Colours of life

One in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism. And many a time, it goes undiagnosed. Though autism cannot be medically detected and there is no cure for it, early diagnosis and intervention can help, informs Damyanti Datta, a special educator who has specialised in training and teaching autistic children.
She explains that children with autism are socially impaired.In most cases, with parents failing to identify the problem at the right age, which is two-and-a half-years, the problem goes undiagnosed and hence aggravates. The problem with most schools, she adds, is that they fail to understand a child, and thus, fail to address their needs.
With a diploma in special education from Karnataka Parents Association for Mentally Retarded Citizens (KPAMRC), Bangalore, Datta is registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India and the National Autistic Society, UK. She has an experience of over 10 years and her specialisation lies in the field of language and communication as related to autism, behaviour and academics.
Over the years, Datta has successfully mainstreamed a few autistic children. Talking about her larger goals, she adds: "My goal is to make a child socially active and sensitising children, teachers and parents."
Behaviour patterns
Autism is a brain development disorder. It is characterised by impaired social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour. Signs of autism can be noted in the first two years of a child���s life. Autistic children have difficulty interacting with other people and expressing themselves through words, points out Datta. They also have trouble connecting between words and their meanings. Talking about behavioural patterns, she adds: "They might flap their hands, repeat certain words over and over, throw tantrums, or play with one specific toy. Also, most of them prefer the familiarity of a routine life."
Good practices
During the initial phase of training, Datta employs a lot of ���sensory play��� to encourage language. According to her, occupational therapy too goes a long way in developing skills like gross motor, sign motor and language. She also engages in floor time activities with children, which involves letting them play with their chosen toy or object, before manoeuvring and inducing them to imagine more. "This helps in making the child flexible in his/her behaviour and once the child is open to change, emotional development is stimulated, which in turn helps to develop language," she says.
Datta stresses that skills should be taught through a learn-and-play method. However, she adds, the real challenge is to help them feel happy and excited about things around them.