he directly says the sentence, using the related words such as "because of therefore" and "also" that 3-year-old children will use.
Third, stereotyped repetitive actions.
Naoki Higashida, a child with severe autism, recorded his thoughts and thoughts with the help of his mother and compiled them into a book.
The book asks, "Why do you line up toy cars and bricks?" ”
Naoki Higashida explains, "Lining things up is the most interesting pastime. ”
And when asked why he's so obsessed with certain things, he replies: "By doing something, we feel a little bit at ease and calm down." ”
3
What exactly is autism?
Every person with autism has different symptoms, but the similarity is that the brain processes information differently than the average person.
Our brain has many partitions, which are responsible for our hearing, vision, language, movement and other functions. Every brain region is inhabited by neurons, responsible for transmitting information and directing various operations of the human body. The various brain regions work together to transmit information that allows us to make a series of reactions.
The study found that the brains of autistic patients are larger than normal in terms of volume, density, and number of neurons in some brain regions.
When information is transmitted in the brain, two things happen:
First, in the same brain region, the transmission of information is particularly strong.
When information is overprocessed, the sensations are amplified and intensified, producing super-intense images, sounds, smells, or touches.
According to research, some autistic patients are particularly strong in mechanical memory, music, painting, etc., which is related to the stronger transmission of information in a certain brain area of their brain.
Second, the transmission of long-distance information across the brain region is particularly weak.
Therefore, behaviors that require multiple brain regions to work together are difficult for people with autism to complete.
That is to say, all their attention is focused on the local, and there is no way to integrate the whole situation.
In daily life, every simple action we make requires different brain regions to work together. For example, if you need to know a friend, you need to use more than six or seven brain regions to work together.
For people with autism, it opens up a hard mode that you can't imagine.
4
"Autism": Can it be caused by the day after tomorrow?
The cause of "autism" is not yet clear, but the point that medicine has always affirmed is that "autism" is congenitally formed, and the acquired environment will not cause it, which also gives the parents of many stars children a correct speech.
There are two main causes of mainstream "autism":
First, genetic variation.
This is also the main cause of autism.
In identical twins, one has a 50%-90% chance of getting the disease and the other. Don't think that twins are born with companions, communication is not a problem, know this set of data, so at that time I was very worried, constantly looking for all kinds of evidence.
Second, environmental factors affect.
Including poor medication or exposure to chemicals during pregnancy, infection with viruses, obstructed labor during childbirth, birth injuries, and intrauterine asphyxia, all of which may affect fetal development and increase the risk of disease.
5
"Autism": Once suspected, make a diagnostic evaluation early
Children with autism will generally develop symptoms around the age of 3. Once the family finds that the child is abnormal, the most reliable way is to find a professional doctor and make an assessment as early as possible.
6
"Autism" cannot be completely cured, so why treat it?
This is the focus of this article, many parents of children with "autism", because of prejudice and misunderstanding, let their children miss the best treatment period.
First, the escape mentality: "Children are autistic, impossible!" ”
Parents of people with autism are great and have devoted almost their entire lives to their children. It is possible to teach a simple action, not dozens of times and hundreds of times, but thousands of times and tens of thousands of times, which takes years.
But after the child is diagnosed, don't blame yourself (this is not your fault), don't run away (the child and you still have a long way to go), accept rationally, try to make your life and your child's life a little better, and don't be shrouded in sadness all day long.
Second, the misconception: "It's okay, the child will grow up to be fine."
Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for autism, and it is not that you will return to normal people if you spend more time with you. This condition is a lifelong condition.
But the earlier you intervene, the greater the improvement in your child.
Before the age of 6, it is the golden period of brain development and the best dry expectation for autism.
Third, give up the mentality: "Since it can't be cured, what is the use of intervention?" ”
Scientific intervention training can help children integrate into society and effectively improve children's language, social and self-care life skills.
For example, they can use art to heal their hearts, to stimulate their potential to a greater extent, and to establish their connection with the world.
After reasonable intervention, mild autistic patients can go to school normally, and moderately severe autistic patients can basically take care of themselves.
Fourth, positive mindset: contact the Disabled Persons' Federation to learn about the free or partially funded rehabilitation policy.
In some cities, free rehabilitation training in designated hospitals is available for children diagnosed with autism. This is also the message that readers have told me, hoping to convey to more parents in need. It is recommended to go to the local disabled persons' federation and consult about the relevant policies.
It is true that the cost of special schools and rehabilitation training centers is not low, which is a great burden for most families. Let's understand the policy, save ourselves some money, and don't lose people.
Take the child to actively train, strive for self-care, and may return to normal school with mild symptoms.
The above-mentioned mother who talked to me, her child's teacher was very confident and sent her child to a regular elementary school. I encouraged her: "The teachers are confident and very good!" I wish you all the best! ”
If you want to know more about the "children of the stars", the book "I want to fly into the sky" by Naoki Higashida, a 13-year-old child with severe autism, may take you to understand a little bit of the happiness and helplessness of these special children and take you into these families.
epilogue
The prejudice in people's hearts is a big mountain, and what we have to do is to move the mountain of foolishness.
The height of the development of social civilization depends on the degree of cognition and acceptance of special groups. I believe that more people will slowly understand the special group of "children of the stars" (including you who see here), and more people will begin to learn to respect and care for these children.
Their hearts are pure and crystalline, and they may also be expecting a hug.
(Some of the pictures are from the Internet, the copyright belongs to the original author)