Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008 - (Page 45)

Luke, and his speech was reduced to repetition. When his mother held him, he did not make eye contact with her. “Come back. Come back,” she screamed, only to hear her words In his first few months, Nigel had achieved all of his developmen- Signs of Autism Autism spectrum disorders can be detected in children as young as 9 months and can be reliably diagnosed at 12 months. Children with autism may have problems with social, emotional, and/or communication skills. They may repeat certain behaviors or have difficulty adapting to changes in their daily routine. Many children with autism also have different ways of learning or paying attention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a child with autism might: n Not play “pretend” games (e.g., pretend to feed a doll) n Not point at objects to show interest (e.g., point at an hollowly echoed by her son. “Come back. Come back.” tal milestones early or on time. He sat up, rolled over, and crawled a star soccer player. mom dimmed. commando style. To Luke, the athletic infant seemed destined to be But when he was 10 months, Luke’s fantasies of being a soccer “He stopped pointing, waving, imitating. It had just started, then it disappeared. He didn’t want to walk anymore. He didn’t want to hold hands,” his mother says. “I was looking for him not to have autism. I wasn’t finding out that he did, but I also wasn’t finding out that he did not.” attaining only the bare minimum of skills required to be considered normal. When her child did not walk on time, Luke would not allow on an ongoing monologue. Through her determination, Nigel learned to both walk and talk. her free time. him to crawl, and when he was slow to learn language, she carried From 10 months until 24 months, Nigel developed slowly, airplane flying over) n Not look at objects when another person points at them n Have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all n Avoid eye contact and want to be alone n Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings n Prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to n Appear to be unaware when other people talk to them, but respond to other sounds n Be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, Meanwhile, Luke fruitlessly scanned the Internet for information in “I was looking for him not to have autism. I wasn’t finding out that Finally, after two years of searching and another major play, or relate to them n Repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or he did, but I also wasn’t finding out that he did not,” she says. repeat words or phrases in place of normal language (e.g., echolalia) n Have trouble expressing their needs using typical regression, Nigel was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. “It presents itself differently in every person” When Dr. Alan Rosenblatt ’82 attended Lehigh University, many people believed that poor parenting caused autism. That’s not true, says Rosenblatt, a specialist in neurodevelopmental pediatrics and an expert in autism. words or motions n Repeat actions over and over again n Have trouble adapting when a routine changes n Have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound were once using) —Christine Cole, professor of school psychology, Lehigh University photo BY ChRIS tIBaldI ’09 chemistry, mostly caused by a genetic predisposition triggered by outside factors. “It is thought to be strongly genetic, but there is no one single Those with autism have abnormalities in the brain’s structure and n Lose skills they once had (e.g., stop saying words they fall 2008 45

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008

Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008 Contents From the President's Desk Mailbox On Campus Research Arts & Culture Sports Cover Story: The Dalai Lama at Lehigh Heart of a Champion Around the World in 80 Years Fighting for Children wth Autism Keepers of the Flame From the Publisher's Desk Alumni News The Last Word

Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008

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