Toddler Mother – The Mom Experts

Signs Of Autism

The Mom Experts — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 08:49:13 +0000

What is Autism?

It is a complex developmental condition that involves the brain and impacts social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and restrictive/repetitive behaviors. It is a spectrum of disorders including autism, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder and hence known under a broad term, Autism spectrum disorder.

ASD is diagnosed with most obvious signs during 2-3 years of age, though some children develop normally until toddlerhood and later on begin to lose previously acquired skills and fail to attain new skills.

ASD is usually influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. As it is a spectrum of disorders the range of disorders and signs and symptoms vary greatly in magnitude and character. Some autistic children are highly intelligent while others are severely challenged. Certain medical conditions like GI disorders, seizures, sleep disorders as well as mental health disorders like anxiety and depression also make way into their lives. Thus, early intervention is the key to obtain positive results in these children.

Early Signs of Detection

Parents and caregivers may notice the child with the following symptoms that may be quite alarming to them as the child behaves differently compared to other children of the same age. Here is a list of red flag signs that they may notice:

Decreased eye contact
Not responding to his/her name
Prefers being lonely than cuddling and retreats to their own world
Lacks facial expression
Delayed speech or loss of previously acquired skill to speak in words and sentences
Using repetitive words
Has a regular pattern of behaviour and when intervened, gets really upset or aggressive
Not pointing at objects to show interest
Flapping their hands or spinning in circles or rocking their bodies
Has difficulty in interpreting non-verbal cues like facial expressions
Being passive or aggressive in the midst of a conversation
Does not understand certain simple tasks or directions
Has an abnormal tone while speaking and may even have a robot-like speech
Unusual or intense reactions to certain stimuli like touch, smell, hear, taste or sight.
Has odd movement patterns such as clumsiness, walking on toes or stiff or exaggerated body language.
High or abnormal intensity on an object or fixates concentration on an object

Risk Factors

Both genetics and environmental factors play an important role in the genesis of this disorder.
Certain genetic factors or mutations, which mainly affect the brain development seem to have a bearing upon this disorder.
Environmental factors like viral infections, pollution and medications/complications during pregnancy may also play a role in development of ASD.
Boys are at a higher risk of developing ASD than girls.
A positive family history is also a risk factor for developing ASD.
ASD may also present with other conditions like fragile X syndrome(an inherited disorder causing intellectual problems), tuberous sclerosis(condition in which benign tumours develop in the brain) and Rett syndrome(genetic condition occurring almost exclusively in girls, which causes slowing of head growth, intellectual disability and loss of purposeful hand use).
Older age of parents at the time of conceiving the child or extremely preterm babies also have a risk of developing ASD.

Diagnosis and Management of Autism

The doctor recommends certain developmental tests to identify any delay in cognitive, social and language skills.

Certain diagnostic evaluation should be performed which involves an interview and play-based testing with the child done by a psychologist, developmental-behavioral pediatrician or child psychiatrist.

The following behaviour serves as the diagnostic criteria for autism:

Not responding with a smile or happy expression by 6 months
Not mimicking sounds or facial expressions by 9 months
Not cooing by 12 months
Not making gestures or pointing by 14 months
Not being able to say single words by 16 months
Not playing make-believe or pretend by 18 months
Not being able to say two-word phrases by 24 months
Losing already acquired language skills or social skills at any age

Having an autistic child is extremely challenging and can drain a person and family physically, emotionally and financially. Thus, it is essential to learn more about the disorder, understand the child’s behaviour and set up a routine accordingly and also make sure to understand the family’s emotional health.

Early intervention and diagnosis is helpful and can improve the child’s behaviour, skills and language. Though, the disorder is not completely curable, assistance can help the child to live more independently.

Dealing With Aggressive Toddlers

The Mom Experts — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 08:40:03 +0000

It’s not uncommon for children who are having difficulty managing their emotions to lose control and vent their frustrations towards a caregiver, yell and curse, hurl dangerous objects, or punch and bite. It can be a frightening and stressful experience for the child and the parent. After they’ve exhausted themselves and settled down, children frequently feel sorry for themselves.

Troubled with a similar situation? Want to know how to deal with it?

It’s important to realize that behaviour is a form of communication. A troubled child is overwhelmed to the point of lash out. He cannot control his emotions and maturely express them. He may be deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly

This type of eruptive conduct can be perceived as manipulative by parents. Children who lash out, on the other hand, are often unable to deal with frustration or anger in a more efficient way, such as by communicating and figuring out how to get what they want.

Nonetheless, how you respond to a child’s outburst has an impact on whether he will continue to react in the same manner in the future or develop better skills to manage feelings so they don’t become overwhelming. Here are some pointers that will surely help you to deal with such a situation.

Try to be Calm & Mind Your Words

According to child psychiatrists, the ideal tone of voice for controlling violence is calm and controlled. To indicate joy or displeasure, use a steady tone and short, clipped words. Make sure you don’t yell at your child, use abusive language, or degrade him or her verbally. Explain to your child why what he or she is doing is inappropriate and what the immediate repercussions will be. This tone of voice will work in nine out of ten circumstances, and your youngster will relax.

Consider Using Actionable Consequences

When it comes to youngsters, it is preferable to use immediate actionable consequences. Because children do not understand the concept of long-term future repercussions, providing disciplinary orders with future action plans is essential.

So, if your child is having an outburst in the supermarket, it’s best to say, “When we get home, you’ll be given a timeout,” rather than “You won’t get any presents this Christmas.” When it comes to restraining an aggressive youngster, apply instant consequences that will leave a lasting effect on the child.

Don’t Use Physical Punishment That will Make Things Worse

When your child is acting aggressively, such as hitting, biting, or shouting, you may feel compelled to strike him or her as a form of discipline. However, beating or pushing your child will just make things worse since he or she will believe that hitting others is OK.

Hitting your child will increase the aggressive streak, and your youngster will display even more violent signs in the future. Do not use physical aggression against your child by raising your hand or using any other means. It’s important to remember that hostility can’t be cured.

Always Put your Words into Action

Skipping the translation of words into actions is a certain way to lose control over children. For example, if your child is acting aggressively and you say, “If you don’t stop screaming now, I’ll take away your toys,” these are just words. Even if your child begs you, take action when you take away the toys following bad behaviour. A simple parenting rule is to always follow through on what you’ve said, even if it seems impossible. Children will take you more seriously if they understand that you intend to follow through on everything you say.

Make Way for Anger Management Techniques

In the majority of cases, an aggressive youngster loses control of his or her behaviour. Scolding or reprimanding the child is ineffective in such situations. Teaching your child good methods to regulate anger or channel hostility in alternative ways is a better strategy.

A game of football or tennis, for example, can be an excellent outlet for hostility and drain negative energy. Playing a musical instrument, keeping a diary, or simply strolling into an empty room to let off steam can all be effective ways to relieve stress. Assure your child that you too get angry and use these tips and tricks to keep your anger and bad mood in control.

Remember that with a little practice and caution, you can moderate your child’s antagonism. You can be strong support for your child in this scenario.

TME recommends parents not shout or show aggressive behaviour in front of their children even in the worst-case scenarios because believe it or not what they see is what they learn so if we deal with bad moods calmly they will learn from that and become better individuals.

Comment your opinion about aggressive behaviour in toddlers these days.