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Q.1.
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What is wrong with my
child? Why is she not
developing like other
children? |
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A.
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Brain
controls our entire body
functioning. If the brain
is damaged it may manifest
as developmental delay,
mental retardation, poor
learning and performance.
Your child's problem may
be one of the above. Hence
the child is different
in development and learning.
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Q.2.
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How early can one identify
and tell that the child
is mentally retarded? |
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A. |
Early
detection depends upon
the severity and the
nature of mental retardation:
Many genetic abnormalities
can be identified before
birth and immediately
after birth. Some of
the ways to identify
are through amniocentesis,
sonography, fetoscopy,
blood and urine screening
tests and imaging techniques.
Some conditions like
Down's syndrome, microcephaly
(small head) hydrocephalous/
obvious congenital anomalies
can be identified at
birth with presenting
features.
After birth if the
growth and developmental
milestones are delayed
and there is presence
of neurological signs
and symptoms, identification
of development delay
can be suspected with
in one year of age. |
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Q.3.
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Are there any drugs that
can cure mental retardation? |
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A. |
There
is no cure for mental
retardation with drugs.
Mental retardation is
a condition where the
damage caused to the brain
is permanent. No drugs
have been found to repair
the damage caused to the
brain. However prevention
is possible. Mental retardation
caused due to thyroid
deficiency can be prevented
by medical treatment if
identified very early
and treated. In the case
of hydrocephalus, surgical
intervention can reduce
the pressure in the brain
by using a shunt. Treatment
is available for associated
condition like fits. |
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Q.4.
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How early can a parent
seek early intervention
when their baby is found
to be developmentally
delayed? |
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A. |
As
soon as it is recognized
that the young child is
developmentally delayed,
prompt treatment and intervention
will help the child to
reach his optimal level
of development. The first
24 months of a normal
child's life involve tremendous
and rapid growth and development.
Hence, the earlier the
parent seeks early intervention
services the better it
is for the child's development. |
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Q.5. |
Whether my child will
become all right? |
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A. |
Mental
retardation is not a disease.
It is a condition caused
by damage to the brain
and cannot be cured by
medicines. However, a
child with mental retardation
can be helped to learn
skills and progress in
many ways by training
depending on the severity
of retardation. |
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Q.6. |
Whether
my child can walk, talk
like other children? |
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A. |
Children with mental retardation
do learn to walk, understand
and speak to a large extent.
However, how far and how
quickly they learn depends
on the extent of the brain
damage and early identification
and timely intervention. |
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Q.7. |
What
is Autism? |
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A. |
This
is by far the most frequently
asked question. Briefly,
it is a life long developmental
disorder that typically
occurs in the first three
years of life. It causes
impairment or disturbance
in 3 main areas-Social
skills, communicative
skills (verbal as well
as non-verbal) and in
thinking. Any one or more
of the senses may be affected.
All these difficulties
manifest themselves in
different behaviours i.e.
autistic persons have
different ways of relenting
to people, objects and
events in the environment. |
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Q.8. |
How
is it different from mental
retardation? |
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A. |
A.
When a person has mental
retardation there is a
more or less even impairment
in skills in all areas
of development. Therefore,
if a mentally retarded
child of 8 years has a
mental age of 5 then all
his skills would be roughly
around 5 years (i.e) motor,
communication, social,
self-help, cognition etc.).
In Autism, there is an
uneven skill development
- in fact this is the
hallmark of autism. In
some areas, the child
may show age-appropriate
skills; in some, the skills
may be below the developmental
level; and then again
there are people with
Autism who possess exceptional
skills which are beyond
their age level. |
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Q.9. |
What
causes Autism ? |
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A. |
A.
At this point in time
we do not know what causes
Autism. However, current
research indicates that
anything that can produce
structural or functional
damage to the central
nervous system can also
produce the condition
of Autism. We know that
certain viruses and known
genetic conditions are
associated with Autism.
In addition, there are
families that have more
than one child with autism.
At present, it is believed
that about 10% of all
cases can be accounted
for genetically. It is
difficult to tell parents
why their child has autism.
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Q.10. |
Can
the child ever live an
independent life? |
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A. |
A.
Autism is a spectrum
disorder. Currently
there is no reliable
and objective measure
of how severe the Autism
is in an individual
child. Children with
Autism do have potential
for building up their
skills and they can
be helped if they receive
early, well focussed
intervention they receive,
children with Autism
can lead relatively
independent lives. |
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Q.11. |
Is
there a Cure? |
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A. |
A.
At this point we do
not know what causes
Autism and so cannot
fix (cure) what is wrong
in the child's brain.
Many therapies (medications,
diets, etc) are being
tried but nothing is
proven. The only thing
that is found to help
in all cases is an appropriate
training program that
is very specific to
the child's needs. It
is a life long condition
but with appropriate
intervention (training
methods) the child can
progress to his fullest
potential. |
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Q.12. |
What
are the chances of her
going to a regular school? |
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A. |
A.
There are a number of
autistic children who
have integrated into
regular schools. The
chances depend on several
factors. The most important
is - "what is the skill
profile, how early was
the diagosis made and
thereafter what kind
of early intervention
was provided?'' Most
children with Autism
have differnt learning
styles from regular
children and therefore
teaching styles also
need to be different.
In some schools this
is not understood and
therefore children with
Autism face difficulties;
after Grade 4 or Grade
5 many have to drop
out. |
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Q.13. |
Will
my child ever speak, if
so, when?
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A. |
A.
A large number of autistic
children (about 30-50%)
do not use speech. It
is very difficult to
say when and whether
the child will ever
speak. It is confirmed
that their is no difficulty
in their oral mechanism
that prevents them from
speaking. Some who may
have spoken as infants
and have subsequently
lost their speech, may
or may not get their
speech back. They do
not speak for reasons
as yet unclear. Experience
with children with autism
has shown that if the
environment is accepting,
and people are aware
of the kind of speech
they themselves need
to use with the child,
it can produce positive
results.
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Q.14. |
Can speech therapy help? |
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A. |
A.
Speech Therapy can help
some children. It is
absolutely essential
for the speech therapist
to understood Autism
ingeneral and also the
individual child. Otherwise,
the conventional methods
of speech therapy do
not help children with
Autism. However, every
child with Autism can
benefit from communication
therapy. |
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Q.15. |
Why is he hyperactive? |
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A. |
A.
Hyperactivity can have
a medical reason. However,
most children with Autism
are restless because of
an impaiment in their
imaginative and social
skills. They cannot play
with their toys and other
children meaningfully
and find it very difficult
to occupy themselves.
Often they eat a lot to
keep themselves occupied.
Eating junk food (chips,
chocolates and aerated
soft drinks with preservatives)
can also increase hyperactivity
can be reduced as the
children are taught new
skills and ways to keep
themselves occupied. |
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Q.16. |
Are people with Autism
also mentally retarded
? |
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A |
A.
It is very difficult for
people with autism to
take an IQ test because
they may have certain
skills but are not able
to use them in a test.
About 50% of people with
autism are also mentally
retarded, in the same
way that people with Cerebral
Palsy can have mental
retardation. Autism can
occur in association with
other difficulties like
Cerebral Palsy, Dyslexia,
Downs Syndrome, Visual
Impairment, Hearing Impairment
and seizure Disorder. |
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