April 2017 – The Winford Centre for Children and Women

Why you should never say someone with Autism looks “normal”

Posted on April 14, 2017April 16, 2017 by Administrator

Many times, you may find that if you tell an adult with Autism or a parent who has a child with Autism that their child looks normal, rather than appreciate your comment (because you mean well) you may get a cynical look. This is why:

Contrary to what you think, it is not a compliment. It depicts stereotyping, sounds derogatory and shows you are ready to judge people simply based on their looks.
Autism is an invisible disability therefore, you should not expect to see any physical deformity or worse still a human with a dinosaur head.
It trivialises the individual’s struggle- sort of like saying “Oh! It is just autism, it really doesn’t count”.
It shows ignorance. Now everyone is not expected to know everything but, as with any other subject, when you don’t know or understand, you ask for more clarity.
There are alternative things you can say such as:
- What does it mean to have Autism?
- Tell me a bit more about it

Don’t reduce people to how they look. Everyone is uniquely beautiful and deserve a fair chance at life regardless of any underlying medical condition or look.

#BeAware

Could that difficulty in writing be a sign of laziness or Dysgraphia?

Posted on April 11, 2017April 11, 2017 by Administrator

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder characterised by a difficulty in handwriting. Having dysgraphia doesn’t make a child lazy. Writing involves a number of complex skills including visual and language processing, use of working memory, and fine motor skills- all properly coordinated. This means for a child to write, they need to first process what they have seen or heard, what they want to write, how they should write it and finally translate these into marks, letters, or characters. Sometimes you may find that this skill is poorly developed and this may not be due to any underlying issues except the time it takes for children to develop and perfect these skills. But, if there was an underlying issue how would you as a parent/carer or educator know? The answer is: there are indications that can be seen which may suggest the presence of an underlying problem. The final diagnosis of the presence of dysgraphia would only be made by educational psychologist after due assessment and fine motor assessment input from an occupational therapist.

Below are some indicative signs that a child might have dysgraphia:

Poor memory or ability to recall and retain age appropriate information. This could lead to incomplete letters or words and may be further evidenced by constantly saying words aloud while writing.
Poor visual spacing or overall spatial planning which may be further seen in the way the child writes. You might see letters that go in all directions, writing that is not in line or writing that is not spaced out.
Poor pencil grip- this should originally be the fisted grasp, then the palmer’s grip followed by the five finger pencil grasp and finally tripod or three finger grip. A 5 year old using the five finger grip for example could be a sign of poor grip.
Poor muscle strength and finger dexterity which may result in pains or constant tiredness. This can arise from fine motor difficulties so such child might experience other difficulties such as the use of a scissors or cutlery.
Other speech and language difficulties suggesting a child might not be processing auditory or visual information properly.

As in most cases of neurological difficulties, early intervention can be very helpful. There are also several activities which can be done both at home and in the school to support children with dysgraphia.

Remember, no concern is trivial. So, if you notice anything unusual or have concerns about a child, please consult a licensed professional or a pediatrician.

Teaching children empathy and acceptance of other children with disabilities

Posted on April 4, 2017April 11, 2017 by Administrator

Every now and then when we come across a child who is crying loudly, my son goes: “Look mummy he/she is crying like a baby”. I take my time to explain to him that saying that isn’t very nice first as the person in question can hear him, but more importantly because the child is crying because he/she is upset about something. Immediately he goes “awwww sorry” or “awww don’t cry”. I believe doing this consistently will help him realize that it is not nice to make fun of people who seem to be in a not so favourable position.

At other times, he might ask why someone is walking with a stick or limping and again, I take my time to explain to him the possible reasons. Each time though, I try to explain from the point of the hurt or discomfort the person may be feeling.

21st March was World Down Syndrome day and in order to celebrate, they were asked to come to school in colourful socks. When it was time to get dressed I told him he was getting a new pair of socks. Although he was excited but he still asked why (asking why comes with everything these days- even simple I love you!). So I told him it was to celebrate Down Syndrome day. Do you know what Down Syndrome is I asked. He said no. Hmmmnnn, how do you explain Down Syndrome to a 4.5 year old? So I decided to go the picture route. I turned to google and searched for images of Down Syndrome. Out of the several images, I picked out one which I believed would show clearly the physical features of a child with Down Syndrome. I then asked him: Look at this picture, what do you see? He replied the boy is smiling – awww he is so cute! For a moment I paused and looked at him and realised how so innocent a child’s mind is. He doesn’t see Down Syndrome, he only sees a child who is smiling and cute. I didn’t bother again with my explanation. We will save that for when he is slightly older and can understand science.

In the meantime my work continues. There is no stopping until I get him to see, understand and accept that people are much more than how they appear or how they don’t appear. Teaching a child empathy is our responsibility as parents and if you are not already doing so, it is not too late to start. The beautiful world we want for our children can only happen if we help them to become individuals with beautiful hearts.

Basirat R-Shuaib