Living with Autism (Example profiles)

Below are profiles of two children who fit on different ends of the Autism scale.

Profile 1

14 yr old boy whose mother first noticed at 6 weeks he was not making eye contact. At 4 months old he was diagnosed with global developmental delay. He did not walk until 23 months. He had begun to exhibit repetitive, rocking as well as being obsessive with certain items. At 8yrs old he was re-assessed and diagnosed with Autism and learning difficulties.

Symptoms:

His behaviour is difficult to control, erratic and unpredictable, and has worsened with time. He exhibits screaming, repetitive questioning and spitting. He hits his brother often, likes to poke at people’s eyes and often grab hold of someone and will not let go.

He gets fixated on minor things, for example if a fly is in the house he is terrified and cannot do or focus on anything else. He has a CD case he takes everywhere and has severe tantrums if not found. He likes to watch music on television gets fixated, doesn’t want to stop.

There have been implications for the family since it is difficult to take him out of the home (e.g. to cinema, bowling) or for friends of their younger son to visit the home.

Management:

He has had Speech and Occupational Therapy in the past.

His mother is currently considering medication along with his psychiatrist to treat his behavioural problems.

Some of the important points for care/mob:

At school gets help from resource unit for children with Autism in a main stream school.

His mum gets home help daily, but he is difficult with carers.

He has to be reminded to wash hands / wipe in the bathroom.

He showers on his own most of the time. He shampoos his hair but does not wash it out.

He cannot manage buttons / zips as he finds them difficult and gets frustrated.

He cannot be left alone indoors as his awareness of danger is reduced and he often acts out when frustrated and therefore is at risk of hurting himself.

Unaware of danger and would run into the street if unaccompanied.

He refuses to use knife and fork, he uses spoon to feed himself.

Profile 2

8 yr old boy who from a few months old was a very unsettled baby, who disliked noise, touching, did not like people close or touching certain materials. He was subsequently diagnosed with high functioning Autism and has a high IQ.

Symptoms:

He intensely observes the smallest detail, for instance at school if the chairs are moved even slightly he notices and finds it upsetting. He gets fixated with computes.

He has difficulty with impulse control, when he thinks something he immediately says it even to strangers in public, which can be upsetting for others and potentially dangerous for him. For instance if someone steps in front of a queue he is very confrontational about it.

He becomes very agitated and stressed when in very noisy environment. The family has had to leave their holiday early due to him not being able to cope with sound that kites nearby was making. Echoing noises are stressful, so swimming when others are around is impossible. His mother brings him home at lunchtime to be able to isolate him from noise. He cannot cope with ceiling fans and air conditioning due to the noise.

He has tremendous problems with the colour red. He has had to be accommodated at school since he can’t wear the red uniform for school since he feels like the colour burns. The sensation of clothes on his body can be overwhelming for him some days.

He does not like the sensation of soggy food in his mouth and everything needs to have a crunch. At times he only eats one particular food for a week.

Management:

He had a few speech difficulties early on, but had speech and language therapy and his speech has improved tremendously.

Routines have been set now and have improved his day to day function.

Some of the important points for care/mob:

Very variable functionality; he has an elaborate morning routine.

He is aware of danger, but can lose focus if for instance a fly passes or some unpleasant noise is made.

His mother uses a special technique called backward chaining in order to get dressed, but this takes a long time to do.

He requires a buddy to go to the toilet because of the echo in the bathrooms at school.

He is variable on self care and often late for school.

He can communicate needs, speech clear and uses words in the right context.