Autism in children is a growing topic among concern parents. There are one of two things happening with autism in children:
- Either more and more children are being diagnosed with Autism, or
- Doctors and specialists have become more adept at picking up subtle hints of autism in children and are therefore able to diagnose more readily and easily.
Some experts believe that Autism is not a growing epidemic: that it’s been around for some time and doctors didn’t have the tools or know-how to diagnose such a disability. Other’s believe that more and more children are being diagnosed because it IS a growing epidemic.
At Little Human Scholars, we understand that each child learns differently in their own unique way – whether they are on the Autism spectrum or not. This is why we go out of our way to discover how each child learns and we do our best to cater to them in a group setting so they can retain the most information during their time with us.
As such, Autism is still a concern for many parents. How does a parent detect whether their child is displaying some of the symptoms of Autism? And more importantly, at what age do the said symptoms occur? We have compiled a list below of signs and symptoms children may display. Keep in mind that autism affects children differently and the best way to know for certain is to see a specialist such as a neurologist, developmental paediatrician, psychiatrist or psychologist.
From helpguide.com (http://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism/autism-symptoms-and-early-signs.htm)
Early Signs of Autism in Children
- Doesn’t make eye contact (e.g. look at you when being fed)
- Doesn’t smile when smiled at
- Doesn’t respond to his or her name, or to the sound of a familiar voice
- Doesn’t follow objects visually
- Doesn’t point or wave goodbye, or use other gestures to communicate
- Doesn’t follow the gesture when you point things out
- Doesn’t make noises to get your attention
- Doesn’t initiate or respond to cuddling
- Doesn’t imitate your movements and facial expressions
- Doesn’t reach out to be picked up
- Doesn’t play with other people or share interest and enjoyment
- Doesn’t ask for help or make other basic requests
The following delays warrant an immediate evaluation by your child’s pediatrician.
- By 6 months: No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions
- By 9 months: No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions
- By 12 months: Lack of response to name
- By 12 months: No babbling or “baby talk”
- By 12 months: No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving
- By 16 months: No spoken words
- By 24 months: No meaningful two-word phrases that don’t involve imitating or repeating
In summary, Autism Spectrum disorder affects each child differently. Coincidentally some children may display stronger symptoms with more adverse effects. If you would like to take the MCHAT-Revised (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised as a preliminary measure, click here (https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/mchat)
About Little Human Scholars School and Full Day Daycare Centre in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app called Toddlytic which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into it’s hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,
Jana Moreno