Autism spectrum disorder is a disorder that includes some difficulties in dealing with others. Social interaction and communication are difficult for an autistic patient, so we must support people with autism in all possible ways, to help them develop their lives, skills and behavior in a simple way. People with autism suffer from difficulties even in moving from one place to another and getting to know new people, in addition to their unusual reactions to feelings and emotions.
What is autism spectrum disorder?
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs early in childhood and affects social interaction and communication with others. This disorder includes specific, repetitive patterns of behavior.
Sometimes the child is born normally and then the signs of autism begin from the age of two. We find that the children suffer from regression or some disorders in normal development, so the child’s speech is delayed compared to his peers in the same age group, or he was previously able to say some single words such as (dad/mama) and then forgot these words and is unable or unable to say them.
In addition to the sensitivity of children with autism to some loud sounds, sensitivity to touch and light, and resistance to change in anything.
To face these difficulties in this child's life, we must support and assist people with autism so that they can live a better life.
How can individuals support people with autism?
Providing psychological support to people with autism contributes effectively to breaking the state of boredom and isolation in which they live. Therefore, spreading the culture of supporting people with autism is one of the important things in society, especially since the number of children with autism spectrum disorder is increasing significantly. However, many people wonder how to support people with autism ? The answer is not simple. Treating children with autism takes a long time, and there is no cure that can end this disease. However, we help them with some instructions to develop their skills, develop adaptation strategies, and help them integrate and engage in society.
Among the most important instructions that help support people with autism:
- Seek help from a therapist or specialist or participate in some courses that offer common treatments that work on applied behavior analysis (ABA), speech therapy, occupational therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Providing psychological and emotional support to help them get out of the sadness and depression they are experiencing, by using positive reinforcement and searching for their strengths and investing them in what is beneficial.
- Supporting people with autism by providing them with a private space and a safe caring environment, listening to them, and not abusing them.
- Parents try to change the course of their autistic children's lives by taking more care of them than a normal child and being patient with them.
- Joining support groups contributes greatly to the care of these children.
- If you are a parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder, do not hesitate to seek help and support for yourself, so that you can continue to support your child without becoming depressed.
- Reducing stigma and discrimination and accepting people with autism without looking at them as less than others.
- One of the most important ways to support people with autism is to educate the public about autism, its symptoms, and how to deal with this disease.
- Participation of children with autism in social and recreational activities.
- Develop their playing skills by playing with dolls and puppets.
- Encourage group play with phrases like “let’s play” and “let’s play.”
- Reading social novels to children with autism helps enhance their social skills.
- Use visual aids such as flashcards to teach them a conversation.
- Choose your words carefully when talking to children with autism, because any word can greatly affect their psychology.
- If an autistic child is accompanied by an assistant and you want to talk to the child, look at the child and not at the person accompanying him.
- How polite you are in your speech. If the autistic patient is blind, do not say sentences that make him feel insulted or psychologically hurt, such as (see you later).
- Don't pretend to understand everything the autistic person is saying and respectfully ask what they mean.
- Disseminate information about autism and the need for early treatment due to its role in developing autism spectrum disorder.
- Not depriving children with autism from participating in society, education and work.
- Providing them with health services and meeting all their health needs, especially since they are more susceptible to diseases than others.
Realistic picture of autism
Spreading the culture of supporting people with autism is one of the most important cultures that society must take the initiative to spread and teach to all people, especially since the real images of the lives of these children with autism and their families are often stressful and tiring and need positive comments and support, and they certainly do not need to hear negative comments that hurt them.
Among the realistic images is the story of a mother with two autistic children. She was posting videos of them, and one of the comments was: (Why are you proud of them? They are crazy. Despite their condition, you are trading your children?) This is a negative comment that a woman from Baghdad faced. She is the mother of two blind children who also have autism spectrum disorder. They are 17 years old and 11 years old. They became blind due to the incomplete development of the cerebral cortex, which affected their optic nerve.
The mother admitted that at first she did not know how to deal with these children, and she thought that an autistic child would sit in a corner alone, be silent and not have any relationships.
But this brave mother did her research until she was able to watch training courses that talked about supporting people with autism and how to deal with them. She spoke with doctors and learned more about autism spectrum disorder . She then worked to spread this information and successful experiences with her followers on the Internet.
The mother says: Her daughter did not show any signs of early autism until she was 4 years old. She used to walk normally and repeat words that were said to her, but then she started spinning around and walking on her toes. These symptoms were diagnosed as autism spectrum, so the mother took the initiative to admit her to an institute for people with autism and learning difficulties.
The mother was forced to homeschool her daughter after she was late one day at the institute and her daughter was subjected to an attempted harassment. She found her sitting alone in the guard’s room. The mother suspected that something disturbing had happened to her daughter and made sure to check on her daughter as soon as she returned, but the girl did not speak. Instead, she pushed her mother’s hand away from her and looked upset. The mother says: “To this day, when we try to hug our daughter, we find her leaving a small distance between us and the person hugging her, and if we pull her towards us, she moves away!”
Although the mother tries to find a suitable place for her children, she hears a lot of constant negative comments, so she demands that there be accountability, especially since these negative situations greatly affect the mother who is tired and struggling for the safety, protection and support of her children.
So the mother put badges on her children that said, “I am an autistic child, be patient with me.”
The mother says that although everyone should support people with autism , there are a number of parents who refuse to have an autistic child among their normal children and demand that the school administration immediately remove him from the class in which their children are.
School platform and its role in supporting people with autism
The Madrasa.com platform contributes greatly to supporting people with autism, as it publishes many articles that talk about autism spectrum disorder, its symptoms, and how to deal with this disease. The Madrasa.com platform also offers many training courses for children with autism to contribute to developing their lives, caring for them, and contributing to increasing their skills and behavior. The training courses are characterized by flexibility in dates, as you can choose between morning and evening dates. These courses, which are dedicated to supporting people with autism, are characterized by complete confidentiality to preserve the secrets of children and their families.
Although awareness about autism has increased compared to the past decades, support for people with autism is still low and this culture needs to be increased. Some people treat these children with autism and their families very harshly. Parents bear a lot of pressure for their children with autism, but who supports these parents who feel stressed and constantly afraid that something might happen to them? No one can take care of their children.
Therefore, it is important to respect patients and their families and to ensure that care and support for people with autism are provided in a polite manner that helps them continue their lives without fear and anxiety.
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