Society should be part of the solution for autism

Apr 08, 2014 News

By Rabindra Rooplall

Society should be a part of the solution and not confusion when it relates to dealing with autistic individuals, according to the Headmistress of the Guyana Greenheart Autistic Society, Andrea Hutson.

Headmistress of the Guyana Greenheart Autistic Society, Andrea Hutson

As World Autism Awareness day concluded last week with various activities, Ms. Hutson said her goal is to be a part of an institution that can address the holistic needs of the children, including educational, social, physical and psychological.
“There is no cure for autism; there is a form of treatment called early intervention. If a child is detected as suffering from autism there is need for an experienced team of personnel which should include a psychologist and parents to make an assessment,” Ms. Hutson said.
It can be challenging to deal with autistic children on a daily basis, the Headmistress mentioned. It is important to know the needs and wants of each child since these kids are mostly not verbal.
“Sometimes their attitude can happen with a sudden outburst and they can be very aggressive because of being misunderstood. The parents and caretakers need to understand and analyze what they are going through,” Hutson noted.
An autistic child uses the sensory systems. Their receptors are their eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. There are also two hidden senses which are Propioception and Vestibular.
Propioception are receptors in muscles and joints which respond to heavy work and deep touch types of sensation. Vestibular provides us with information about balance and speed and direction of movement.
However, an autistic child can live a long life if taken care of properly and in many cases can become productive citizens based on the severity of autism.
“Early intervention is very good for an autistic child. The things we would take for granted, an autistic parent would rejoice. I believe that a parent is the first doctor for a child.
When a child is at six months and there is no smile or joyful expression, when after ten months there is no facial expression and when their names are being called they don’t look, then these are some of the signs of an autistic child,” Ms. Hutson explained.
Since autism is a spectrum with mild to severe effects, some children may have fine motor skills that many autistic children have problems with. Buttoning shirts, tying shoelaces, properly gripping pencils and crayons and pulling up their shorts/trousers/underpants could pose problems for some autistic children.
Underscoring that some members of society may look at an autistic person as “pagaly”, Ms. Hutson said autistic children have no physical deformities and only their actions and behaviour can reveal this.
Noting that Guyana is way behind in care of autistic individuals, Ms. Hutson said more support systems are needed and the stigma should not be there since it is not contagious.
“Persons should try to find solutions and support families with autistic children since this is not a disease or is it contagious. A person must be born that way and constant education and training helps autistic children. They cannot be locked up in a house all the time and not be taken out to learn about the world. If a parent does not teach a child and prepare him for the world they will never learn,” Ms. Hutson explained.