Dr. David Mushati (Autism In Children)
Dr. David Mushati, Chief Clinical Officer at Melios, is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist specializing in neurodevelopmental conditions. In this conversation, he explores how auti...
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Who are you?
My name is Dr. David Mutti. I'm the Chief Clinical Officer for LIOs. I've spent the last 24 years working in healthcare, including a significant amount of time working for the NHS. I love what I do. I'm a consultant clinical psychologist. I'm passionate about neuropsychology and neurodevelopmental conditions, and I have dedicated my life to understanding some of the conditions and helping people along the way, which has been an immense privilege.
How can parents/caregivers support a child who is struggling with sensory processing issues?
Early signs of autism that you might notice as a parent in your child are delayed speech, particular sensitivities, or noise sensitivities, for example, and issues with routine or interacting or very patterned behaviour. It's important to notice these signs over a period of times, and you notice that they're continuous over a period of time, for instance, and indeed that the nursery or other people may also be noticing these signs at that point. It's always good to seek advice from a professional, even listening to your guts in these cases where you think that what you're noticing is outside of the ordinary and unusual in its frequency and how it's being presented. Go seek advice from a healthcare professional and it could be the beginning to a diagnosis or indeed a better understanding that you might benefit from in how your child is exhibiting some of their behaviours that are causing you concern. It's important to remember that an early diagnosis in autism is really important and can help you and your child start to get support.
What is a sensory profile?
Sensory processing issues can be very challenging. Rest assured though, that they are common in young people or children with a diagnosis of autism. It's important to provide a calm environment within the home and you can facilitate this, for instance, with things such as noise cancelling headphones. It's also important to work with the school so that the school can understand the triggers around the sensory issues or difficulties. And if you have access to a healthcare professional, it's also important to get a better understanding of what that child or your child's sensory process is. Sensory profile is, sorry. And in doing so, you get a better understanding of what other strategies or tools that you can use to get them to help. So I mentioned noise cancelling headphones. You could have sensory blankets or sensory friendly clothing, for instance, can also be really helpful.