New Autism Cure - breakthrough treatments and cures for autism

Many autistic children suffer with sensory problems as part of their autism spectrum disorder. These sensory problems can be divided into two main groups:-

1. Hyposensitivity - When a child is “under-sensitive” to stimuli and has trouble processing information through their senses.
2. Hypersensitivity - When a child’s sensory awareness is too acute.

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity is very common in autism spectrum disorders and can be the basis or cause of many “problem” behaviors that autistic children exhibit. Let’s look at how hypersensitivity can affect autistic children:-

• Hypertaste and smell - When their olfactory senses (taste and smell) are heightened, a child may have real trouble eating and may follow a very rigid diet which consists of just a few bland foods that they can tolerate. At meal times, a child with hypertaste and smell may gag on foods, vomit if they are forced to eat and not be able to sit at the dinner table when certain foods are being eaten by members of their family. This “fussy” eating and behavior can be very frustrating for the parents but you need to put yourself into your child’s shoes - what if everything you ate or tasted had an incredibly strong smell and taste? Wouldn’t it effect your enjoyment of food and meals?
  Hypersmell can also be a problem in that a child may shy away from certain people who smell quite strong to them or dislike certain places, other people’s home and shops where they are bombarded with the smell of foods and products. They may also want to wear the same clothes all the time and not like the smell of washing detergent.
• Hypertactility - This is when the child’s sense of touch is heightened. It is often characterized by a child hating to be touched or hugged. Even the gentlest of touches can feel uncomfortable and even painful to a hypersensitive child and can result in a “melt down”. Obviously they react badly when they are hurt or injured because the pain is magnified and parents need to understand this when dealing with small scratches and abrasions. Simple tasks like bathing, trimming nails, going for a haircut and even changing clothes or trying on new clothes can lead to upset and tantrums. Can you imagine having to wear an item of clothing that is new and scratchy? No wonder children with this hypertactility want to wear their old comfortable clothes all of the time! Children with this heightened sense may also dislike hot and cold - either being hot or cold or touching things that are hot or cold.
• Hypersensitive hearing or “hyperhearing” - This is when every little noise sounds amplified and it can be very scary and uncomfortable for the child concerned. Children who suffer with hypersensitive hearing will find noisy public places hard to handle and will hate thunderstorms, surround sound systems in cinemas and will also tend to be light sleepers because sounds disturb them and wake them up. Sudden sounds will terrify them and they may make their own repetitive sounds, like humming, to try and block out the sounds around them. It is also often characterized by a child covering their ears frequently.
• Hypervision - Hypervision is when the sense of sight is more acute. This is characterized by a child being able to see things that other people don’t notice, by being disturbed by bright lights or sunlight, and by being frightened by sudden flashes of light.

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There are many articles online and books out there giving tips on how to encourage an autistic child to interact and socialize with other children and adults, but there’s not much advice out there on how people should actually go about interacting with an autistic child.

Here are some top tips to help you interact effectively with an autistic child or teenager:-

1. Don’t just see the autism - The disorder does not define who the child is, it’s just one part of their character and being. It’s so easy to get consumed by the autism but it’s not who they are, they are a child with their own unique character and gifts.
2. Have patience - You need stacks of patience to bring up any child, but an autistic child can require a lot more patience. You have to be willing to give them time to process your instructions, you have to be willing to repeat things, you need to accept that a simple change of circumstances can lead to a meltdown and you need to give them time to tell you what they need to, without assuming that you know what they need.
3. Look for clues - Sometimes an autistic child has limited vocabulary or can’t get get their needs or wishes into words. Look at their body language and gestures for clues. Could they be in pain? Are they likely to be hungry? Are they scared?
4. Put yourself in their shoes - If your child has sensory problems, try to imagine what the world is like for them. For example, if a child is hypersensitive then just imagine how it feels to be bombarded by strong smells, loud noises and bright lights, it must be so scary and hard to concentrate on other things.
5. Think about the language you use and the way you speak - Don’t show long instructions across the room, which may not be understood; instead go up to the child, get their attention and give clear, simple instructions. If your child has a tendency to take things literally, don’t use jokes, sarcasm, puns or phrases like “it’s raining cats and dogs” because they just won’t understand the “hidden” meaning.
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Taking a child to the cinema is something that most parents take for granted. OK, so you might have fidgeting, excited chatting or even crying (if the film is a bit scary or sad), but generally taking kids to the movies is a breeze. But it’s not so easy if you’re the parent of a sensory sensitive child.

The Problem

The whole movie experience can be completely overwhelming for a sensory sensitive child - just think of the things that they have to face:-

• The theater suddenly becoming dark
• Sudden loud noises which are amplified by surround sound systems
• Fast moving images on a huge screen
• Lots of people in a confined space

All this can be just too much for the child and can result in tears, tantrums and fear. However, all is not lost and it is now possible for children who are sensory sensitive to enjoy the same movies that their peers are enjoying and talking about.

How?

The Solution

AMC Entertainment has collaborated with the Autism Society of America (ASA) to give children with special needs, and their families, the chance to see top movies through their “Sensory Friendly Films Program”.

The “Sensory Friendly Films Program” means that once a month, participating theaters all over the USA will do special showings of a top film in a “safe and accepting environment”. Features of these special showings include:-

• Film soundtrack turned down
• Theater lights brought up
• No previews or trailers before the movie
• Parents and carers can bring their own snack food - so children can enjoy GFCF snacks
• AMC’s usual silence policy will not be enforced - Children and adults will be free to talk, dance, sing, get up out of their seats and stretch their legs etc. without worrying about being a distraction to others.

This month’s movie is “Hannah Montana: The Movie” and it will be showing at participating theaters on April 18th at 10am local time. Click here to find your local participating theater and to get more details. Enjoy the movie!