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About two years ago, a film in Malaysia’s national language was released in cinemas on a limited basis. It tells the tale about how a couple has to deal with their only child who has to cope with a health condition that can be difficult for medical doctors and healthcare professionals to diagnose. The film was eventually marketed internationally as ‘Beautiful Pain’. Someone asked if I had gone to watch it on the silver screen. This prompted me to shed light on the condition highlighted in the film. Can you guess what the focus of this article will be on?

Well, I’ll give you a hint. The condition has to do with brain development. It sort of reminds me of Cerebral Palsy (CP), but no, I’ve already touched on that previously on several occasions.

I’m going to look at one of the conditions related to the autism spectrum. For this, I reached out to a parent who was quite willing to provide me with some insight on this.

“It’s of course crucial for one to consult a healthcare professional or an expert to accurately diagnose one’s condition.” According to Mama Naim*, she knows of many parents who tend to self-diagnose, based on their own observations and readings. While doing so is not wrong, completely relying on such cues is risky. My own research tells me that there are two determining factors before a diagnosis of a condition related to the autism spectrum can be made: the child’s development and behaviour.

When asked about the symptoms and signs that her child displays, the twenty-something said that they include:

• No eye contact
• Laughing uncontrollably when the situation doesn’t call for it
• Doesn’t know how to “pretend-play”
• Sensory processing difficulties
• Repetitive actions (like constantly flapping hands)
• Selective with toys
• Doesn’t like to play or mix around with others who belong in the same age group
• Likes to spin objects

Mama Naim notes that every child will have a different set of symptoms, depending on where a child is on the spectrum, which is associated with different connotations. In that sense, every child is unique. In fact, some may not show obvious or typical signs, which makes it even more challenging for professionals to ascertain what a child has.

The mother of three has to deal with his moodiness, difficulty in coping with routine changes, as well as his habit of being a loner, especially prior to enrolling him in a pre-school. She explains that “Whenever there are guests who come and visit my family, he’d go into his room and sit in there quietly, refusing to acknowledge their presence and mix around.” When asked about how he interacts with his siblings, she said it took some time for him to get used to it. It was only after a while that he felt comfortable playing with them.

As a result of her child’s condition, Mama Naim said that taking him to public places can be dicey. “Once, at a shopping mall, I was looking at some clothes. I had him within sight. So I thought it would be okay for me to look at some of the clothes for a couple of minutes. When I shifted my attention away from the clothes, I realised he was no longer with me. I thought I had lost him. I went looking around for him, in panic and fear. Eventually, I found him hiding in between some of the pants and shirts that were hanging on the racks”. She explains that due to his speech delay, it’s difficult for him to express himself appropriately.

But it’s also good to know that her child attends a regular day-to-day kindergarten, and has shown signs of progress, thanks to the appropriate interventions and approaches in occupational therapy and speech therapy that she brings him for and tags along with. “He’s doing OK and for everything up to this point, I can only be grateful, she says.

Asked if she’s in touch with other parents who are in a similar situation as her, she says: No. I do, however, read and share tips in the relevant Facebook group and page on Autism Malaysia.

*The participant has agreed to use such a name.

SOURCES:

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/autism-spectrum-disorder-asd
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSwcDZFpV0s