An educator who has been working with children with special needs for several years spoke about what makes autistic children special and how to help them.

Elonas Muskas, the founder of Tesla, recently spoke publicly about having autism spectrum disorders, and Greta Thunberg, who is fighting fiercely against climate change, not only does not hide that she is autistic, but also claims that they are autistic people. what can you call normal. Everyone else, according to her, is being left behind because she does not understand the catastrophe that threatens the world and does not fight for it. Various: – I have not accepted two identical children even with the same diagnoses. And when I dig deeper, I even thought that we probably all have certain characteristics of the autism spectrum. “

While reading the report to parents and teachers, J. Valtarė shared the practical knowledge she had acquired during her 14 years working as a special educator.

The diagnosis is not a verdict

The speaker said she often heard that there hadn’t been such children before or that they hardly existed for each other. However, he believes they were there the entire time, just before diagnostics and a system were needed to handle it all.

“Before independence, it was such a pain that it was not spoken aloud. According to the psychiatrist Dainius Pūras, who contributed to the emergence of the development centers that these children needed, previously unacceptable practices were used: children were locked up, for example, on radiators, sedated with drugs, and even admitted to psychiatric hospitals. So I think that many parents, knowing that they would not get the help they needed, simply did not post or leave their children at home. And now we talk from it getting stronger, we have yet to hear that there are an infinite number of talented autistics with Asperger’s syndrome in our environment, “said J. Valterė.

He stressed that neither the social class of the parents nor other factors are completely important, no one is protected as to whether the child will be born with this diagnosis. Statistically, between 0.2 and 0.6 percent have autism spectrum disorders. population, this disorder is 2 to 4 times more common in boys than in girls. Throughout her years of work, the speaker recalled, she only met one girl with ASS.

While giving the lecture, J. Valterė regretted that parents raising children with autism spectrum disorders have not been persuaded to speak up. For some it hurts, they still cannot reconcile that their child is different, others do not dare and a third is in a denial stage. Worst of all, according to the special educator, is that denying a child’s disorders deprives him of the opportunity to receive the best help in a timely manner. In support of this, J. Valtarė mentioned many of his former students who are doing well in a general education school.

“It is wrong to” dismiss “a person or to have one or another expectation based solely on a diagnosis. Autism can also give these people a set of exceptional strengths, such as good visual memory, non-standard thinking, focus on activities that interest them. , attention to the smallest details, unconditional loyalty, fairness, etc. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of receiving such a diagnosis of a child. On the contrary, it should not be forgotten that timely assistance is very important ”Said J. Valtarė.

The strangeness is noticeable in the communication

The speaker emphasized that autism is not a disease, so it is not a disease. Also, autism is not contagious and there are no medications yet to treat it. This disorder can seriously affect quality of life and this condition lasts a lifetime. People with ASA do not have typical external physical characteristics. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder that most affects the development of language and communication, social skills and behavior. Man communicates differently, feels and perceives the world differently.

The pitch, rhythm, and intonation of speech of autistic people often sound strange. They repeat their individual questions or phrases. It is difficult to express yourself in words. They understand the language literally, so they have a hard time understanding humor, sarcasm, irony, “reading between the lines.” It is also difficult to understand the emotions of another person in the face, the body language.

Autistic people express their empathy differently. Here J. Valtarė was quick to explain that this does not mean that they are not insensitive, it is only difficult for them to get into someone else’s fur, understand the signs and thoughts of the body. Your emotions often have no stages; for example, if they are sad, they are absolutely sad, upset, or angry. All of this leads to inappropriate reactions and great social misunderstandings.

For some, the symptoms are very strong, for others they can be almost imperceptible. The communication and behavior of a person with an autism spectrum disorder can vary greatly from one another. In addition, comorbidities are often associated with ASA: gastrointestinal, sleeping, eating disorders, seizures, immune disorders, social anxiety, motor, intellectual, attention disorders, special interests, verbal and non-verbal communication disorders .

“Because the ‘set’ of symptoms of autism is different, it is difficult to understand this disorder with precision. If you know the diagnosis but do not know the person, you will not be able to say anything about it, except that it probably has communication and interaction problems social ”, said the lecturer.

What signs to watch out for?

Based on a psychologist, prof. Through the ideas of Vytautas Gudonis, the speaker shared the main general characteristics that can help to identify autism spectrum disorders.

About half of parents notice the unusual behavior of the child at the age of 18 months, and already after 24 months, 80% pay attention to deviations. parents. Since delayed treatment can affect the long-term result, J. Valtarė recalls that the child should be taken to a specialist immediately if any of the following symptoms appear:

• up to 12 months of age, the child is not conquering yet (he does not say “agu” or similar syllables);
• does not gesture for up to 12 months (does not show things, does not say goodbye, etc.);
• up to 16 months do not say words;
• up to 24 months does not spontaneously say a two-word phrase;
• if any part of language or social skills is lost at any age.

How to help autistic children at school

J. Valtarė emphasized that autistic children perceive visual information better than verbal information. And about a third of them do not speak and communicate with alternative means of communication: gestures, images, special devices.

“Remember that it is difficult for them to understand social norms, especially what we call ‘unwritten rules’, so it is difficult for them to have a conversation, it is difficult to find friends. Sometimes a person with SSA seems to be closed to their In this way, he distances himself from the stimuli of the environment or focuses on activities that interest him. It can also be difficult for him to play in a team, in a group, imaginative games, “he said based on his work experience.

Self-stimulation, such as rocking back and forth, repeating sounds and phrases, clapping, clicking fingers, jumping, singing, snoring, etc., often helps children calm down, focus, or avoid anxiety. Typical and atypical movements.

However, not all children need to have a structured schedule and routine because they like to do certain things consistently in the same order. Sudden and unexpected changes make them anxious, so it’s best to know in advance what to expect. They can follow a certain sequence of actions very strictly, be strongly attached to some objects, place them in a certain order. However, the lecturer reminds him again that only when he meets the child will he understand if he really needs that set agenda and a certain order. Maybe it will do you well too.

The speaker shared practical advice on how to help these children in school. For example, it is very beneficial for them to install a recreation area in the classroom. A partition or shelf can be used to separate the space in the corner of the cabinet. This area does not have to be a large space, just a place for a child to relax by sitting on the seat bags or cushions that are placed here. If this is not possible, special noise-canceling headphones or earplugs can help some to calm down.

When going to school, he advises parents to put various items in their child’s purse that relieve sensory stress: rollers, special balls, pressed but non-squeaky toys, chews. Even a simple play dough or bean bag, squishy toys can come in handy – anything that can be used to calm down and focus.

It is important to choose the correct place in the classroom. Ideally, the child should learn by sitting as far away from classroom doors, windows, and hallways as possible; This will help avoid distractions. It would be nice if the child’s place was closer to the teacher so that he could hear fewer sounds, as well as give him space to calm down and move when he was thinking. It would also be great if a patient and helpful class child were sitting next to him.

J. Valterė emphasized that the child’s teachers should inform not only other child teachers about their disorders, but also other school employees, such as the librarian or cafeteria staff. To do this, the speaker suggests the preparation of a summary that can be distributed to them. You must identify the child’s needs and explain what to do if the child is struggling or needs help.

Reiterating that the visual memory of these children was particularly strong, the lecturer emphasized that the information provided must also be visual. When teaching teaching materials to teachers, he recommends using video presentations, other technologies, and trying to present new knowledge in the form of a game. It is very useful to include experiential activities based on the senses and logical and visual thinking. Simple or kinetic sand, a light table and other means used, according to J. Valterė, can be really very useful, so it remains to depend on the imagination of the teachers.