Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 9/29/2005

Question
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Followup To
Question -
my niece has mild autism ( that's what the doctor said anyway ) she is current;ly in Prep school, her teacher has asked her parents if they would like to keep her in prep grade or move her over to grade 1, i have expressed my opinion that she should allowed to go into grade 1 with all her friends. She doesn't have any problems with the work that is given to her, in fact in the past year she has developed so much it's almost unbelievable, before this year she couldn't put 3 words together, but now she can have a full conversation with you with no problems of understanding on either side. she has 2 sisters and absolutely loves them. she gets along with everyone, but is very sensative, if she see's anybody crying she will go up to them and give them a hug and start crying with them, i sometimes think that because she is over sensative that if she ever gets teased at school or anywhere then she will take extra hard. anyway i wanted to know what you think her parentsa should do, let her go to grade 1 or keep her in prep grade.

thanks for your time,

Elizabeth
Answer -
Hi Elizabeth,

In my opinion, she should move on.  Clearly, she has good intelligence and no apparent learning impairments besides the autism.

Keeping her back will cause her to become bored with the school work which can lead to all kinds of behavior problems.

True, she is emotionally younger than her classmates.  I'm willing to bet she's not the only one.  Just knowing she has autism will help her teachers and, as she gets older, herself, cope with that fact.  And yes, she should be told about her diagnosis in the same way one should tell an adopted child that he/she is adopted, so that it simply is a natural fact of life, not a shock later on.

It is important to know that high-functioning (mild) autistics DO progress emotionally as well as intellectually.  She may stay, emotionally, a couple of years behind her classmates for her entire school career, but if she is academically up with them, that is where she should stay.  Special education, or whatever they call it in your country, should provide support services to help with the social skills which will be harder for her to learn.  Note: harder, not impossible.

It is fortunate she was diagnosed early enough to begin the social skills training that will help her.

You can find more information about autism at the following web sites.  

http://www.autism.org
http://www.autism-society.org
http://www.autismasperger.net

Best wishes,
Catherine Ridenour


thank you for answering my earlier question, do you think that she should recieve extra teaching or support from a special teacher, more then her class mates and do you think this will help her be a normal ( whatever that is) child like the rest of the kids in her class, also Samar ( her name )_sometimes still has an accident ( dosen't go to the tiolet quickly enough ) do you think this has anything to do with Autism? she is also come up with a new thing, she is scared of her house now, she calls it the scary red house, i asked her where it is and she points to the roof, ( the roof tiles on the house are red ) but i don't understand why she is so scared, she used to be able to sleep without a light but now if the hall way light isn't on then she can't sleep. is this also to do with autism or is it just a kid being a kid?

thanks, Elizabeth


Answer
Hi Elizabeth,

Let me start with the fear issue.  Many 3-5 year olds develop irratonal fears.  This can be a normal thing.  She may persist longer than other children because of the autism and the fact that it tends to delay emotional maturity.  Also, autistic people tend to have very rigid "black and white" thinking.  I recommend leaving the light on but not calling any attention to the fear of the roof except to acknowledge her comment when she points it out.  She may be realizing that high places are dangerous and can only express this as a fear of the roof.

Now, as to special support at school, absolutely!  She is likely to have difficulty coping with the social pressures as well as needing information presented more than once or in a different format.

You need to know that autism is not something a person "grows out of."  She will always be affected by it.  However, she will learn to cope with it and seem more "normal".  Just remember there really is no such thing as "normal" only averages we tend to call normal.

Best wishes,
Catherine