Providing a ray of hope for several families with autistic children, a latest study reveals that early detection can help autistic children between two and six years attain normalcy.
The study, undertaken by the Child Development Centre (CDC) at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, has successfully conducted weekly early intervention programmes among 30 autistic children between the age group of two to three years and it helped them mitigate the severity of the disease and acquire the basic social skills.
‘’The training we imparted through the therapists and mothers worked wonders,’’ said Dr M K C Nair, Director and Professor of Pediatrics, Child Development Centre, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
“These thirty children were categorised into three groups - mild to moderate, severe and non-autistic but still showed some traces of autism. They were put under close scrutiny and given proper training. Their mothers were also given training. The feedbacks were taken every week. After six months, when the statistics were developed based on these weekly feedbacks, there were only three in the ‘ severe category’. There were 12 children who showed severe autistic traits in the pre- intervention period but that has been reduced to three in the post-intervention period. They improved by leaps and bounds by acquiring the basic social skills. Surprisingly, many have shifted from moderate to mild and many from from mild to non-autism,” he said.
“The children with autistic tendencies will show clear signs. Their communication ability will be less. In some cases, some may show strong grasping power in certain areas but will be lacking in social skills. Once they show these tendencies, it’s time for the diagnosis,” G L Prasanna, Developmental Therapist, CDC. Dr M K C Nair said that the cause for Autism is still unknown to the medical fraternity.
“But there is no dispute over the fact that it is increasing in the country. One reason is that unlike previous times, the diagnosis is being carried out in large scale. The Autism Spectrum Disorder includes Mental Retardation (MR) to high functioning in which a patient shows high intellect.