On World Autism Awareness Day we spoke with Dr. María Victoria Isaacs, a neuropsychologist with a master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychology, certified in early care for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia (2019), it is estimated that in Colombia, approximately 16% of the population under 15 years of age lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Diagnostic manuals have defined three levels across the spectrum:
Level 1: high functioning
At this level the previously called , are people who have average or higher intelligence, find social interaction with others difficult, may be attending school and meet personal goals such as getting married or finishing university. They are people who have low support needs, but find it difficult to interact.
In their language they have a prosodic alteration, that is, a different rhythm when speaking in a comic or robotic style, their voice is different, they can also present stereotyped movements in their hands, eyes, under eye contact, they have a hard time making friends, not because they don’t. want but because they prefer to be alone and isolate themselves or because they do not know how to recognize the intention of the other, then they are very intense with people, very hugging and do not realize sarcasm.
This level is the highest and highest functioning, in fact, it is the most diagnosed. At this time, we are diagnosing adults with that before they felt different, but they didn’t know what was happening to them.
At this time, children are being detected at an early age, so they begin to receive therapies on time, so there are very few children at other levels.
Level 2: moderate functioning and support needs
People at this level have a minimum language, they say a maximum of 10 words, they can have the vocabulary of all the words, but not construct sentences. Their stereotypies are more frequent, their movements are much more noticeable, their eye contact is more moderate, that is, they look less into the eyes, they have more difficulties in school activities and in learning not because they cannot learn, but because they need support. different, that they are taught in a practical way with objects, numbers that they can touch or execute. Many times children can be at this level and move on to another.
Level 3: “deeper or more serious”
There is low functioning, very low social interaction, in general there is no language, they are non-verbal children, but some can communicate by pointing. They have a very marked behavior called: instrumentalized behavior which is using the other as an object, for example, if he wants juice, he takes his father by the hand without saying a single word, takes him to the refrigerator to get the juice and by doing so he disassociates itself from him as such. Social interaction is much less and they are the only ASD children who find it difficult to attend school due to the severity of their symptoms, stereotypes of their social interaction.
Watch the full interview here: