Autism: Our topic for July and August
The girl on our cover is called Jalia. She is five years old, and you would never guess that she has autism. «She was diagnosed before her third birthday,» says her mother Josefine. That day, she said goodbye to her idealised image of motherhood.
«Jalia and I learned sign language, and with the help of specialists, we practised every day to encourage her to pay attention.» Today, she has come to terms with the situation and has no qualms about it. «I'm lucky with Jalia,» says Josefine, «a lot is possible.» Her advice to other parents is: «Don't be too afraid because there is a disability. Help is available – unfortunately, we just have to work harder than others to get it.»
Forty years ago, autism affected 1 in 1,000 people. Today, autism spectrum disorders, along with ADHD, are the most common suspected diagnoses for behavioural problems. In England, autism diagnoses have increased by almost 800 percent in twenty years, and in Germany, the number has doubled within ten years.
There are no exact figures for the situation in Switzerland. However, experts and institutions are seeing the same trend here too. What are the causes of autism? And why is the number of diagnoses rising? Why are more boys affected than girls? And which myths about autism need to be dispelled as a matter of urgency? For our latest dossier, my colleague Virginia Nolan spoke to experts and talked to people affected by autism.
«Say goodbye quietly... yippie» is the title of a book by Nathalie Klüver. It is about letting go when children grow up, about the amazement at regained freedom and the feeling of emptiness that needs to be filled. We invited the mother of three to write for Fritz+Fränzi about «what parents need when their children no longer need them». In Klüver's text, there is a passage in which the author reflects on how to successfully navigate the big step of letting go. «Those who establish their own lives in good time don't fall so deeply into the empty nest,» writes Klüver. I guarantee that anyone who reads this essay will feel understood.
I wish you pleasant days with few setbacks and good encounters. Have a great summer!
Kind regards,
Nik Niethammer
