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Autism or 'Autism Spectrum Disorder' (ASD) is a neurological disorder of the brain that affects development in shaping communication skills, social interaction and behaviour. Autism causes different developments in comparison with those of the same ages. This will disrupt the learning process and their way of life among those who are normal. Autism features are categorized into two (2) aspects; communication and social interaction, and behaviour.
From the aspect of communication, autism individuals find it difficult to understand non-verbal communication such as body movements and facial expressions, for example, face expressions of angry parents, while social interaction involves the interaction of autism individuals with their environment such as disruption in maintaining eye contact with the person being talked with, having difficulty building relationships such as friendship, sharing emotions, interests and activities and they may be difficult to understand the individual emotions around them.
For behavioural aspects, autism individuals may exhibit rigid behaviour characteristics to daily routine or may indicate the movement of limbs and the use of stereotyped and repetitive objects, for example, using the same cup. In the event of sudden change, they are easily depressed and distressed. Additionally, autism individuals may show repetitive conversations or more commonly known as echolalia, the condition in which children repeat what they hear spontaneously.
Moreover, behavioural aspects also include the limited interest in objects and topics, for example, autism individuals may only love dinosaur games or even interest in the same book. Besides, autism individuals may play their toys and arrange them in verticals or horizontals.
In addition to the stated aspects, there are also autism individuals who face sensory issues. Sensory issues are situations where autism children react with sensory stimuli received from the environment. Sensory stimulation includes the sounds heard, the smell, the taste of food, the light and the texture felt by the skin. They may be too sensitive or less sensitive. For example, they might be too sensitive to be so disturbed when they hear a little loud noise.
Every child with autism is different. Therefore, every aspect that is explained to a child with autism is different from other autistic children. Parents can identify the features of autism by observing the development of children and completing M-CHAT as early as 18 months in the Book of Infant and Children Health Record (0-6 Years). M-CHAT is an early screening test for the development of a child's behaviour and it can also be accessed at the following URL http://fh.moh.gov.my/v3/index.php/pages/orang-awam/kesihatan-kanak-kanak. This initial screening allows the children to be diagnosed by a specialist doctor and subsequently carry out an early intervention. If a diagnosis process takes a long time, parents can initiate intervention.
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Written by: Siti Sara Rais
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