No one knows what the future holds for them. The world is built around unpredictability. Sometimes your car will break down on the way to work, sometimes it’ll rain when you least want it to, sometimes your go-to-market won’t have the noodles you were looking to get. Imperfections are all around us. They can be found in people you previously thought were perfect, they can be found in food items you previously thought were healthy. People tend to ignore the occurrence when the ketchup on the side of their plate meddles with their food.
They hold people to the promises they keep, they try figuring out if a smile is just a smile or if it’s a sneer. They say things they don’t mean and they do things they shouldn’t. Ironic expressions are used in the name of jokes and no one’s taken seriously. Everyone’s mind is a country of their own where someone else other than them is just a guest who doesn’t know what’s coming for them. Some people are immune to these imperfections, while others aren’t. For them these moments of imperfection are unbearable. These things trigger them and make them lose control over their mind and body. Thing is, autism hasn’t always existed.
History Of Autism:
Autism wasn’t the first mental disorder that shook the world. Its related categories, like Asperger’s syndrome, were discovered in 1940 by scientists working in the second world war. Being a discrete pathological condition, it was being worked on by many scientists at the time. Two key figures in the recognition of autism were Leo Kanner and the other was Hans Asperger. Their findings were barely popular at the time and it wasn’t until the early nineteen-eighties that the world came to know about autism.
The discovery of autism was for sure out of nowhere. It proved that the disorder wasn’t new and had been around for ages, but just didn’t have a name for it. It was found out that tons of famous and important figures throughout the history of the world had autism. Some examples are; Newton, Mozart, Lewis Carroll, Wittgenstein, and etc. Many people were diagnosed as autistic and they didn’t even know it. Of course, at that time, the field of medicine wasn’t at its peak efficiency, and autistic people were misdiagnosed several times. While some were called retards, others were known to be schizophrenic. The word autism was derived from the Greek word for “self” as it was a sort of social isolation attributed to schizophrenia.
Autistic people were treated miserably. People were cruel to them as everyone has a history of being afraid of things they don’t understand. It wasn’t until people found out that autistic people weren’t to blame for their behavior, they were just wired differently. Being abnormal and eccentric was finally being accepted outside of the medical world as a result of the findings of Kanner and Asperger. Autistic people were finally being transferred from one psychiatric category to another.
Autism In Kids:
Being a highly prevalent mental disorder, Autism was found to be in 1 out of 68 children in the United States. Being the parent of an autistic kid was getting harder and harder, often causing failed marriages and conflicts in a family. Previously, parents were told to forget about their kids as kids with autism were considered inhumane. However, thanks to the findings of Kanner’s and Asperger’s, autistic kids were now welcomed more than ever and were institutionalized. Kids who were diagnosed with autism were known to show symptoms from an early age of two.
Parents realized that their autistic kids were locked inside from their intelligence and feelings, hiding under “the mask of autism”. Children who have autism are very different in the way they behave. Their abilities are different and no autistic kid will have the same symptoms as another autistic kid. Some might show different symptoms and some might show symptoms that are barely recognizable. Some of the problems and behaviors a child with autism shows from an early age are:
- Being Friendly: Autistic kids hide behind the “mask of autism” and aren’t very capable in social situations. They have a problem making eye contact and being friendly since they prefer being alone.
- Echolalia: When kids start learning how to speak, you’ll notice that they usually repeat the same words over and over again since that’s all they know. Autistic children repeat this pattern even when they’re growing up and learning new words. They’ll even repeat phrases that they’ve heard other people use.
- Dealing With Changes: Going through changes in their routine is something no kid likes. This is the main reason kids hate it when they start going to school. For autistic kids, this feeling only gets more heightened as time passes by. They won’t be able to stay consistent if their routine keeps changing. Autistic children want things to stay the same so they know what to expect.
Parents can also get help from the Autism Parenting Magazine, which highlights some important symptoms of autism in kids and suggests how parents should deal with these symptoms.
Autism In Adults:
Kids growing up with autism often have their lifestyle changes when they reach the age of fourteen. In most cases, the primary caregiver of the autistic kid and his teachers will need to create a transition planning review while collaborating with the school the kid is in. This review will cover the many significant issues an autistic kid might face in the future, like their education and training as well as career planning. The child will grow into an adult and the autism will remain unchanged.
For adults with autism, making living arrangements is hard especially when looking for a source of income. While some might manage to survive independently, others aren’t. Some people with autism might feel the need to be supervised around the clock so their safety is kept in check. Even the adults with autism who have jobs and are consistent in their day to day routine can fail to deal in situations that are new to them. Their social skills are tested everyday like meeting new people, asking questions, maintaining friendships and personal relationships.