Incomplete speech, lack of interaction with others,

Often crying or yelling for no reason, self-harming behavior...

There is such a group of children in the world,

Their emotions are elusive,

Their thoughts are difficult to express,

They are not fools, nor are they geniuses,

They are like stars,

Wandering alone in the universe,

Flashing alone in your own world.

April 4, World Autism Day,

This is a condition that still doesn't get enough attention,

Parents must pay extra attention!

Infographic: A "child of the stars" wearing a blue ribbon. Photo by China News Agency reporter Luo Yunpeng

What is autism?

Autism, also known as autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that appears early in childhood development and lasts for life, and they are often referred to as "children from the stars."

It is mainly manifested as different degrees of speech development disorders, interpersonal communication disorders, narrow interests and stereotyped behaviors, and most of them have delayed intellectual development.

Autism is congenital, related to genetics, and has nothing to do with later family education.

What is the incidence of autism?

According to the "China Autism Education and Rehabilitation Industry Development Report 2019" released by the Wucai Lu Autism Research Institute in 3, the incidence of autism has increased year by year, and the report quoted US statistics that the incidence of autistic children has increased from 2009/1 in 88 to 1/45 now.

The report also said that the incidence of autism in China has reached 0.7%, and there are currently more than 1000 million people with autism spectrum disorder, including more than 12 million children under the age of 200.

Infographic: Volunteers interact with children with autism. Photo courtesy of interviewee

Can autism be cured?

For many children with autism, autism will stay with them for a lifetime. At present, there are no effective drugs and other treatments such as physics for autism, mainly relying on active intervention for rehabilitation.

However, a large number of research data show that about 9% of autistic children can return to normal life, nearly 80%~90% of autistic children will improve their symptoms after scientific intervention, and one of the key reasons for this result is early detection, early diagnosis and early intervention.

Can autism be prevented?

In general, some problems can be found within 2 years of age of the child. The best intervention time is between 2 and 4 years old, followed by 4 to 7 years old.

By the age of 7, the development of the nervous system is basically completed, and the intervention effect is very poor beyond the age of 7. Early intervention is important.

Infographic: Children with autism celebrate Children's Day together. Photo by Liu Ranyang, China News Agency

Are children with autism geniuses?

The so-called autistic genius comes from most movies and TV series, and these things are very misleading.

In fact, only a small number of autistic children have some outstanding functions than ordinary people, and more than 90% of autistic children have nine aspects of gross motor, fine motor, understanding, and expression.

What situations do children need special attention to?

Which of the child's manifestations are "warning behaviors" that need attention? Here are some clues that can help parents identify and judge:

Don't look - don't like to look at faces, eyes

Social activities are already present early in life, and even three- or four-month-old babies respond when the mother is breastfeeding or smiling at the baby.

Children with autism have significantly reduced gaze on human eyes, or even avoid eye contact, and some children with autism can "talk", but face-to-face gaze is still abnormal.

Silence – not speaking, learning late, language regression

Most children with autism have language delays, and the first to attract the attention of caregivers is often children's language problems. Babies around six or seven months old do not make babbling, similar to talking to others, "chatting and playing", which needs to attract the attention of the caregiver.

Ignoring – ignoring people, calling names without responding

Responses to one's own name can occur as early as five or six months old, when a young baby hears his or her usual name, and reflexively reacts, such as looking for someone to call his/her name, or suddenly stopping to play. If the child is much older than 6 months, but turns a deaf ear to his or her name, it is a "warning behavior" that needs to be paid attention to.

Don't point – don't refer to things

If a child over the age of 1 always pulls the adult to the desired toy, food, or other desired thing, and cannot point his finger at the object he/she needs, but often puts the adult's hand on the object, this performance is a more meaningful "warning behavior".

In addition, children with autism also significantly reduced body language, such as not nodding their heads to indicate "yes", shaking their heads to indicate "no", and gesturing gestures.

Don't share – Interests and emotions won't be shared

Lack of desire to interact with others, rarely smile or laugh when playing with family, do not actively share what they like with others, do not show sympathy for the suffering of people in the environment, seem to lack empathy, do not show off, express their joy or proud things.

Don't learn, don't play - can't imitate, don't play

Children in infancy show that they do not imitate the words and actions of those around them, such as difficulty imitating clapping, beating drums, and verbal pronunciation. After the age of 2, it is shown that it will not play pretend, imaginative games, such as passing the house, imitating the phone with the finger, and so on.

In addition, inappropriate use of objects may be detected in children with autism from the age of 1, manifesting itself in repetitive and stereotypical patterns, such as rotating objects for a long time, arranging objects, or constantly looking at an object.

Infographic: Autistic children making games. Photo courtesy of interviewee

Children have autism, what should parents do?

Diagnosis is proactive and treatment is initiated as soon as possible

If the child has the above symptoms, it is best for parents to take the child to a formal neurology, psychiatry, psychology, or behavioral development department for consultation, and receive relevant examinations and diagnoses.

Parents should not hold the idea of "wait and wait" and "take another look", whether diagnosed or suspected of autism, should actively carry out intervention treatment as soon as possible.

Have sufficient confidence and patience to seriously participate in the treatment

Whether parents can actively participate in the intervention plan, fully understand the intervention steps, seriously participate in the treatment process, and ensure daily and weekly high-intensity training is the key to the success of the rehabilitation of children with autism, on the contrary, the long-term recovery road is also a great challenge for parents and families of children.

Therefore, parents need to have sufficient confidence and patience in themselves and their children, reasonably arrange the needs of treatment, family and work, and be mentally prepared to fight autism for a long time. Family members support and encourage each other, do their best for the child, and complete the training tasks together to ensure the smooth progress of treatment.

The stars are lonely but love is not lonely,

If heaven closes the door of their hearts,

We use inclusion and love

Open an emotional window for them,

help them better integrate into society,

Live with dignity.

(China News Service WeChat public account)