Autism in the Armenian community (Winter 08)

Ani Khachoyan
ani77@ucla.edu

One of the hardest things for a parent to hear is "Your child has autism." Autism is a neurological developmental disorder that affects 1/166 children each day. It has no physical features and is hard to diagnose up until about 18 months.

The disorder is marked by many different behaviors such as not responding to name when being called, staring into open space, poor eye contact, lining up objects and demanding routine. Autistic children also do not do any pretend playing, and develop language skills slowly.

Another important aspect of autism is that individuals have difficulty in social relationships and communication. Sensory issues are very common in autism that include aversiveness to loud noises, heat, some textures, light and other sensory related things.

There are a few treatment options and the best way is through early detection and intervention. However, this relies heavily on the parents and other relatives and friends to detect the symptoms and behaviors. There are a multitude of challenges that face parents and teachers who have a child with autism.

Therefore, the Foothill Autism Alliance, a non-profit, all volunteer organization, has created the Armenian Autism Outreach Project (AAOP) dedicated to teaching the Armenian community about autism, providing information about effective services and treatments available for children with autism, and informing parents and educators about autism.

Dr. Sonia Konialian Aller, Ph.D. is one of the founders of AAOP and wishes to spread the awareness of autism in the Armenian community in various ways. The organization has appeared on the Armenian channel answering questions on autism, held teacher development presentations at Armenian schools like Rose, Alex Pilibos, and Ferahian schools, and has raised over $1,700 for the Cure Autism Now (CAN) research, and has provided parent booths at the CAN walk.

Along with other professionals on the board, AAOP is ready to serve and support families who have children with autism. The best thing a parent can do for their child is care for them. Early identification and intervention are the best ways parents can get treatment for their child.