Do Persons with Autism Lack Empathy?

              A couple of weeks ago, the handle of our old broom broke as I was sweeping the yard. I tried fixing it while C (my eleven year old son with autism) was watching. My efforts failed and decided to dispose the broom instead. Frustrated, I spent almost an hour trying to mend it for nothing. 
The next day, I was surprised to see the broom all fixed up. The handle was neatly and sturdily connected to the broom. I thanked my husband for it. But he replied,"No, I did not fix it." There are only the four of us in the house- me, my hubby, C, and our youngest son who is five years old. If it's not me, nor my husband who fixed the broken broom, then who did? While trying to figure out who, we saw C giggling while staring at us. And so we asked him,"did you fix the broom, dear?" With that radiant smile on his face, he replied, "yes."
            That was not only about an old broken broom. What made us really happy was the fact that our son took the time to help us without being asked. He showed us he cares and we matter to him. 

Conquering the Odds of Handwriting

        Most children with autism attend special education class with an individualized curriculum. They may eventually be transitioned to attend regular school depending on their cognitive abilities and developmental progress in terms of behavior. One huge determinant if a child is ready to be mainstreamed to a regular class is his handwriting. Would he be capable of  copying what is written on the board; or answer written examinations? This is one common problem faced by a special learner in the traditional school setting in the Philippines.
        Handwriting is a complex fine motor skill that requires eye and hand coordination.

Discovering One's Self Through Sports

         A lot has been said about how beneficial sports can be once you get into it. Getting into sports can strengthen the immune system and will certainly make one physically fit. The more important benefits one can derive in engaging in sports are mostly intangible, but becomes innate in one's mind and heart that will translate into becoming a better person. Not necessarily a champion in the chosen sport, but a champion in life.
        Sports is not exclusive to the typical members of the population. There are sports events that celebrate the talents of the differently abled. Although sports demand physical, emotional and  mental strength, talented differently abled individuals have proved they can play and win; lose in a game and still manage to stand with the head up high.
        Engaging into a sport for a person challenged with autism may not be that easy. Considering the fact these persons may  have behavioral and sensory issues; some lack the ability to speak or easily comprehend spoken language, learning to participate in a sports activity may be quite toilsome. Those thoughts occurred in my mind when I read a notice from my son's school about a Softball Clinic. I was hesitant in the beginning but eventually decided to let my son join and have the experience of playing softball.
        Softball is played in a large, open field and requires the skill of throwing and catching a ball, batting and running . Learning the basics of the game may be arduous to someone with poor waiting skill and impulse control; with poor eye and hand coordination; and speech and  language impairment. It is more challenging for those with difficulty in controlling sensory input. Like for instance being overwhelmed when given a series of instructions on what to do; affected by loud or unusual sound; poor sense of  balance and  perception of space making them move clumsily bumping into persons and objects or refuse to move fast (like running);

Saying Goodbye to Nappies

       Toilet training a child with autism is one hard feat for their parents. Sometimes, toilet training takes years before it could be learned. What makes it harder is the fact that most toilet training techniques known are ineffective  for children under the spectrum. Parents need to work hand in hand with their child's therapist to make the toilet training technique implemented work effectively.

       Toilet training is usually started in typical children at age 2-3 when good bladder control has been attained. This is evident when the nappy is dry when they wake up in the morning. But in the case of children with Autism, many things should be taken into consideration. The presence of gastrointestinal problems like constipation or the child's receptiveness may affect toilet training.

Visual Potty Chart

       My son C attained good bladder control at age 2 but was not ready to receive toilet training instructions since his attention span was short and fleeting with poor communication skills. He was afraid of the toilet bowl and gets startled when he heard the flush of the toilet.
       When he turned 4, he felt uncomfortable wearing pull up diapers and would remove it once he had peed or pooped on it. I took advantage of this and started bringing him to the toilet every hour and ask him to pee. His therapist did the same thing when C was in school and gave me visual potty cards to be used at home.

Autism Tell Tale

* Updated June 5, 2012

  Being the first born and only grandchild, everyone in the family is so fond of  C. His parents have big dreams for him. 
  As he was growing, he was like any other child until he reached 10 months of age. He seemed not to look at people, nor responding to his name anymore. When someone tries to play with him, asking him to do "flying kiss", "close open", he did not mind as if no one was playing with him. 
  At 18 months, C was not saying any words yet. He was still incapable of doing communicative gestures like waving bye-bye or pointing. 
  By age 2, C had no vocabulary and still babbling like a 6 month old. He was hyperactive- running around aimlessly, mesmerized by spinning objects like the blades of the electric fan. His mother noticed all these alarming behavioral manifestations, but clinged  to the common belief that boys develop later than girls. And that C will soon catch up.

  The early behavioral manifestations of Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) may show at 12 months of age but valid screening can be obtained when child reaches 16 months of age.[1].
  According to First Signs , the very early indicators, the so called RED FLAGS of Autism include:


1. failure to elicit social smile and other joyful expressions by 6 months of age and thereafter
2. no back and forth sharing of sounds and smiles by 9 months of age and thereafter
3. no babbling by 12 months
4. no gesturing (pointing, waving bye-bye) by 12 months
5. does not say single words by 16 months
6. does not say 2 word spontaneous phrases by 24 months (not just echoing)
7. losing language or social skills at any age