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THE JOURNEY OF AUTISM
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) holds a special place in the heart of Mindful Moves. Our founder, Kerry, has a personal story with autism. Finding out your child has ASD can be an emotional, stressful and taxing process.
Something that quickly becomes apparent in South Africa is the lack of support available for parents and children in the autism space. Cruel comments, refusal to make accommodations and the lack of regard for the emotional well-being of both parent and child on this journey are painful barriers to receiving the support needed.
Here at Mindful Moves, whether it is through our profiling expertise, courses or sessions, we aim to fill the gap and make your autism journey as loving, supportive and comforting as possible.
“My journey truly began with my son. Having had my daughter first, I took so much of “normal” development for granted.”
What Is Autism
Autism, also called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complicated condition that includes difficulty with communication and behaviour. It can involve various symptoms. Every individual on the spectrum is different and autism’s behavioural expressions can show up in varying
degrees.
The following signs may suggest your child is on the spectrum:
- Difficulty in eye contact
- Prefers to be alone.
- Delayed language development
- Repetitive behaviours (example: flapping, pacing, rocking and spinning)
- Lack of empathy or difficulty in relating to other people.
- Repeats phrases countless times.
- Difficulty in listening
- Difficulty in communicating and expressing themselves
Often, parents of ASD children know before the formal diagnosis. Sometimes it is a feeling, hunch or understanding that your child is not quite normal for their developmental age. It is important to know that the diagnosis is just the beginning. Autism does not have to limit your child.
What Is Stimming In Autism?
Self-stimulatory behaviour, also known as stimming and self-stimulation, is the repetition of physical movements, sounds, words, or movements with objects. It is a form of self-comfort for ASD individuals.
How Can We Help?
Our movement courses are excellent for this, and our team would highly recommend enrolling any individual in need of movement therapy.
Our profiling expertise can further help to identify areas of weakness and characterize problems within your environment. Communication often looks different to ASD individuals and Mindful Moves is here to help.
The Missing Female Gap
Early diagnosis often applies to boys, but many girls slip through the cracks. They often go undiagnosed because they do not fit autism stereotypes and they mask symptoms better than boys do. Thus, there is a great difficulty in achieving a female diagnosis. It is not uncommon for women to only receive a formal diagnosis well into their adulthood.
ASD has a strong genetic component and if one child is diagnosed, it is recommended that the other siblings go for testing. For this reason, Mindful Moves is happy to accommodate family sessions or working with all your children on their own unique challenges.
Please know that our sessions are strongly encouraged for individuals that only recieved a late diagnosis. Regardless of age, any ASD individual can benefit from the work and expertise we provide.
