Basic knowledge of autism, atypical autism, Asperger’s syndrome Q: Can baby be cured completely? A: There is no radical cure for autism. However, with intensive intervention, many children make tremendous progress – depending, of course, on the individual child’s level of development and the type of intervention he or she is receiving. Autism is a lifelong disorder, and many individuals often require some level of support throughout their lives. Autism is a generalized disorder that affects each individual to a different extent, so it is difficult to predict at a young age how much support and help a child will need in the future. Q: My 21-month-old child has been diagnosed with autistic tendencies. But I have noticed that some of his previous behaviors have automatically disappeared (bad behaviors) in the last month. So, is it possible that he is not autistic but just a developmental abnormality that will automatically get better with further development? A: Parents often ask similar questions. The most important thing is that this question can only be answered after a professional doctor or psychologist has done a detailed observation of the child. However, keep in mind that children with autism have many different characteristics. So, even though some of his characteristics are diminished (gone), this does not indicate that he is not autistic. He is only 2 years old, so continue to play with him and engage with him as much as possible to make sure he is not spending time on self-stimulation, stereotypical behaviors, and self-containment. I would suggest that if the doctor has said he has autism, you need to treat him as if he does have autism with systematic training and intervention. Intensive intervention will be more effective while he is still young. Q: My son is four weeks and seven months old, and he occasionally says “I don’t eat”, “I’m not happy”, “I want to play” and “I want to drink water” around the age of three. “. He would also tell on his mother, saying that she scolded him, which seemed normal. But then gradually become unable to speak, is it all like that? A: This is a very good question. There are actually two kinds of onset of autism. One type is different from other children from birth, with delayed development, no language, unwillingness to look at people, not liking to be held by parents, and so on. But there is another type of autism that starts to develop normally, and then at the age of about two or maybe three, he starts to “degenerate”, that is, he doesn’t talk or look at people anymore. Then you have to start training him to move forward, to make progress, to learn new things. So, please understand that this is not the case for all children with autism, but it is the case for a large percentage of children who stop talking and lose a lot of their original abilities by the age of 2 or 3. Q: I would like to know what an Asperger’s child is like when he or she grows up to be an adult. Both good and bad examples would be interesting to know. We very much want our children to grow up to be socially integrated and independent. A: Although I have no way to guarantee what your child will be like when he or she grows up, I know that in the United States there are many Asperger adults who are able to live independently, have jobs, have some friends, can communicate with others, and even get married. Of course they are all different, some may need a little more support/help and some are more independent. If we talk about the best examples, like going to college, graduate school, getting married and having kids, it’s possible. If we talk about the poor examples, they still need a little help with some aspects of daily life (e.g., making phone calls, managing their money, etc.). It’s hard to say, everyone, including autism, including Asperger’s, will be different, at different levels, with different abilities. Q: Not interested or doesn’t understand doing group games. He is eye-to-eye and has good language. When he grows up, will he understand and get it? Is it true that autism cannot be treated? A: Children with autism have a lot of individual differences between them, even though they have many similar characteristics. Some children may have excellent language development, while others may not be able to speak at all. While it is helpful to know a child’s diagnosis, it is most important to continue to provide the child with the help he needs in all areas in response to the symptoms he is exhibiting. Q: When my child was 19 months old, he had 70% of the symptoms of autism, but after two months of not training him, many of his autism symptoms went away on their own. Now he is 22 months old and he is starting to [learn some things]. But doesn’t point to things, doesn’t like kids, and likes adults. Is he autistic, please? A: Of course, this question can only be answered after a professional doctor or psychologist has done a detailed observation of the child. However, please remember that autistic children have many different characteristics. So, even though some of his characteristics are diminished (disappeared), this does not indicate that he does not have autism. It would certainly be nice to have a diagnosis, but it is equally important to start addressing the issues that he does exhibit now. For example, why does he not like other children? Does he like children’s toys? What about children’s games? Perhaps an adult can play with children’s toys and games with him in order to reinforce his interest in these activities. Also, he is just 22 months old, so continue to play with him and engage with him as much as possible to make sure he is not spending time on self-stimulation, stereotypical behavior, and self-imposed isolation. I would suggest that if the doctor has said he has autism, you need to treat him as if he does have autism, with systematic training and intervention. Intensive intervention will be more effective while he is still young. Teaching materials Q: Where can I get training aids? A: There are many training materials for children that you can make yourself. For example, pictures, matching, word recognition, and object recognition can all be made or found at home. For example, to teach a child to match, find two identical toothbrushes and you can start training. Because our goal is to enable children to develop in their daily lives, to be able to communicate, to be able to take care of themselves, and so on, the best teaching materials are the things that are normally used.