Iman as autistic boy enjoy swimming very much. Unfortunately when we came back to Dungun there is no place to Iman swim. We hope Iman can swim again is like before and many facilities will be for autism child. Thank for kindness especially to MaiA teacher in UKM.

AUTISM AWARENESS AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS

People had been talking about autism awareness among the public. To me it’s such a great challenge to create awareness among the bigger group of people when there is still lack of awareness among the smaller group : the family members of Autistic children. Tajul Iman is celebrating his 13 years old birthday this coming June: 15/6/2016. Until now I do have problems dealing with my family members, even with my own siblings.

I remembered my friend Sufian said, when Muhammad (his Autistic son) was young, he used to give a cash reward to Muhammad’s cousins, for them to play with him. To the extend, but he claimed  ”ÏT WORKS THAT WAY”. For Tajul Iman, I haven’t implement the same strategy. I might have to consider doing it someday. Like this week, we’re here in Negeri Sembilan, my home town. My niece and nephew called me a few times when I was in Dungun, insisting for me to come back to NS during the school holiday. But when we’re already here, things even get worst when I found difficulties in handling those kids when they often tried to hurt my son. Iman used to tease other kids, playing with their hair (for his sensory problem), destroying their toys, etc. They expressed their anger by punching him, kicking him and do things that might hurt my son. Worries me a lot, that I got to monitor my boy almost all the time!

I know and understand that they’re still small kids, we adults got to educate them, but it really hurts me a lot when my own sister used to be so suspicious about my son, on his interaction with his own cousins. My sister always tried to make a distance between her kids and Tajul Iman. Yesterday she didn’t turn up to work as my family is still here at my mom’s place. Being so protective to her own kids.  

This might be a trivial matter to those people outside there, but to me, it really hurts me a lot when I still can’t make the family members able to adapt with our family, with our two autistic children. Irfan is doing ok since he is still a mild Autism, but Tajul Iman, my severe one seems to create such a chaotic life to other people around him.

Every single day when we’re here, is such a great challenge for me to make every family members to cope well with Tajul  Iman.  Yesterday my dad was so angry and he spanked my boy for pulling out the door locked. Also when Tajul Iman kicked his door until it was broken. Three days in my hometown and my son had make every people’s life crazy!!!! Enough enough enough, I got to back to Dungun ASAP.

by:Sandra Harris, Ph.D., professor emerita at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and executive director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University.

Sources of Stress for Autism Siblings

Raising a child with autism places some extraordinary demands on parents as individuals and on the family as a whole. Prime among these demands is the lack of enough hours in the day to do all one wishes. Specifically, the time involved in meeting the needs of a family member with autism may leave parents with little time for their other children.

Many parents feel that even as they do all they can for their child with autism, they are always struggling with how best to respond to the needs of the family as a whole. They say that although their own life as an individual may be put “on hold” and a couple may share an understanding of the need to make sacrifices on behalf of their child with autism, few parents are willing to make that same demand of other children in the family. As a result, there is a continual tension between the needs of the child with autism and those of the other children.

Not all siblings will experience these stressful issues, but here are some to be aware of:

• Embarrassment around peers; jealousy regarding amount of time parents spend with their brother/sister
• Frustration over not being able to engage or get a response from their brother/sister
• Being the target of aggressive behaviors
• Trying to make up for the deficits of their brother/sister
•  Concern regarding their parents’ stress and grief
• Concern over their role in future caregiving

Many of the suggestions provided below are things parents can do within the family to help a child understand what autism is all about, to improve interactions among the children in the family, and to ensure brothers and sisters grow up feeling they have benefited from the love and attention we all need.

Iman's cherish Moments At Autism Lab UKM

I realized the importance of a proper education and early intervention program for Autism children. Iman was enjoying himself at Autism Lab UKM until we got to say Goodbye to UKM teaching team in July2012. My gratitude to UKM for an opportunity to put my son there until he was toilet trained, improving his motor skills and giving me a hope to complete my Phd.

But . God knows what's the best for me and Tajul Iman. I came back to Dungun, I got to struggle for my son's education again. I got to start my journey here, with some regress in his behavior, predominantly resulting from his dismay for being terminated from UKM. I quit my Phd, putting all my efforts, crying in pain, day in day out, Until I said to myself, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel soon....

Causes of Autism: Recent Findings

Growing Consensus Among Scientists:

"In autism there are lots of opinions and very little data," says Lisa Croen, Ph.D. Research Scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. In the past few years, however, some consensus has emerged on at least a few new pieces of the puzzle. As the research progresses, it will be easier to see the relationships among findings -- and to tease out the appropriate treatments for each individual on the autism spectrum.

There Is More Than One "Autism":

About 25% of autistic people have digestive issues; 25% have seizure disorders; many have sleep problems. Recent findings suggest that the many different symptoms may actually indicate many different causes -- and thus many different "autisms." A massive study now underway at UC Davis's M.I.N.D. Institute is in the process of separating out different autistic phenotypes with the hope that this information will speed better understanding of causes and treatments.

Autism has a genetic component:

Autism is hereditary, in that children with autistic people in their family are more likely than other children to be autistic.

Researchers are well on the way to finding genes that relate to autism -- but the jury is still out regarding exactly how such genes might function to create autistic symptoms. Sophia Colamarino, Science Program Director at Cure Autism Now, explains,"We’re talking about genes because they allow us to understand the biological origins of the problem."

There is a Relationship Between Autism and Brain Structure:

Recent brain studies show that autistic brains grow at an unusual rate between age 1 and 2, and then slow again to a normal rate of growth. Some imaging studies suggest that certain areas of the brain are larger than is typical. Research is ongoing to determine whether these differences in brain structure cause autism, are caused by autism, or are co morbid with autism and caused by something else.

There Is a Relationship Between Autism and Brain Activity:

Recent brain imaging studies show that autistic people and typically developing people do not use their brains in the same way. Autistic people do not use their brains to "daydream" in the same way as most people, nor do they process information about faces in the same way.

So far, while we know that this information is true, we don't know what causes these differences -- or whether these differences somehow cause autistic symptoms.

There Is a Relationship Between Autism and Brain Chemicals:

Chemicals in the brain transmit signals which allow the brain to function normally. Sophia Colamarino explains: "Nerve cells communicate using electrochemical signals; there is evidence from many different domains that the ability of the brain to transfer information may be defective." An understanding of which transmitters are problemmatic may lead to effective treatments.

Genes Probably Interact with Environmental Factors:

It is likely that genetics and environmental factors interact to cause autism. As yet, there is no proof of which environmental or genetic factors are to blame. Says Dr. Croen, autism "You need some kind of genetic susceptibility; then you have to be exposed to something which is elusive at the moment. This would be the impetus that sends you into autism."

No One Factor Causes Autism:

It is unlikely that any one factor -- vaccines, foods, or environmental toxins -- is the cause of autism. "To find clues about the cause," says Dr. Croen, "we have to do really large studies to look at different configurations of co-morbidities… see what’s unique about each separate group." New research will be address the questions "How do these circles overlap? What is the common thread?"

References:

Interview: Dr. Lisa Croen, Ph.D. Research Scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California

Interview: Sophia Colamarino Science Program Director at Cure Autism Now

Organization for Autism Research

Autistic Boy's Interest

Iman loves water very much..but for the time being we lack of time to make it with him..sorry Iman. Next time we will find time for you. 

What Are the Symptoms of Severe Autism?

By Richard Nilsen      (28/1/2015)

A doctor, psychiatrist or school psychologist may assist in diagnosing a child with autism. The symptoms of autism usually show up by age three, tend to affect males more than females and help define the particular bio-neurological disorder a child may have within the “autism spectrum disorder.” At the mild end of the spectrum, an Asperger syndrome child may have better communication skills, and a severely autistic child may have debilitating handicaps in the three main areas of communication, social skills and behaviors.

Communication Problems

A severely autistic child may show no ability to communicate with others. According to Mayo Clinic staff, language isn’t just delayed, it may not develop at all, or the child may lose previous language skills. The severely autistic child may only repeat words and phrases others use with no functional meaning attached (echolalia) in a sing-song or odd repetition. The child may not show any non-verbal communication skills with inappropriate body language, lack of eye contact and ignoring of other speakers, as if deaf.

Lack of Social Skills

The child with severe autism not only doesn’t have age-appropriate play-learn skills, she may ignore the existence of others or strike out at those nearby. The Autism Society website states such children tend to fixate on objects rather than people, seem to have no interest in any peer relationships and seem unable to engage in play activities. While each child with autism is somewhat different, each one tends to be self-absorbed, resists physical contact and ignores the existence of others. The child will not respond to her name and seems to be in her own little world.

Behavioral Problems

The child with severe autism will enact abnormal and self-destructive behaviors, sometimes into adulthood. The National Autism Association states the child tends to repeat movements in a hypnotic, trance-like manner like turning, hand-flapping or hitting himself. The child may need to wear a helmet to keep from harming himself and seems impervious to pain. He may react with fear and as if in pain to non-threatening noises or objects while ignoring real danger like fire or an oncoming automobile.

Guidance on Helping Nonverbal Child Severely Disabled by Autism

speech-language pathologist Donna Murray,
senior director of the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (AS-ATN).

This is a framework that I’ve used to teach important life skills to nonverbal children severely affected by autism. But it can help all individuals affected by autism – at any age and wherever they are on the spectrum.

Creating a supportive environment

So often, we focus on helping nonverbal children express themselves that we give short shrift to helping them understand what’s expected of them. This is so important because lack of understanding creates frustration and anxiety. As you no doubt know first hand, frustration and anxiety tend to increase challenging behaviors.

In addition many persons with autism have difficultly shifting attention. In other words, your son may have trouble disengaging from a task or shifting attention between the task and a person trying to get his attention. Many individuals with autism also experience delays in processing verbal information from others. All this can make it difficult for him to process your directions and communications. 

For all these reasons, I recommend creating an environment that fosters understanding. In other words, we want to create an environment that helps a child – or adult – with autism to understand what to do and when to do it.

So how does one build such an environment?

The physical space

When considering your child’s environment, consider the “macro” down to the “micro” – or the big picture down to the detail.

Look at the space. Does the room layout help your son understand what to expect and what’s expected of him? Is it free of unnecessary distractions? In a large classroom, for example, special-education teachers often divide the room with short bookshelves to create smaller spaces for specific activities.

At home, you might place a particular piece of furniture or another item in an area to help indicate what’s supposed to happen there. For example, a play space might have a bean bag chair, CD player for music and some books and games. A study area might include a desk, pencils and teaching materials. An art area would have paints, paper and a smock. Within a kitchen, you might create a snack area with a table and placemat that has an outline of a dish and cup.

Once the space is organized to communicate expectations, consider the specific activities you’d like your son to enjoy within each area. You can provide visual representations for his choices. These can be icons, visual schedules or actual items, depending on your child’s needs.  For example, you could have pictures of two snack choices on the table so your child can indicate his preference.

Next, think about what is supposed to happen within that activity. Yes, I know this is a lot to think about and a lot of work. But the payoff will be worth the effort!

So for each activity, think about communicating your expectations. I suggest asking yourself – from your child’s perspective – the following questions for each activity. I think they’ll help you find many ways to improve understanding:

What am I supposed to do? To communicate this, you might have a model or picture of the completed activity. For example, a completed craft or a sequence of pictures illustrating steps.

How long will the activity take? What will signal when I’m finished?” Some activities – such as a puzzle or worksheet – have an obvious end point. Others – like Legos or a craft – are open ended. For those open-ended activities, a timer can help your child track time and signal the activity’s end. Or, you might put some thought into the number of Legos or other craft components you put out for your child. In this way, when all the pieces are used, the activity will come to a natural end.

What’s next? (a reward!) Everyone can use a little encouragement to tackle tasks they don’t particularly like. It can help to have a visual schedule illustrating that an enjoyable activity will follow, once the more-challenging task is done. Just as we look forward to our paychecks, it’s important to communicate the occasional “payoff’ in the schedule of activities you lay out for your child.

These are some of the approaches I’ve used as a therapist to increase function and promote long-term quality of life for nonverbal individuals severely affected by autism. I realize that my short blog post and some links to other written materials will only begin to address the complex challenges that you, your son and your family must tackle. But I hope that you and others will find these strategies and resources helpful.

Thanks again for reaching out. Please let us know how you’re doing in the comment section below or by emailing us at GotQuestions@AutismSpeaks.org.

Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome is mostly a 'hidden disability'. This means that you can't tell that someone has the condition from their outward appearance. People with the condition have difficulties in three main areas. They are:

• * social communication Asperger syndrome is a form of autism, 
• * social interaction
• * social imagination.
• which is a lifelong disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other peopleelo. Autism is often described as a 'spectrum disorder' because the condition affects people in many different ways and to varying degrees. (For more information about autism, please read our leaflet What is autism?)
• While there are similarities with autism, people with Asperger syndrome have fewer problems with speaking and are often of average, or above average, intelligence. They do not usually have the accompanying learning disabilities associated with autism, but they may have specific learning difficulties. These may include dyslexia and dyspraxia or other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy.
• With the right support and encouragement, people with Asperger syndrome can lead full and independent lives.
• 
  

What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

by; National Institute of Mental Health

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by:

• ·      Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts;
• ·         Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities;
• ·         Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (typically recognized in the first two years of life); and,
• ·        Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.

The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment or disability that children with ASD can have. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled. The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) no longer includes Asperger’s syndrome; the characteristics of Asperger’s syndrome are included within the broader category of ASD.