Part of the autistic child’s common personality is a lack of empathy. Empathy is the capacity to place yourself in another’s shoes to understand their point of view. This issue comes from their reduced sense of the world around them and an inability to function normally in a social setting. Many people would coin them insensitive without actually stopping to realize that it is not that they are insensitive; in fact, it is simply the problems they have associating with others and how other people may be feeling.

Of course like everyone else, every autistic child is unique and should be viewed as such. Some do have the understanding of empathy, some don’t. But at the same time, there are a great number of those who function regularly that lack empathy. The limited empathy is a result of not understanding social cues, such as body language and ****** expressions. Where we can look at someone and see there sadness, the autistic child simply sees the person, not the emotion attached to them. Because they tend to lack the ability to understand the feelings of others, empathy becomes a very difficult concept for them to understand.

Empathy and understanding those around us is a vital part of social functioning and is a skill that can be difficult to acquire. Add to that the issues that autism brings and it becomes even more difficult to understand and be empathetic to others. Social issues play a major role in autistic children and their lack of ability to function with the world around them. Empathetic or not, they need our empathy.

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I have nothing but respect for those adults who are parenting autistic children as it must be a very difficult life for all concerned. But let’s back up a little, and discover what autism is. According to Wikipedia (wikipedia.com) autism is a development disorder of the brain and is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, along with restricted and repetitive behaviour which generally starts before a child becomes three years old. Research has shown that autism has a strong genetic base, and in some rare cases, it is strongly associated with an agent that causes birth defects.

There are other studies that suggest that vaccinations might have an effect too when given in early childhood, but there is no conclusive evidence of this as yet.

So, how does this actually affect behaviour? For many of us, Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of an autistic man in the movie “Rain Man” is the first we have known of this particular disorder, and although the character Hoffman plays is fictional, the movie does help people to understand a little more the life that the autistic have.

Can a parent spot symptoms of autism when the child is younger than three? Yes, if they know what to look for, but unfortunately, especially for a first born child, it may be harder to spot. With the kind of society we have, with relatives living further away, or even in different countries, we have had to use others from outside our families to baby sit for us. This means that “norms” of talking, or sitting up etc, are not as often remarked upon, and it becomes easier to miss the fact that our baby may not be talking at one. And again, because of the financial pressure for both parents to be working outside the home, babysitters may not report the lack of progress in speech to a parent.

So what should you look out for? Well, of course all babies are different, and progress at different rates, but generally speaking, the autistic child does have great difficulty communicating, so at the age of two, they probably will not be speaking very much, and will be unable to form sentences. They may not like to be hugged, but we have to remember that there are differences between boys and girls too. In fact reports state that boys are four times more likely to have an autism disorder than girls, and the rate of diagnosis of autism is one or two cases per one thousand children. This means that there are a huge number of children with this brain disorder.

It should be noted also, that a child may develop normally, speaking and communicating well at an early age, but then regress, or lose this ability at a later date. Unfortunately there is no known cure for this brain disorder, although the earlier a child is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can be started to encourage communication skills. There are other symptoms too, like repetitively flapping a hand around, or continually tilting the head to one side.

The result of autism is that parenting autistic children can last forever, in that the child may always have communication and socializing problems. Their brain disorder and low mental ability may stop them from working, and may mean that they can never live by themselves. This is why I respect parents of autistic children, because they have to give so much more every day than the parents of a child with normal development. Parenting autistic children is definitely way more challenging, and raising any child can be very draining!

So, what can be done to help parents of autistic children? Fortunately there is a great ebook (a book that can be downloaded immediately from the internet), a Complete Autism Package that not only tells you about the causes, symptoms and treatments, but helps you to understand what life looks like to your child. Understanding their feelings, and how they see things, can go a long way to helping parents cope with their child. And there is a monthly newsletter too which gives you the latest on research into autism and autistic children.

Al Jackson is a mother, wife and ex-teacher, who enjoys research and educating others. Her website MomsLifeline.com is dedicated to helping Moms through the ups and downs of their parenting lives.

Virtually everyone in our community is somehow connected to Autism Spectrum Disorders. Through a classmate, a family member, friend, or neighbor most of us know at least one individual living “on the spectrum”.Autism is a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life. Dyspraxia is a condition, generally present in early childhood, that affects motor skills. Occasionally, dyspraxia can be caused by traumatic brain injury, but in most cases, the cause is unknown. Specific statistics on how many people are affected by dyspraxia are difficult to find because the condition is often undiagnosed. Estimates range from 2% to 10% of the population. Males make up about 70-80% of diagnosed cases.

Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of typical children. Less severe cases may be diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) or with Asperger’s Syndrome (these children typically have normal speech, but they have many “autistic” social and behavioral problems). Autism affects about 1 in every 150 kids, but no one knows what causes it. Some scientists think that some kids might be more likely to get autism because it or similar disorders run in their families. Knowing the exact cause of autism is hard because the human brain is very complicated.

A person with ASD may have difficulty empathising (understanding the thoughts and feelings of others or seeing the world from someone else’s perspective). Because of this, they may sometimes make assumptions or say things which appear strange, rude or insensitive. It is very likely that it is not their intention to cause upset. Always stay positive with ASD children Being reliable is very important. Empathise with the issue that someone with ASD may be easily upset by unpredictable change and take simple steps to avoid this wherever possible (eg a post it note on a door to advise of a room change). If they say something that you would interpret as being rude, over familiar, or intrusive, be aware that they may not realise that their comment is inappropriate. Always get to know the individual first before communicating a certain way with them.

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