Autism, a complex developmental disability, typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Estimates of the children diagnosed with autism in Pakistan are not known but, thankfully, awareness is increasing...

Achild shows new responses everyday after birth till the time he or she learns to speak and walk. Either it is sitting, crawling, taking their first step, clapping or murmuring words. All of these different new responses excite parents and relatives to no end and inability to show these responses create a great disturbance among parents, sibling and even close relatives. This is because at a young age the child is supposed to show signs of growth! There are many reasons for the lack of these responses. One of these reasons is autism.

Autistic spectrum disorder or more commonly known as autism is a brain disorder in children, which is defined by impaired social interaction, obsessive and narrow interests, repetitive actions and difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication.

Children with autism are usually diagnosed around the age of three or four when they show symptoms of high sensitivity to sound, light and touch and decreased sensation of pain. They avoid other children, resist cuddling, and cannot understand other person's needs and feelings. In addition to this the autism in children creates imaginative social interaction and activity. Infantile autism in children develops at about 30 months of age. It is a condition in which they find it difficult to build normal relationships with others.

With the advancements in psychology and health, the diagnosis of autism is quite easy. It is important, however, to get the child diagnosed as soon as possible. The sooner the diagnosis is made, the quicker therapy and other processes can be implemented. This is all in an effort to decrease the severity of autism.

Finding the right doctor or therapist is one of the greatest challenges for parents of autistic children in the initial stages. It is important to get a doctor or therapist who has specialised in autism and is experienced in dealing with children. However, it is also important that the child feels comfortable with the doctor and is ready to accept to spend time with that doctor. This is because autistic children are usually rigid and have problems in communication and social activities. There has been a great research on autism and so far psychologists and researchers haven't come up with a valid cause of the disease. Research and education on it supports that the disease is not genetic. Professionals believe that it happens due to some type of injury to the brain, after the birth or even before the birth. Environmental factors also play a role in the causes of autism. However, no one could accurately state the cause to date. Recent awareness of autism and the emphasis on research shows that it will not be very long before we might be able to find out what truly causes autism and what would be its cure. Experts in autism have come up with treatment to make life easier of the patients. The treatment differs from child to child since each child with autism is different, which makes it difficult to come up with one suitable or best treatment.

A lot of parents use a structured behaviour based therapy plan, such as Applied Behaviour Analysis, specially designed for their child, starting with what the child does and does not know how to do. These behaviour-based plans include clear instructions for the child to follow and prompting to do so as well as immediate praise and reward so that the desired behaviour is reinforced.

Behaviour-based therapy is particularly very useful in treating autistic children since this therapy works to improve the behaviour of autistic children, which is their major disability. Many parents also seek out alternative treatments for their child with autism, such as special diets etc, which seem to help the children to some extent.

It is believed that special children are highly intelligent or have a great aptitude towards art or music. Autistic children seem to be interested in music and hence psychologists and researchers have come up with a music therapy.

Autistic children who have an instable emotion and often become angry can be cooled down with this music therapy too.

Though it's a sad reality that there is no specialised school for autistic children in Pakistan but it is believed that giving proper education to children with autism can improve their conditions and develop their interaction skills. We should know and remember that autistic children are not retarded. They are oversensitive to information and store it immediately; they are curious and intelligent and deserve attention just like any other person.