The difference between hyperactive and Autism.
Question:
Dear Ibu Suryani……..
My son is four and a half years old and he should go to
kindergarten, but I am not thoroughly sure to do it
because
he gets bored quite easily and he can`t concentrate on
something. At home, he`s a little bit selfish when he
interacts with other children. He can`t form a sentence
in
a normal way as his peers. If he`s angry he would bite
his
friends, so that many of them choose to avoid playing
with
him when he gets close to them. He also can`t write
properly, it`s just like knotted threads.
Do you think my son is an autistic child or is he just
a
hyperactive one? What`s the difference? Does
hyperactivity
in children need to be treated through an intensive
therapy
as to autism? Is it true if you don`t treat a
hyperactive
child, it can lead to autism? What should I do? Do I
have
to sign him up to a normal school or to a special
school
like that for people who have disabilities? Can my son
be
cured and go to a normal school?
Mdk, Gatsu.
Answer:
Dear Mdk,
Nowadays, some parents especially of children who show
symptoms of autism are quite often terrified. However,
as
parents we should be able to pay attention to every
single
development in their children. We can`t make an
immediate
conclusion just because we see some bad behaviour in
our
children. You must remember that it is normal for
children
to behave badly sometimes.
There are some basic differences between `GPPH
(Gangguan
Pemusatan Perhatian dan Hiperaktivitas/Focusing
Disorder
and Hyperactivity) and ADHD (Attention Deficit &
Hyperactivity Disorder)` to Autism.
Autistic children are not able to concentrate, can not
follow any instructions and would rather do things as
they wish. They would only do monotonous activities
passively. There's no the ability to do interactive
games. They are not creative nor imaginative as their
normal friends. They won`t be able to play `pretending
games. They may find it difficult to use new toys and
would keep on repeating doing the same thing.
Whereas, hyperactive children may have limited
concentration ability, but they get interested in new
things very easily. They can follow simple tasks,
although
sometimes cannot complete them. Not feeling tired is
typical of these children. They sometimes very
impulsive
always want everything to be done quickly and they are
very demanding.
They get bored very easily and always want to play with
new
toys, but unlike autistic children, they can play
interactively and able to use their imagination.
Children with autism symptom are unlikely to socialise
with
others, they prefer playing on their own to paying
attention to their surroundings. On the other hand,
they
usually find it very distracting if anything comes to
interfere. They don’t feel comfortable if you touch or
hug
them; they may avoid eye contact as well. Their
emotional
responses are unpredictable, in one occasion they may
show
an apathetic response, and in another they may over
react
to something. If they get angry, it's hard to calm them
down. They can cry for hours if they get upset about
something.
They can be troublemakers as well, due to their
impulsive
and aggressive characteristic which make their friends
to
keep a distant from them than being anywhere near. In
spite
of the lack of socialisation, they do not avoid eye
contact
as opposed to autistic ones. They also enjoy being
hugged.
They may over react and show a tantrum, but it's easy
to
calm them down as long as you use a good persuasion.
Autistic children are often unable to understand orders
and
cannot do active communication. They would come up with
words that nobody can understand. One of the
distinctive
attitudes ishat, they don't have the ability to tell
you
if they want something. So, if they`re hungry or want
to
got to the toilet for instance, they won`t tell you.
They
don`t show any fear, they can`t express love and
happiness.
They often do silly things such as: laughing loudly,
clapping hands, jumping around, etc for hours and hours
without any reason.
Similar to autism, hyperactive children are also slow
in
learning to speak. The reason for this is because high
concentration is required to do this activity.
Conversely,
hyperactive children are able to express what they
would
like to do, verbally or with gestures (non-verbal). But
they would be obviously showing impetuous behaviour
because
they don`t have a stable self-control. It is true to
say
that hyperactive children require intensive therapy,
just
as the autistic ones, although they won`t become
autistic
without it. However, it can help them to improve their
social intellectual.
You should give your son some therapies on behaviour,
concentration, speaking, and medication. In addition to
that, you should watch your son diet as well. To make
it
easier to do, I think the whole family should join
therapies, so that you can keep on doing it at home. It
does take a lot of time and money, but it's worth it
for
the benefit of the children, the earlier you do it the
better.
When you get the final result of the therapies, you can
ask
for advice from the teachers to which school you want
to
put him so they can find out your son`s ability. If
they
think he won`t be able to follow the school lessons,
then
you have to consult it with a paediatrician.
Suryani