UNAIR NEWS – The Dokter UNAIR TV once again held a live broadcast of ‘Dokter Berkisah’ on its YouTube channel, on Friday, Jan 19, 2024. In this episode, the medical talk show explores ‘Get to Know Autism in Children to Eradicate Discrimination against Children with Autism’.
dr. Hanna Dyahferi SpA (K) was featured as one of the speakers. She described autism as a condition where an individual experiences difficulty in communication, interaction, and independence, which in turn impacts their social life.
In line with the statement, dr. Nining Febriyana SpKJ (K) added that autism can occur even when someone is still in the womb. During that period, deviations in the fetal brain nerves may occur, leading to someone developing autism.
“During fetal growth, a deviation occurs, leading to abnormalities in the development of the brain’s neural pathways,” she said.
Cause and symptom
According to dr. Hanna, the underlying cause of autism remains unknown. This fact hinders diagnosis and prevention for minimizing the occurrence of autism.
“If there is a problem in social communication and interaction, it indicates an underlying problem in the brain. While there is a deviation, there isn’t a distinct anatomy in the brain of children with autism. The cause could also be linked to heavy metals and some cases may have a genetic basis,” she said.
Due to unknown causes, early detection of autism is the first step for an alternative approach. The symptoms can be observed as early as three to nine months of age in infants.
“By the age of 3 months (in cases of normal birth), signs such as a lack of eye contact, unresponsiveness, or difficulty with imitative movements can be observed. Imitative movements are challenging for children suspected of autism because these actions typically require eye contact,” she said.
Therapy
If a child has autism, behavioral treatment can help lessen symptoms. According to dr. Nining, this therapy brings children with autism spectrum disorder out of their world and helps them engage more with their environment.
“Since the cause is not yet clear, the primary treatment is behavioral therapy. Children with autism often seem to live in their world, so the therapy involves drawing them into our world through this behavioral approach,” she said.
Speech therapy and sensory integration treatment are two other options for treating autistic symptoms, as children with autism frequently struggle with speaking and hearing. Medication therapy is usually given when children exhibit aggressive behavior.
“Children with autism sometimes experience sensitivity issues in their sensory perception, such as hypersensitivity in their hearing. For instance, they may be unable to tolerate specific sounds, like the honking of a car horn, causing them to cover their ears and cry,” she added.
“Medication therapy is administered when a child shows signs of aggression, such as hyperactivity. It is this hyperactivity that can be treated with medications,” she added.
Author: Muhammad Badrul Anwar
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
