Independent!

Raising a child with autism do need patience. In addition, parents also have to apply the right methods to make them become an independent person. The point is accurate diagnosis, proper education, and strong support.


During this so much negative stigma about autism circulating in the community. Some say that witchcraft caused autism, autism affects only the rich, it's the same with the crazy autism, and autism was contagious. The stigma arises because people's understanding of autism is still very minimal.


"Actually, we do not also have to blame the general public,
" said a mother of a child with autism and founder of Care for Autism Society of Indonesia (MPATI) Gayatri Pamoedji SE MHC. In fact, Gayatri said that not a few people who say that autism is a disease. Yet the truth is, children with autism are impaired child in its development.

"Autism is not a disease, autism, the condition," he said in a media gathering entitled "Creating an Independent Future for Children with Autism" held by MPATI, recently. Suggested by Gayatri, immediately handle autistic children properly, make sure that they get the proper care. To deal with children with autism, the core of the treatment is diagnosis, education, and support.

In terms of diagnosis, it takes proper and accurate diagnosis by a specialist. Where that can be used as a benchmark that a child has autism, can be seen from the seven characteristics of children with autism, and if the child has two or more of these characteristics, it can be said that children with autism experience.

"Do it as early as possible due to the symptoms of autism are usually seen before a child reaches the age of three years," said a woman who was also the founder of Pantara School for the training of teachers and make schools curriculum for children with AD / HD.

In addition, should also be given proper education for children with autism become independent form. Gayatri said, if children with autism are given proper education, then they are capable of independent, able to understand and follow orders, able to sit and listen, and obediently waited their turn.

"And it's all a basic skills that should be mastered before entering school children with autism," said a woman who took a degree in economics at the University of Indonesia.

Gayatri suggest, if you want to put the kids to school, then do it early treatment long before the children go to school and before going to school age. Teach the little things first, like his own pee, eat and drink their own, to be able to put up their own buttons.

"It really helps the teacher someday so teachers are not overwhelmed by the time they enter school, at the age they are supposed to be in school," she said graduates of the Master of Health Counseling, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, West Australia.

And the last is a strong support. Not only from parents or family, but from the surrounding environment including media support.
In his book entitled 200 Questions & Answers About Autism, Gayatri wrote that in treating children with autism, parents should share duties.

The division of tasks can be executed in accordance with the advantages of each character's mother or father as well as the time they have. For instance if the father good at math, then the task of assisting the child to make math homework father did.

Similar to the mother, if the mother is more adept at communicating, the mother who became manager and spokesman (spokesperson) dealings child to school. Ideally, open and honest communication. Mother or father can also help make more confident and willing to get closer to children, for example by doing fun tasks, such as playing video gamebersama.

In time father playing with the child, the mother can use the free time to rest. Make a list of jobs or tasks necessary to educate children. "With the integrated treatment, autistic children have a future. Hope is always there, there must be progress if the parents want to get involved, "the message.

While the psychologist from the University of Indonesia, Dyah Dra Puspita MSI states that parenting an autistic child in the care of children is the same as usual.

"However, there are some rules that must be obeyed and there are consequences for good or bad behavior," says psychologist who is also in charge of education in Special Schools Autisma Mandiga. With passion, confidence, and patience, then rest assured when raising a child with autism become independent person is not a mere dream.