World Autism Awareness Day

 Autism is a Spectrum, and every person on the spectrum is different, which is why it’s called a spectrum in the first place. Every year, World Autism Awareness Day is observed on April 2. The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. What is Autism? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. Each child with autism spectrum disorder is likely to have a unique pattern of behavior and level of severity — from low functioning to high functioning. Because of the distinctive set of symptoms, the severity of the challenge gets difficult to identify. However, below are a few of the common symptoms that a child with an autism spectrum disorder might display. Social Communication and Interaction: - Doesn’t speak or fails to respond to other people’s questions or talks. Resistance to go out in public places. Fears making eye contact and face people. Emotionally numb or disconnected most of the time. Prefers to play and spend time alone rather than engaging with others. Patterns of Behavior: - Coordination causes discomfort. Unusual body language. Performs certain repetitive movements such as head banging, hand flapping, etc. Doesn’t like changes in the set routines and rituals. Specific food preferences. Fixates on certain details of objects and gets fantasized by them.

Autism Spectrum Disorder starts showing its symptoms early during the developmental years when the child is just learning to talk, walk, and interact. Each child develops at their own pace. However, each age group is accompanied by certain developmental milestones that a child is expected to achieve. So, are you a parent who is concerned and confused about whether or not your child needs attention pertaining to a few of the symptoms mentioned above? Here we list a set of certain signs and symptoms that would help you identify when to seek assistance regarding the same!

• Doesn't respond with a smile or happy expression by 6 months.
• Doesn't mimic sounds or facial expressions by 9 months.
• Doesn't babble or coo by 12 months.
• Doesn't gesture — such as point or wave — by 14 months.
• Doesn't say single words by 16 months.
• Doesn't play "make-believe" or pretend by 18 months.
• Don't say two-word phrases by 24 months.
• Loses language skills or social skills at any age.
• There are certain complications that might follow the symptoms of ASD!
• Social isolation.
• Unable to live independently.
• Problems faced by the child in school and other learning areas.
• Certain issues in the employment area.
• Bullying or victimization with the child.

However, just because individuals with ASD have different intellectual capabilities doesn’t mean that they are disabled or disordered and the encouraging news is that there is still hope. Here are a few simple ideas that would help in strengthening the skills and make the child emotionally aware of things.

1. Calming Exercises: Create a small room filled with tools such as small smiley balls, paper pads, etc. for the child to be able to release their emotions whenever they feel overwhelmed. Sitting with them for 7-10 mins daily and doing deep breathing exercises. 

  

2. Physical Activity: Starting the day with a few simple yoga exercises or if not going out cycling or walking together would work wonders for the emotional as well as social development of the child. This would also be helpful in strengthening the muscle movement of the child. 3. Social Stories: Spending 30 mins or an hour daily with them and narrating social stories or watching them over the television together and lovingly psycho-educating them regarding emotions and skills would be of great help. 4. Sleep talk: As our mind is in a natural hypnotic state of trance during the last 30 mins before sleep, anything that you say or suggest to the child at this time would go directly into his/her subconscious mind and gradually it would start bringing in the required shift. Sometimes just understanding someone’s disability allows us to be more kinder and more tolerant of behaviors that normal people refuse to understand. As we at Happiness SOULutions work with the metaphysical aspect of helping an autistic kid, we believe that Everyone in this world is beautiful and we never know what someone's beautiful mind contributes to this world and it is time to find out those beautiful minds and nurture them with love and acceptance. Love, light, and healing -Team Happiness:)