Alexia Has Autism Now What?

I still remember the day Alexia was born, so beautiful and perfect weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces. She had 10 fingers, 10 toes and sparkling blue eyes that later turned to hazel. Autism was not even something we had ever really given any thought to much less considered any treatment for autism.

My granddaughter was the most wonderful baby in the world in my eyes and she seemed to be progressing normally for the first few months.

She smiled and interacted with us. She hated to be held when it was time to go to sleep, she much preferred to just be laid down and left alone.

She laughed her first real laugh at about 4 months old. My daughter had said to me "Don't you dare make her laugh for the first time while I'm not here", but of course I had to do it. I was playing with her and she just started to do her little baby laugh.

All seemed to be going well but when she didn't start talking or even trying to talk a few months later, we started to wonder why. I guess we just figured that she was taking everything in and would soon start to babble away but that time just didn't come.

By the time Alexia was 2 years old, we knew that there might be something wrong. Still, we had no knowledge of autism. We may have heard the term autism at some time but we were not aware of what it really meant.

We went along just thinking the time would come when Alexia would just suddenly start talking in a way we could understand. I guess I should clarify that of course her Mommy (my daughter) usually knew what it was she wanted but I was struggling to make sense of anything she would try to say.

Then one day it happened. Elizabeth called me to say "Alexia has autism"! I will never forget that phone call. Liz said to me "Mom, why does my daughter have autism"? All I could say was that it was because she (my daughter, Liz) was one of the lucky ones.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish autism or the trials of autism on any child and most certainly not on any mother but I really believe the fact that Alexia was diagnosed with autism forced my daughter to reevaluate her situation. Liz started to learn all she could about what autism really meant and what her options were.

She became one of the most patient mother's I have ever seen becoming very aware of what her daughter might need or want. Liz learned to communicate with Alexia in ways that I would never have been able to.

Liz began to seek a treatment for autism and luckily for us there seemed to be a lot of resources in her area and with the help of some wonderful daycare centers where they are aware of autism and even have staff that is trained to deal with special needs children, Alexia began to develop her speech and communications skills.

Today Alexia is in kindergarten and unless you happen to see her when she is one of her all out tantrums, which seem to be one of the major signs that a child may have autism, you would look at her and think what a wonderful, beautiful child. I sometimes still find it hard to believe that she does have autism because until she is lost in whatever place she goes to in those horrifying and difficult times, she acts like any 6 year old.

Autism affects many of our children and while we still don't know the cause of autism, there are ways that we can help our children and the parents to learn the best ways of dealing with autism.

Kimberly Aita

If your child is blessed with autism and you need some help, ideas, or just want know what others may be going through, there is hope and while there may be no real treatment for autism, you can get some of the answers and the help you will probably need.

I wish you all the peace that you can find.

A Gift of Sight: Visual Perception Treatment For Children With Autism

Autism effects every child differently, so it is difficult to find the exact treatment for autism that your child needs to cope with his or her symptoms. One thing that effects some autistic children (though, not all) is problems with visual perception. By using some standardized methods to help improve visual perception, you can give your child the ability to see the world more clearly, making learning and comprehension easier and possibly curbing some behavior problems as well.

Children with autism mainly have problems with sensory overload and distortion. These are some of the same problems many people not suffering from the disorder develop, and as a result, many treatment options have become available. Individuals with autism often find, however, that the sensory overload of the world due to light, colors, contrast, shapes, and patterns, is too much to handle, causing them to act out or shut down in general. This is sometimes a genetic condition that is simply enhanced by the autism, so if the child's parents have trouble with reading or have been otherwise treated for visual perceptive problems, there is a good chance that the child will need help as well.

The Irene Method is one effective way to treat visual perception disorders. This method uses color to create a more harmonized world. You may have heard of these methods if anyone has ever suggested using a color filter over the page when reading to be able to read better and more quickly.

This method is proven to work, and if your autistic child is at the maturity level of reading, you may want to try these color filters to see if there is a difference in speed and comprehension. However, it is more likely that your autistic child will benefit from color filters during the entire day, not just when reading.

Special glasses have been made using colored lenses to conquer this problem. Not every child responds the same way to every color, so it is a process of trial and error to find out which color is the one blocking the harmful light. You can also choose to use colored light bulbs in your home to help a child who has autism with their visual perception problems.

This method mainly helps children in 4 areas: depth perception, social interaction, learning, and physical well being. The colors help the child determine how far he or she is from an object, and the world becomes more three-dimensional, helping depth perception.

Social interaction also improves because the child feels as though he or she is in a calmer world and can more clearly see and interpret facial expressions.

The colors make it possible to learn, especially when reading, and overall, the child will feel better, because it helps reduce headaches and dizziness. By testing this technique and others to help visual perception problems, you can help your child better cope with the world and his or her autism.

While this may be one treatment for autism, it may not necessarily be what your child will respond to. Having a child with autism is at times, nearly impossible to deal with but with patience and understanding you will begin to get a better idea of what it is that your child needs.