Running head: AUTISTIC CHILD

Family Life of an Autistic Child

Caitlin Martinez and Andrea Moreno
California State University, Stanislaus

AUTISTICCHILD

Family Life of an Autistic Child

Autism
Autism is a disorder that affects the neurodevelopment in children. The symptoms may
appear as early as infancy or well into school age. The cause is unknown, but it is thought that
environmental factors, as well as genetics may influence the development of autism.
Characteristics of autism in infancy, usually first observed by parents are unresponsiveness or
focusing on one object for long periods of time. As children become mobile they may make
repetitive body movements, such as head banging. As they grow, children may not respond to
their own name or to simple commands. Comprehension is slowed and autistic children may be
unresponsive in social gatherings. Speech delay is common and usually is an indicator to parents
that there may be a problem with the childs development. Repetitive movement may evolve
into play with repetitive motions, such as lining up toys.
Not all autistic children are alike. The disorder has varying degrees of severity and
occurs in every socioeconomic group and ethnicity. Because of the varying degrees of autism,
diagnosis can be difficult. Questionnaires are used for screening before referrals for further
evaluations are initiated.
Autistic children may be treated with medications or with behavioral therapy. Many
other treatments are used by parents, such as special diets that eliminate any number of food
ingredients. These other treatments are unproven and parents should be well informed before
starting any treatment for their child (NINDS, 2013).
Perez Family
The Perez family is a nuclear unit of a mother, father, and two children. Both parents are
in their second marriage. There are no other siblings or parents involved in the family unit. The

AUTISTICCHILD

familys struggle with autism and other disabilities will be discussed. The families obstacles,
health issues, treatment choices, and progress will be evaluated as well. Recommendations will
be made for the Perez family.
The family lives in a new home in a well-developed neighborhood, close to the childrens
school. The oldest daughter, Mary is a 10-year-old girl who was diagnosed with autism at the
age of 2-years-old. The youngest daughter, Rosa is a 7-year-old girl born with an anomaly of the
right hand. Rosa also has a speech delay. Both parents were born in Mexico and were raised in
the United States. Both parents possess an associates degree. The father works as a correctional
officer in a juvenile facility and the mother works as a registered nurse in a major hospital. The
parents are financially secure and have been able to provide for their childrens expenses. The
parents have an authoritative style of parenting and allow the children to partake in small
decisions. Both children appeared to be happy and socialized with another child that was present
during the interview process. The main stressor for the Perez family is the continuing therapy
required for their oldest daughter, Mary (R. Perez, personal communication, September 14,
2013).
The parents are practicing Catholics who plan to continue their childrens religious and
cultural teachings. The Perez parents have separated their healthcare values and spiritual values
and believe that following medical evidence is the best approach to their childrens healthcare
needs. The parents believe that environmental influences were the cause for their childrens
conditions and have assumed an active role in the childrens treatment and education.
Health
Mary is a 10-year-old girl who is well groomed and in general good health. She is about
4 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 95 pounds. Her teeth are in good repair with no dental

AUTISTICCHILD

caries. She has most of her adult teeth; there are a few more teeth that still havent come in all the
way. When her teeth started getting loose she would repetitively wiggle them until they came
out. She will eventually need braces because she had too much room in her mouth for teeth to
come in, so many grew in crooked.
Milestones
As infants grow and develop, they typically reach milestones by a specific age which can
be an indicator of how well they are developing physically and mentally. Some of these
milestones include rolling over, crawling, walking, and talking. As an infant, Mary didnt meet
all of the milestones that typically occur. In the normal infant, crawling is well established by
about 9-months-old (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2009). However, Mary never met this milestone;
she never crawled and went straight to walking at about one year of age. All of her other
milestones were met, except for language (R. Perez, personal communication, September 14,
2013).
Marys autism became more apparent when she did not meet the language milestones that
most infants and toddlers reach. Usually by an infants first birthday, they are able to use oneword sentences or holophrases (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2009). Mary did not start saying any
words until she was about 2-and-one-half-years-old and she didnt start fully forming sentences
until she was 4 years old. By age 2, Marys primary doctor sent her to a behavior therapist
because she was not talking. She was diagnosed as having autism and started therapy
immediately at Kendall School and home of Therapeutic Pathways. The school provides
intensive behavioral, language, cognitive, and social skill therapy through evidence-based
treatments (Therapeutic Pathways, 2013). She went to this school until she reached kindergarten
and now goes to Mary Ann Sanders elementary school and has a therapeutic aide with her for

AUTISTICCHILD

half of the school day to help her with reading comprehension, which is a difficult subject for
her.
When Marys mother thought back to Marys temperament as an infant, she remembered
having to constantly rock her in order for her to fall asleep. At the time, since it was her first
child, she didnt realize that this was not normal until she had her second daughter Rosa, who
didnt need constant stimulation to fall asleep. As a child, Mary has had a hard time expressing
herself. She gets scared and quiet when someone gets mad at her and then immediately starts
crying, unlike her sister who just listens and understands why her parents are mad at her.
School age children use play to develop a sense of belonging, conform to other children,
and learn the importance of team goals (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2009). Children of this age
typically join team sports and create rules for the games that they play, but they also like to enjoy
quiet activities like building collections. However, Mary has never liked to collect anything,
unlike her sister, who collects La La Loopsy dolls. Mary does not get emotionally attached to
things like Rosa does. Mary enjoys quiet time where she can draw and color; she is very artsy.
Her mother explained that Mary often times gets along with children who are her sisters age
better than with children of her own age. Their mother says it is almost like she has twins. Mary
loves to play with other children in groups. She does not like to be separated from the rest of the
class or stand out because of her autism. Sometimes she has to go outside with her aide so that
she can read passages of text aloud so that she can focus on and understand what it says better.
Sexual development is also a major part of the school age childs life. Prepubescense
occurs during preadolescence. Girls usually start showing the first physiologic signs at age 9.
Mary has begun to develop hair in the axillary area and she also has started to form breast buds.
Development

AUTISTICCHILD

Children go through different stages of development as they age. According to Piaget,

Mary is in the concrete operational stage of cognitive development. Children in this stage are
able to use thought processes to develop an understanding of relationships between things and
ideas and they are able to classify things by likeness (Hockenberry, 2009). An example of this is
understanding the concept of conservation or the fact that things can be altered in arrangement
and still be the same. Mary does not have a grasp on this concept yet. Learning to read is also
acquired during this stage. Mary has excelled at reading, but still has a hard time with
comprehension.
Mary is also in Ericksons stage of developing a sense of industry. Children in this stage
master the skills of completing tasks, cooperating with others, and following rules. Mary has
reached these developmental skills. Although, she is aware that her mother is a little more
lenient with her and sometimes does not follow her mothers rules. She does however follow the
rules set by her father and she does not have a problem following rules at school. Moral
development as stated by Kohlberg also includes the ability of the child to start following rules
and pleasing others. Mary is a people pleaser and does not typically question authoritative
figures other than her mother.
Recommendations
Nutritional.
Since Mary is overweight it is important to talk about nutrition with the family. The
Perez family loves homemade cultural dishes such as pozole, beans, and rice. Beans and pozole
are both high in fat. A nutritional recommendation to reduce fat is to replace beans with
vegetables. Also, for snacks, the girls could eat more fresh fruits. Portion control is another topic
that was discussed. Monitoring portion sizes of foods can reduce the calorie intake for the

AUTISTICCHILD

family. This can be done by using measuring cups to measure out food or by measuring the size
of the bowls, cups, and plates that are currently being used. This will give the family a better
perspective of what their portion sizes currently are and what they should be eating based on the
serving sizes on food packages.
Physical.
Since Mary is starting to develop some underarm hair as she enters puberty, the use of
deodorant was an important topic to cover. It should be put on daily after she showers. In
addition, her mother can explain to her the importance of having good body hygiene and that
deodorant will help reduce body odor. Exercise is also an important topic for Mary. Mary and
Rosa both love to watch movies, so reduction in television time to two hours per day will provide
them with more time to exercise and play outside. Although Rosa was not the main focus of the
interview, it was important to bring up issues about body image with her because of her hand
anomaly. She is a very confident young girl who did not seem to let her hand affect her daily
activities. It was encouraged for her parents to continue to reassure positive body image.
Developmental and social.
The results of parental advocacy, involvement, and intense behavioral therapy by Kendall
School Therapeutic Pathways can be seen in the developmental and social skills of the Perez
children. The children can further improve cognitive skills, psychosocial skills, and morals by
limiting television time and adding extracurricular activities. The childrens aspirations are in
fashion art. Art lessons allow the children to expand their skills by increasing interactions with
other children in learning environments outside of their immediate family.
Safety.

AUTISTICCHILD

As the children grow older they will be exposed to new risks. This has already become
apparent by numerous invitations to various birthday parties. The Perez parents should take
priority in knowing their childrens friends parents or families. They both have busy schedules
and may not be able to attend all of the childrens functions. Knowing and feeling comfortable
with the other parents may facilitate opportunities for the children and their friends to spend time
together without the Perez parents present.
Family resources
The Perez family should continue to utilize and advocate for the school services that the
children are currently receiving. This would include the use of Marys therapeutic aide and
speech therapy for Rosa.
Additional resources can also be utilized. Many Girls Scouts of America troops run
meetings in after school programs; children need not travel elsewhere to attend meetings. These
extracurricular activities are convenient for the busy Perez parents, and there are no costs
involved because they are funded by the after school programs (Girl Scout Research Institute,
2009). Local autism groups could be of great benefit to both the children and parents. One
group in particular that could be found on the internet is called the Lodi - Stockton Autism
Meetup Group. Dates are scheduled until February, 2014 for family activities (Meetup, 2013).
The Perez parents have a good knowledge base of their childrens conditions and
abilities. They have advocated for their childrens treatment and education. This can clearly be
seen when spending time with the Perez family. Although the family is educated and their
primary priorities are to provide for their children, they are very busy. This can lead to tired and
stressed parents, which can affect the children. Reducing television time and prioritizing

AUTISTICCHILD

physical family activities can help the Perez family form closer relationships with their children.
This will further their childrens progress and lead to stronger family bonds.

References
Girl Scout Research Institute. (2009). Youth protective factors: During and after school. GSRI
Quarterly, 8. Retrieved from
http://www.girlscouts.org/research/enewsletters/emails/gsri_eNewsletter_Issue_8/default.html
Hockenberry, M. J., & Wilson, D. (2009). Wongs essentials of pediatric nursing. (8th ed.). St.
Louis, MO: Mosby/Elsevier.
Meetup. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.meetup.com/autism-419/
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2013). Autism fact sheet. Retrieved
from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
Therapeutic Pathways. (2013). Assessments and evaluations. Retrieved from
http://www.tpathways.org/families/programs/assessments_and_evaluations.html

AUTISTICCHILD

10