Where strong families make a big difference

THE RAIN Man. Apart from winning Dustin Hoffman the Oscar for best actor, it shot a certain condition into limelight. Dustin Hoffman played Raymond Babbit, an `autistic' savant and ever since, people have begun looking at autism differently.

The pair from U.S., the Lentz, also talk about The Rain Man. And the revolution it has made in the area of creating awareness on autism. They are also talking about how impressed they are with the way families in India are handling their handicapped children.The Lentz, Kirkby and BJ, were in the city, touring on their own money, braving the crazy traffic and extreme heat. ``We do not claim to be experts in the area. Only that we have been working with autistic children for close to three decades and we wanted to share our experience,'' say the couple.

But it turns out that they learnt much more, according to their own confession. In an interaction with the families down here in Chennai, the Lentz couple discovered that the strong familial bonding that still exists has made a whale of a difference. ``The mothers are so strongly connected with the child. They are happy with every small step that their child takes. That is a positive sign'', says BJ.This positive attitude is precisely what they have been campaigning for. ``Try, and hope it will work'' is their motto. ``There are no `cures' for autism, in fact we have not even been able to isolate the causes as to why some people are autistic and others are not,'' Mr. Kirby says. What makes it more difficult to accept is that autistic persons are not `abnormal' looking. There are no apparent, tell-tale signs of the disability. They are perfectly normal looking, sometimes with above average IQ, but have poor social skills and a tendency to go off into shouting fits and wild arm flapping.

Besides the inability to care for oneself, autistic children are also prone to `self harm' as they may be given to uncontrollable head banging. Severe social impairments, with extreme sensitivity to touch and the other five senses are also common. If they shy away from strangers, it is not due to rudeness, but due to certain factors that medical science has not been able to explain fully yet.

What the Lentz are telling parents is very simple ``It is okay to have a child with autism.'' They also believe that the most effective and consistent method of helping autistic children is education. ``There is no magic, you cannot take a pill and think autism will go away'', Mr. Kirby says, adding that it is education involving families, schools and society that will make a positive impact.A modified teaching pattern, TEACCH, which basically addresses the communication handicap of persons, was developed at the University of North Carolina, U.S., nearly 20 years ago. It is this method, which has since evolved as per individual requirements that Mr. Kirby advocates. TEACCH primarily helps the child SEE. It attempts to remove the visual boundaries that hinder the child in perceiving the outside environment.

The method consists basically of drawing up a schedule for, along with the child, based on his/her interests. Image repetition, using motifs that the child is impressed by are by and large the guiding factors. ``The idea is to give the child some control over his/her own life. It is a highly individualised form of teaching. Teachers must modify, blend it to fit the needs of children'', the couple says.

There is also PECS, which is basically a form of picture exchange communication system, to enhance communication abilities. The greatest problem with autistic children is that they cannot initiate communication by themselves.

But it is the `family' that the Lentz zero in on, at least opportunity, because parents are responsible to `recognise' the condition during the crucial period and initiate `intervention' soon. ``Indian families are already doing it well. All we have to tell them is keep at it!''

By Ramya Kannan

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