Taking aim at autism

CHAPEL HILLl, N.C. – When new mom Kristen Balhoff filled out a mailed research survey about her baby boy's behavior, she had no clue what would happen next.

"It was a shocking call to get, because we didn't have any concerns about his development," said Balhoff.

Recommended Videos



Patrick was invited to participate in a study for one-year-olds at risk for autism spectrum disorder.

Grace Baranek, PhD, Lead Investigator at UNC, PEARLS Program in Chapel Hill, North Carolina helped run the study.

"We would ask families about things like how engaged is your child in peek-a-boo games and patty cake games. We also asked families if their child quickly responds to their name when they're called," she said.

Simple interventions through "ART" or adapted responsive teaching could improve their child's social interaction and behavior.

Baranek explained, "If the child was very overly focused on some type of repetitive play they were doing, the interventionist might coach the parent to try to imitate the child."

Some other strategies? Linn Wakeford, Intervention Coordinator at UNC, PEARLS Program in Chapel Hill, North Carolina recommends playing face-to-face games with your kids and engage them by communicating the way they do.

"So if you say, a dadadadada then I'm going to say something back to you that's kind of like that and I might even use a gesture like a dadadadada. It's just amazing how kids start to look at you, like, oh you're speaking my language now," Wakeford explained.

Now five, Patrick was recently diagnosed with mild ASD.

Balhoff said, "What would be the case if we had not been a part of this program? I don't know. But I'm really glad that we were."

Lessons she's using with all of her kids.

Researchers at UNC say while these strategies were used to show parents how to interact with their kids at risk for autism, the strategies could be used to better interact with any young child.

Additional Information:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affects one in 68 children in the United States. A "spectrum condition" is one that can manifest itself in a varying range of severity depending on the individual. ASD now consists of several conditions which were previously diagnosed separately: autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger syndrome.  Primary care providers are invaluable in the process of diagnosing ASD because of their frequent interaction with a child in his/her early years which also allows the doctors to effectively participate in the child's development. (Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-screening.html, http://www.autism-society.org/what-is/ )

 

SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM:  Even though some children can be diagnosed as early as two years of age, most children with ASD are diagnosed after age four. Additionally, ASD is almost five times more common in boys than girls and white children are more likely to have ASD than black or Hispanic children. Because there is no medical test for doctors to use to diagnose the disorder, they need to observe the child's behavior and development to make their diagnosis. Signs and symptoms of ASD can include: 

  • Not making eye contact and wanting to be alone
  • Appearing to be unaware when people talk to them, but responding to other sounds
  • Repeating actions over and over again
  • Not playing "pretend" games
  • Losing skills they once had
  • Repeating or echoing words or phrases said to them, or repeating words or phrases in place of normal language
  • Having trouble expressing needs using normal words or motions

(Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html )

 

HELPING THOSE WITH ASD: ART, or Adaptive Response Training, is a set of techniques taught to parents in hopes that they can be used to improve their child's social interaction. Parents participated in an intervention with Grace Baranek, PhD, Lead Investigator of UNC, PEARLS Program, of 32 sessions over six months, about an hour twice a week. One technique parents were taught encouraged them to imitate any repetitive play their child may be focused on in order to draw their attention to a social interaction.  Parents were also encouraged to speak with their children, but not necessarily with words. Speaking to a child using the sounds and babbling he/she would use, is an effective way to introduce the child to the dynamics of conversation. This type of communication should give children a better foundation for developing social skills as they get older. (Source: Grace Baranek, PhD)