In the last couple of years, the so-called ‘anti-vaxxer’ movement has gained a lot of momentum. Sparked by a now-debunked, since-retracted study by ex-physician that falsely linking the MMR vaccine to autism, it led to parents all over the world being afraid to vaccinate their kids for fear that they may develop the disorder. Despite the potentially fatal risks for children who are unvaccinated and the fact that the supposed autism-vaccine link has been conclusively put to bed, the link between the two words does linger.

Part of the problem is that people’s knowledge on the subject can be limited, as coverage around it tends to sensationalism. In recent years, both international and local schools in China are becoming far more proactive about integrating learners on the autism spectrum and other neuro a-typical students into mainstream education, but before a parent even begins to consider schools best suited for their child with autism, it is important to get a few basic facts covered.

To cut through some of the haze around this sensitive but very important topic, we wanted to go straight to the experts. Dr. Mike Mehrvarz Ph.D., a psychologist at International Medical Center Beijing, and founder of Dr. Mike Learning Land, has spent years in Beijing helping families who are raising autistic children.

I think I or my child may have autism but I’m not sure. How can I find out?

Children with autism generally show certain symptoms before age 3 and they also might have a history of some developmental delays. Parents and or caregivers can notice many symptoms as early as even age two or before but it is different in every child. The proper way to find out is to have the child be evaluated by a child psychologist as well as a pediatrician with a specialty in developmental disorders or a pediatric neurologist. Autism symptoms have a range of severity and symptoms, which include difficulties in communication, social interaction, poor eye contact, rocking, talking to oneself, being overly sensitive to touch, smell, light, sound, and many other symptoms.

How is autism diagnosed? Is there a test for it?

To diagnose autism, a Child Psychologist needs to do comprehensive psychological and developmental tests, interviews with the parents, collect the mother’s pregnancy history, and observe the child for specific signs. Developmental Pediatrician diagnoses autism using certain medical exams and tests can also be performed. However, for the rehabilitation of these children, it is necessary to conduct several psychological tests including an intelligence test, which is the most important part of the testing protocol for these children.

How can I find out what caused my child’s autism?

There isn’t any specific reason found as to the cause of autism at present. Some researchers assume that it might be related to environmental factors, genes, chromosome abnormality, parents’ age, family history, and more. Gene mapping, chromosome analysis, and some other tests done by a developmental specialist physician might give some indications as to the cause of this disorder.

How can I find out if my child’s case is genetic? Can we tell which side of the family the autism came from?

There are indications that this disorder can run in the family and being related to parental genes. To find out more about this you can consult with a developmental pediatrician.

If there is no autism epidemic, why do the autism statistics just keep climbing?

Unfortunately, it is hard to guarantee the perfect health of a child during pregnancy. Autism is caused by brain abnormalities in different areas. The causes might be related to several factors including gene, environmental factors, toxicity, and a pregnant woman’s health during pregnancy, parents’ age, and many more. Given the above reasons and as I have seen these children in my practice over many years, I guess environmental factors, parents age, woman’s physical and psychological health during pregnancy is quite important for newborn overall health.

How can I be sure vaccines have nothing to do with autism?

There have been controversies about the various side effects of different vaccines on children’s brains and overall health for many years, but numerous scientific studies have shown that there is no link between vaccines and autism. However, I always stress to parents to please discuss it thoroughly with child pediatrician before having your child vaccinated.

How can I find the best treatments for myself or my child?

If children get the right help at a young age, the outcome will be much more effective. Child psychologists with a specialty in the treatment of Autism can perform the full assessments, treat, and do comprehensive rehabilitation. If the child has physical or speech problems, he or she will be referred to a physical or speech therapist for treatment. Treatment of autism is a collaboration between different disciplines, depending on the extent of the severity of Autism symptoms. In mild to moderate cases, all treatment and rehabilitation can be done in an outpatient setting. However, severe cases will require the child to attend specialized schools for ongoing training in many factors depending on the child’s difficulties and needs. With the advancement in technology now, there are some new training programs available for these children, which can help to speed up their rehabilitation.

KEEP READING: Comparing Special Education Approach and Inclusive Curriculum Design

Photos: Unsplash, Dr. Mike Mehrvarz

When my friends and I reminisce on our childhoods, we mostly settle on farming terms. We call it a mixture of free range rearing with aspects of battery hen farm precision. For the most part, our parents left us to our own devices, but we were still expected to work hard at school, keeping impossible study and extra-curricular schedules. There was rarely any mention of our mental health or well-being, unless of course it seemed as though a lack of it would affect our academic performance. A sentiment of ‘toughen up’ was loosely passed on to us by our parents, a generation whose parents never seemed to grasp the concept of child psychology and how certain events in a child’s life could affect them in the future.

To this day, discussions of childhood stress, anxiety or depression are met with skepticism by older generations who downplay it as new-fangled buzzwords to further coddle an already over-pampered generation. But we know that is far from the case. Children these days face far more challenges than generations of children before them. There is an even greater pressure to achieve and succeed academically, as the world continues to mount ever harder challenges for children and teenagers to overcome. The advent of the Internet and social media as not only a tool of connection, but an indispensable tool of learning, has also created other problems we might not fully understand for many years to come.

Dr. Mike Mehrvarz, PhD

Even in the global COVID-19 crisis, children are still expected to attend classes online, hand in assignments and remain as engaged with their respective schools as possible. It begs the question, what effect does this all have on the current generation of children and how might these effects snowball into even bigger problems in later life.

Dr. Mike Mehrvarz, Ph.D, is a Beijing-based child and adult psychologist at International Medical Center Beijing, who delves into this and many more pertinent issues in free online seminars for parents and educators. Needless to say, this sort of information is prescient at a time like now, when the world seems to be in such a dire state of imbalance. It is important for parents to arm themselves with all the information needed to be there for their children emotionally and psychologically, and not to resort to past generations’ approach of free-range rearing.

A good place to start would be to define some of the psychological problems a child might suffer from. Most common among them are depression and anxiety. “Anxiety is a large category of emotional problems in human beings. Anxiety can manifest as different kinds of fear, social anxiety, OCD, PTSD, nail-biting, sleep problems, nightmares and more,” explains Dr. Mehrvarz. One of the most common physical manifestations of anxiety in children is bed-wetting, especially in those of a younger age. Dr. Mahrvarz adds, “Of course, in this case, a urological problem such as a bladder problem and/or an infection should be ruled out.”

Another buzz word in recent years has been OCD, where people self-diagnose themselves as having the disorder because they are more fastidious in one aspect or another. However, this can be a crippling psychological disorder, especially in children, affecting a child’s quality of life.

It is important to trace the source of these forms of anxiety in children. Bullying in school has long been known to be a leading cause of emotional and psychological issues in children and later on in adulthood. However, issues stemming from the child’s parents such as marital strife or even parents’ tendency to overprotect their children can also be a leading cause of anxiety and childhood depression. Physical trauma can even lead to a child developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition often attributed to survivors of war or other severely traumatic events. “People with PTSD who might have often repeatedly experienced the trauma don’t feel safe, are likely to feel depressed, prefer to remain isolated, have nightmares especially about the trauma, sometimes feel psychologically numb, and don’t feel safe about their surroundings,” elaborates Dr. Mehrvarz. “Children will have difficulty and/or will be unable to express their feeling in such a case,”

Medicating children suffering from such psychological disorders has become an increasingly popular form of treatment. But this is akin to putting a bandage on a bullet wound. Without tackling the root of the problem, these disorders will likely manifest themselves later on in the child’s life as severe anxiety, depression, and even occasional panic attacks, according to Dr. Mehrvarz. This, along with possible side-effects caused by the medication makes medicating a poor alternative to other forms of therapy available. A proper diagnosis is essential in providing the right therapy regimen for an affected child.

“Firstly, they need to undergo psychological testing and evaluation, which is mostly the use of paper and a pencil, and use special clinical tests for specific problems. Combinations of tests are given which act as a psychological X-ray and are important for psychological treatment to be more effective,” advises Dr. Mehrvarz.

Even though there are rigorous tests and very effective forms of therapy to treat children with these and other psychological disorders, there are other ways in which parents can help reduce the possibility of such problems occurring. Dr. Mehrvarz suggests:

• Parents need to make their children feel safe. They can both help in this by working on their psychological problems, if indeed there are any and improve their partnerships, be they marital or otherwise.
• Provide a harmonious, happy family with consistent rewards for the children no matter whether positive
  or negative, if appropriate and on a timely basis.
• Support children gently in their understanding of the world and the people around them and help them to build trust in themselves and with others.
• Try not to overprotect or neglect your child.
• Allow children to taste life’s ups and downs, but be with them by giving them emotional support as they explore these phenomena.
• Avoid physical punishment or ridicule or calling the child names, especially when it comes to the child’s physical or mental problems.
• Do not lie to children or try to shelter them from the family’s misfortune. Children need to be involved in family affairs as and when appropriate, and grow as a part of the family, not an outsider.
• Don’t pressure your child to achieve what you could not achieve.
• Don’t force children into extra activities after school such as playing certain instruments or sports if the child is not interested. You can gently help to choose certain extra activities but do not force or punish them for it.
• Allow the child to be a child. They also need time to play and enjoy this period of their childhood, especially with other kids.

It’s these and many more pieces of advice that are available on Dr. Mehrvarz’s weekly online seminars, which are free to attend for Beijing parents and educators. As Dr. Mehrvarz puts it, “Take good care of your child’s psychological development. As parents, you have this power and choice.”

Photos: Courtesy of Dr. Mike Mehrvarz, Unsplash

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