What is autism? How are children with autism different from ordinary children? An article to give you popular science

Maybe you have met such children when you were in kindergarten or elementary school: they never played or communicated with others, and their behavior was very weird, some banging their heads against the wall, some swaying their bodies, and some yelling.

　　At that time, you may have been full of fear of them, or laughed at such children. You didn't know until later that they were "children from the stars".

　　Children from the stars, refers to children with autism. According to authoritative data surveys, the incidence of autism in China is about 1% . According to the population base, the number of children with autism in China has reached about 14 million . This disease, also known as autism and fixed disorder in clinic , is a representative disease of pervasive developmental disorder .

　　Many people don't know that the reason why children with autism behave strangely is actually the compulsive behavior they do when they are upset.

　　Just like when normal people tremble when they are nervous, and when they are afraid they will curl up unconsciously, this is a way to calm themselves down. It's just that compared with normal people, the world they perceive is deviated from the world in the eyes of the public.

　　Autistic patients often have different degrees of brain structure and brain function abnormalities , such as common cerebellar dysplasia, amygdala shrinkage, and brainstem atrophy .

　　This makes it difficult for them not only to understand the thoughts and emotions of others, but also to express themselves normally, resulting in serious social barriers and only living in their own world. Children with autism can be divided into the following three types according to their performance:

1. Extreme indifference

　　Such children rarely initiate any social interaction other than their own wants and needs. Only when you need toys and food will you express it. Moreover, they usually have no response to the communication initiated by others, no emotional expression , and even extreme indifference to their parents, like strangers;

2. Active but weird

　　These children want to take the initiative to communicate with people, but the way of interaction is very strange and out of place. For example, the child will make unpleasant noises, keep clapping, disrupt what others are doing, etc.;

3. Passive

　　They are able to accept closeness to others, but this acceptance is very passive. Children will appear extremely rigid and rigid in their social interactions as a child and in the future.

　　For the treatment of autistic patients, the best way at present is to intervene as early as possible, especially before the age of 8 is the best intervention period, and before the age of 3 is the golden period of language learning. Treatment options include behavioral, language, and communication interventions .

　　But unfortunately, the effects of autism vary from person to person, and only a small percentage of people do not behave significantly differently from normal people in adulthood.

　　Moreover, autism is not just a mental problem. Nearly 31% of autistic patients are actually accompanied by intellectual disability. 25% of patients have lower intelligence than normal. Because of this, in kindergarten, you may see children with autism. But as you grow up and go to college year by year, these kids disappear from your world.

　　As a parent of a child with autism, it is undoubtedly very distressing. Because in the face of children's incomprehensible behaviors and communication methods, parents will inevitably have negative emotions, feeling that their children are deliberately angry with themselves. However, he also clearly knew that the child was suffering from the disease, and there was nothing he could do . In addition to parents, who will be tolerant and considerate of children?

　　Fortunately, China's policies have been changing in recent years, and many cities have set up sunshine factories. Patients can do some repetitive manual labor in these factories, and can receive corresponding pay every month.

　　Many autistic families are happy to accept this model. It is believed that in the future, China will build a more complete social security mechanism, bringing more gospel and hope to autistic families.