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Autism in Children – How can Tree of Hope help?

Though we can not provide grants for children with autism, we provide an effective fundraising platform for families who wish to raise funds for interventions, therapies and services that are not ordinarily provided by the UK health service for children diagnosed with autism or Asperger syndrome. Our model and dedicated family support service allows you to fundraise more effectively and efficiently so that you can get the crucial support you need for your child. Contact us to start fundraising today.

PLEASE NOTE: We can only support fundraising for medical treatments that are recognised by a medical governing body or, if experimental, are part of a registered clinical trial.

Tree of Hope can meet the needs of your autistic child. Click here to get in touch and find out more information from our family support team and how you can get started!

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What is Autism?

Autism is a lifelong neurological, developmental disability that impacts the way a person communicates, learns and experiences senses and emotions. Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to the rest of us and things that might seem straightforward such as language or metaphors can be confusing. Autism is also a spectrum condition, which means that although there are common difficulties, people with autism will be affected in a different variety of ways. This means that autism is not always immediately apparent in those diagnosed as the symptoms can be more severe for some than others. 

Autism or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is much more common than most people think, with about 1 in 100 diagnosed with it, meaning that around 700,000 people are diagnosed with autism in the UK alone. 

We work with a number of experienced suppliers and therapy providers to help families get access to services and interventions to assist their autistic child’s symptoms. Caudwell Children have just launched Britain’s very first independent centre for Autism where they are dedicated to revolutionising the way people in the UK are affected by the condition, from diagnosis to therapy and research. Other autism specialists we work with include: UK YAP, Ambitious About Autism, Research Autism and The Sound Learning Centre. 

Signs and Symptoms of Autism in Children

Early signs of autism in children can be difficult to diagnose as the symptoms are not always immediately obvious, some children with autism may only have very mild symptoms that go unnoticed until they begin school. This in itself can affect children with autism as without diagnosis they might feel alienated and unsure why they find social situations more difficult. Asperger syndrome is even more difficult to diagnose as signs are not always recognised until adulthood. 

Some of the early signs of autism in babies and toddlers include:

  • Limited or no response when you say their name 
  • Limited or avoidance of eye contact 
  • Late to begin smiling and laughing
  • Doesn’t begin to babble
  • Repetitive behaviours such as flapping, rocking and spinning
  • Shows little interest in objects (such as pointing out animals when age-appropriate)
  • Doesn’t enjoy being cuddled

Children with autism can sometimes develop as expected until around the age of 18 months, when symptoms may begin to become more obvious. It is also possible for children with autism to experience regression, whereby behaviours or gestures they were once able to do, such as waving and pointing, are lost. 

Although autism is a spectrum disorder, there are some common symptoms and characteristics associated with it which may become more noticeable as your child grows:

Sensory Processing Disorders – autistic people can find their senses are easily overpowered and this can cause distress. Things like touch, sound and light can cause them problems.

Routine – people who suffer from autism feel uncomfortable when they don’t know what is coming next. A regular routine will make them feel more at ease.
Special Interests – autistic people can often have an intense interest in a given subject and will have a wide range of knowledge on all aspects of it.

If you notice that your child is displaying symptoms of autism, you should contact your GP and request for a referral to be made for an assessment.

Jennifer’s Ockwell gives us her top 10 tips to help a child through their formative school years.

Jennifer was a guest invited along to one of our Medical Committee meetings and is a Mother of two autistic children. From her challenging, real-life experiences of bringing up her children and the difficulties they have faced, she now tutors teachers and education specialists about the best ways to deal with autism in school

Autism affects around 1 in 100 people

That's over 700,000 people in the UK

Autism Treatments for Children

Although there is no cure for autism, you can manage it and make it easier to handle. There is a range of interventions, therapies and approaches that can improve your autistic child’s quality of life, including:

  • Speech and language therapy
  • Applied Behaviour Analysis therapy (ABA)
  • Sensory equipment 
  • Assistive technology devices 

Autistic children are likely to respond to treatments differently; what helps one child, may not help another, which is why it is important to be aware of all the therapies and interventions that are available. 

Head to our Partner Organisations page to find therapists and suppliers that we work with who provide interventions and techniques to assist with autism in children and other conditions.

 

What is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger syndrome is a form of autism and affects those diagnosed differently from other forms of autism. People with Asperger syndrome are often considered to have an above-average level of intelligence but face difficulties in other aspects of life. They don’t necessarily have the same difficulties with speech and language that others diagnosed with autism encounter, but they might still have difficulty processing language. People with Asperger syndrome have described a constant feeling of being overwhelmed by the world and the things around them. A common problem that they experience is a lack of empathy and a dislike of any change in their established routines. Or it could be that they, in fact, have too much empathy as explored at https://network.autism.org.uk/content/new-theory-suggests-people-autism-have-too-much-empathy-rather-not-enough

 

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