Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a range of neurological disorders that involve some degree of difficulty with communication and interpersonal relationship along with obsessions and repetitive behaviors.

This developmental disorder doesn’t just involve problems relating with others and interpersonal communication skills. It involves learning, dissecting the world, and a host of sensory issues.

Autism is something kids are born with. It affects how they think, talk, play, and understand the world.

Some kids with autism may not like loud sounds or bright lights. Others may have a hard time talking or making friends. But every person with autism is different. Some may be quiet, while others talk a lot. Some are great at puzzles or drawing.

Kids with Autism Learn Differently than Their Peers

Autism is not something you can catch, and it doesn’t go away—but with the right help, kids with autism can learn and grow.

Children with autism usually learn differently than other kids. They might need more time to understand words or directions. They may learn better by seeing pictures, moving their bodies, or touching things with their hands.

That’s why it’s important to use different methods to teach these usually bright kids. Everyone’s brain works in its own special way, and children with autism need tools that match how their brain learns best.

Multisensory Activities Help Kids with Autism Learn Better

Multisensory activities are fun ways to learn that use more than one sense at a time. That means using your eyes, ears, hands, and even your whole body to learn something new.

For example, a multisensory activity could be clapping while saying the ABCs, tracing letters in sand, or jumping on numbers while counting. These activities make learning easier and more fun for kids who need to see, hear, and move to understand.

Most kids with autism do better when they can touch, see, and move during learning. Sitting still and listening can be hard for them. But when they get to move around, use their hands, and play while learning, they often understand things better. Multisensory activities help them focus, remember more, and enjoy learning. It also helps lower stress because it feels more like play than schoolwork.

Every child with autism has their own strengths. Some are great at building things. Others love music or drawing. Using multisensory activities helps them use their strengths while learning new skills.

With the right support, kids with autism can grow in amazing ways. They just need people who understand them and use the right tools to help them shine.

Kids with Autism Think and Learn Differently

Kids with autism think differently than others.

They often see words as pictures, shapes, or colors. They might hear sounds this way, too, or categorize them in odd ways. They might hear sounds in amplification or barely register them at all. Lights might be so offensive to these kids that they get headaches or might rock repetitively as they try to process this over-stimulation.

Often, children with autism have fears that seem unreasonable to the rest of us, but to them, these fears are real. And sometimes, these fears can be debilitating. This is usually due to heightened sensitivity to visual and auditory stimuli.

These kids will usually pass vision and hearing tests, but still struggle to process visual and auditory information. Of course, this is because we actually see and hear in our brains and take in light with our eyes and sound through our ears. This can make it difficult to navigate life, not to mention adding to learning in school and academic pressures.

Autism is on the Rise!

Autism is on the rise, and it affects more boys than girls. As of recent estimates, about 1 in 100 people around the world are diagnosed with autism. That means over 75 million people worldwide may have autism.

This number can change depending on how autism is identified in different countries. Some places have better tools and more doctors to diagnose autism, while others may not even recognize it. Also, more people are being diagnosed now because we know more about autism than we used to.

So while the exact number is always growing and changing, we know that millions of people around the world live with autism—and many more are learning how to support them every day.

Autism isn’t affected by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. Although there are some generalities, that might cause autism, it is really a mystery as to the true causes.

In addition, more boys than girls are diagnosed with autism, and we don’t really know why this happens. As of 2018, one in fifty-nine is born with autism. That’s nearly half the population!

Sadly, most schools focus on simply making these kids comfortable instead of giving them a program that will help their sensory and brain wiring differences.

In the U.S., boys are diagnosed with autism about 3 to 4 times more often than girls. For example, data from eight-year-olds show around 43 boys per 1,000 and about 11 girls per 1,000 receive a diagnosis, which is nearly a 4:1 ratio . Globally, estimates are similar, often between 3:1 and 4:1.

Girls are Underdiagnosed!

Many experts believe girls are underdiagnosed because they show autism in different, less obvious ways.

Girls often have better language skills than boys and can often be more eager to please and engage in “masking” to imitate others. This behavior may not match common diagnostic checklists – checklists that are largely based on how boys show autism.

Studies show that when assessments use broader population screenings, the boy-to-girl ratio shifts closer to 3:1, suggesting girls who meet criteria are often missed in clinics.

ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) is a type of therapy that can improve social, communication, and learning skills through positive reinforcement. Many experts consider ABA to be the gold-standard treatment for children with autism, but it only treats a student’s behaviors.

ABA, especially when started at a young age, helps kids with autism change their behavior to more positive and acceptable norms. However, it doesn’t go to the core of the problem and treat it.

Autism Should be Treated Sooner than Later

Early intervention for kids with autism is very important because a child’s brain grows and changes quickly in the first few years of life. During this time, children learn how to talk, play, and understand the world around them.

If a child with autism gets help early, they can start building these important skills sooner. The earlier the support begins, the more the brain can grow in ways that help learning and communication.

When autism is treated early, it can also help children feel less frustrated. Some kids with autism have trouble talking or sharing how they feel. This can lead to tantrums or acting out. But with early therapy and support, they can learn new ways to express themselves and connect with others. This helps them feel happier and more confident at home and in school.

Waiting too long to treat autism can make learning harder later on. Kids may fall behind in school or have trouble making friends. But when families, teachers, and doctors work together early, kids with autism have a better chance to learn, grow, and shine. Early help gives them the tools they need to reach their full potential.

The Responsibility for Treatment Falls on Parents

In most cases, the main responsibility for getting help for an autistic child falls on parents.

Parents are often the first to notice when something feels different about how their child plays, talks, or interacts. Because schools and doctors don’t always catch autism early, parents have to speak up, ask questions, and push for answers. Parents are the ones who usually schedule evaluations, talk to specialists, and make sure their child gets the services they need.

This can be a big job for parents, especially if they don’t know much about autism or don’t have easy access to support. It takes time, energy, and sometimes even money to find the right help.

But when parents get involved early and keep asking for what their child needs, it can make a huge difference. They become their child’s biggest champion – helping them grow, learn, and succeed in a world that may not always understand autism.

Unfortunately, it’s up to the parent to find programs that help, and there aren’t a lot of useful and affordable programs available.

It’s too easy too let years pass without treatment and hope for the best. This is like waiting for a fire to put itself out! Especially when these kids can do so much! The goal for these children, like all kids is that they lead a normal and productive life when they grow up.

About half of autistic adults are unemployed once they mature, and one third of those with high school diplomas may be unemployed. Among those on the spectrum who do find work, most are employed in sheltered settings working for wages below the national minimum.

While employers state hiring concerns about productivity and supervision, experienced employers of adults with autism generally give positive reports of above average memory and orientation to detail. In addition, these employees show a high regard for rules and procedures.

Autism and Repetitive Behavior

Many children with autism engage in repetitive behaviors. This means they might do the same action or say the same word over and over. For example, they might flap their hands, rock back and forth, or repeat lines from a movie.

These actions can help them feel calm or make sense of the world around them. Repetitive behaviors are a common sign of autism and can look different in every child.

These repetitive behaviors are often called stimming.

Sometimes these behaviors happen because a child is excited, nervous, or trying to feel safe. Repeating actions can give them comfort, especially when things feel confusing or overwhelming. Some kids might line up toys the same way every time, spin the wheels on a car, or tap things in a certain pattern. It’s their way of making things feel more predictable and under control.

While some repetitive behaviors are harmless, others might get in the way of learning or talking to others. That’s why it’s important for teachers and therapists to understand the reason behind the behavior. Instead of stopping it right away, they try to help the child find other ways to cope or communicate. With the right support, kids can learn new skills while still feeling safe and understood.

Types of Repetetive Behaviors

Autistic children can display a multitude of repetitive behaviors. The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) categorizes these behaviors as:

Stereotyped behaviors – repetitive movements such as body rocking, hand flapping, or head rolling
Compulsive behaviors – these are time consuming behaviors children with autism engage in to reduce anxiety. They might put items in a row or stack things one on top of the other. They might need to check to see that the door is locked over-and-over or wash their hands repeatedly.
Sameness – this is a resistance to change. Kids with autism might get upset if they miss their favorite cartoon or refuse to let the furniture be rearranged. They become rigid in their schedule to create order in their world.
Ritualistic behavior – this type of behavior is similar to sameness. The child has unvarying daily activities, such as foods he’ll eat or clothes she’ll wear. Once again, the child is trying to place order in a world that is chaotic and frightening.
Restricted interests – these kids will have fixations on one item or an intensity of focus on something. For instance, the child might be obsessive about trains or a single television program, toy, or game. Some kids like certain animals or events and can tell you almost every fact about them. These kids might carry a book about sharks with them everywhere they go or latch onto a toy like it’s a lifeline.
Self-injury – some but not all autistic children engage in self-injurious behaviors. They might poke themselves in the eyes, bite their fingers, or bang their heads against a wall.

The Many Degrees of Autism

Autism is a spectrum, which means it affects people in many different ways and at different levels. Some people with autism need a lot of help every day, while others can do most things on their own. This is called having different “degrees” or “levels” of autism. Doctors sometimes use levels from 1 to 3 to describe how much support a person needs.

Children with Level 1 autism might talk and go to school like other kids, but they may have trouble making friends or understanding social rules. They might seem shy or like to be alone. Kids with Level 2 autism need more support. They might have trouble with speaking clearly, handling changes in routine, or understanding how to play with others. Kids who are Level 2 often need special help at school and home.

Children with Level 3 autism need the most help. They may not speak at all or only say a few words. They may have big challenges with behavior, daily tasks, and communication. These kids usually need full-time support and therapy. But no matter what level, every child with autism has their own strengths and can learn and grow with the right support.

The degrees of autism can make it difficult to treat autistic children. What works for one child might not work with another. To make matters worse, autistic children will have one “learning sense” that is significantly stronger than the other, which means their other learning senses are usually weaker.

No matter what the student’s primary learning sense is, the Bravo! Learning System address important visual, auditory, and kinesthetic skills that can be weak and interfere with proper learning and communication. In addition, brain balancing exercises are used to help the child build new neural pathways in the brain.

Don’t Push on These Kids!

More than any other learning disability, kids with autism live in a constant state of fight or flight. Because of this, you can’t push on these kids. It just doesn’t work. They might rebel by throwing a temper tantrum or they might retreat into themselves.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t have expectations and goals. This doesn’t mean that you should let them sit in a room all day with an iPad or let them play video games hour after hour. These kids are smart and can learn.

Austistic kids need a step-by-step process where they start with easy skills they can master, those sub-skills the Bravo! Learning System is rich in, then given the chance to slowly build those sub-skills into major skills.

Kids with autism are smart and will surprise you on what they can learn if given the right set of tools, a loving and nurturing environment, and structure. Children who have autism like to be given choices and they like to know what’s expected of them. They like to know their routine will be fairly predictable and most of all…they love to be listened to!

Mistreated and Misunderstood

All too often, kids with autism are misunderstood. People might think that they aren’t smart, when in fact, they’re often brilliant. Of course, since they are usually weak or overly sensitive in auditory and visual processing skills, they often score low on IQ tests. This sets them up for failure, because everyone thinks they aren’t smart, when in fact, they are.

A child with autism has feelings.

Even though they might not understand that others have feelings, they are often locked into their own set of feelings. If an autistic child feels like he can’t trust you, then you won’t make progress with him. He’ll dig in his heels and refuse to do what was asked.

However, these hyper-sensitive kids will go to the moon and back for you if they feel you are trustworthy. They build bonds with their parents and their siblings and will often choose a select few people out in their “world” to trust.