Autism - länktips, behandlingsmetoder osv 7
London - When Josh Tutin was three years old, he was diagnosed with autism so severe that experts believed it unlikely he would ever relate to other people.
Yet now the Bristol boy is a thoughtful, joyful nine-year-old who attends a mainstream school.
“Some people say he has grown out of it,” says Renitha. “But they have no idea of the hard work that has been involved.”
Instead, she believes the improvements are a result of her intense efforts to teach Josh to cope with his condition.
She read in a magazine that, in some people with autism, the left and right hemispheres of their brain appear to not ‘connect’ as effectively as people without the condition.
Renitha also read that playing a musical instrument is one of the few activities that activate the left and right hemispheres at the same time. So Renitha decided to teach Josh the piano when he was only four.
“To begin with, it was a battle even to get him to sit on the stool,” she says. “But I believe that is one of the things that has helped him develop his brain and to understand the world.”
Josh also had a lot of problems with his co-ordination and so Renitha spent hours crawling and climbing with him.
“Josh’s co-ordination has improved enough for him to start tae kwon-do lessons - although this was not easy,” says Renitha. “He has a very supportive instructor and Josh is now determined to get his black belt one day.
“I never knew if any of the strategies I used would work. But they were all worth a try. The alternative - Josh being locked in his little world for ever - was far more scary and depressing.”