Psychological studies differentiate between children with autism and children with environmental deprivation. According to the American Mental Health and Community Care Code, autism is a neurological difference whose spectrum shapes an individual's perception and interaction with the world around them, while environmental deprivation or poverty refers to a comprehensive developmental delay in achieving developmental milestones in children. Although both affect children socially and cognitively, they are different.
During the first five years of a child's life, physical and behavioral skills are expected to be acquired, most of which are inspired by their parents' interactions with them, their displays of love, affection, and shared play. Speech and language skills, fine motor skills, cognitive and analytical skills, and then social and emotional skills develop with the child.
Therefore, during the first years of a child's life, if he is observed to be delayed in two or more of these skills, this may be an indication of a developmental disorder and environmental deprivation.
The following factors are among the most prominent causes of environmental deprivation in children:
- isolated environment
- busy parents
- Relying on mobile phones to entertain children
- Maternal postpartum depression
The above factors may manifest as symptoms that closely resemble autism, including language delay, lack of response to calls, distraction, and constant preoccupation with certain movements.
But the difference here, as the Growth Blog points out, is that a child with environmental deprivation responds more quickly to treatment, which relies on changing the child's environment, integrating them more fully into the surrounding community, and focusing the parents on continuous play and conversation, as well as creating shared activities with the child.
The most important treatment steps
“I was shocked when the kindergarten my three-year-old child attends told me he has autism,” says Nourhan Ghaly, 36, a freelance journalist in Egypt. “I didn’t notice any of the signs of delay I’d read about in children with autism. She didn’t notice his delay in socializing with his peers or his language delay. She didn’t pay attention when she called her only child by name and he didn’t respond. She thought all of these things were normal because she was alone with him most of the time, and there were no neighbors or friends around him that he could socialize with.”
Nourhan began searching for more than one doctor to accurately diagnose his condition, and then learned about the term "environmental deprivation." She added, "I never expected that a poor environment could affect my child to the point of mental retardation."
For days, Nourhan Ghaly blamed herself for causing her child's suffering. This came after she sought medical treatment at the Autism Treatment Center at Abbassia Hospital in Cairo, which Nourhan describes as “one of the most important autism centers in the Arab world.” She added that she learned through her experience that it is impossible to diagnose and differentiate environmental deprivation from autism except through a psychiatrist, because these centers are completely ineffective in initially diagnosing the disease and providing treatment.
“The beginning was to stay away from the mobile phone and change the world around it,” Nourhan continued. “I started with his father to find a common space for simple daily activities that were appropriate for his age, in addition to pressuring him to say what he wanted without giving it to him directly. I would pressure him to ask for water or food and to call things by their real names. In addition, I stopped using a second language when interacting with him, as according to doctors, bilingualism in that early stage of his life contributed greatly to his distraction.”
Corona impact
“The COVID-19 crisis has led to a greater than usual spread of environmental deprivation, given the extended periods of isolation children have spent at home, parents' preoccupation with remote work, and the absence of family and friend visits. This has contributed to an increase in the rates of environmental deprivation among children in recent years,” said child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Osama Younis.
Younis told Al Jazeera Net that the common features between autism and environmental deprivation make the diagnosis likely to be autism. However, the difference between the two is clear, especially if the child's change is sudden and contrasts with their previous nature. A child with autism exhibits signs of autism from the moment they first become acquainted with the outside world, as it is a neurological condition.
In contrast, according to Younis, environmental deprivation occurs after a child's initial interaction with movement and early skills, such as touch, walking, beginnings of speech, and emotional responses to laughter and play. However, suddenly, due to environmental factors, isolation occurs, interest in the child declines, and the child turns to the mobile phone, which becomes his only companion, further increasing his distraction.
Dr. Osama Younis identifies the common characteristics between autism and environmental deprivation, namely “lack of eye contact, language delay, and a lack of social interaction.” He also notes that the child may also be afflicted with certain motor syndromes. However, the difference here is that these are inherent to autism from the beginning, while in a child with environmental deprivation, these motor syndromes often stem from what the child watches on their mobile phone.
Regarding the treatment of environmental deprivation, the child psychiatric consultant explained to Al Jazeera Net that the mother bears the greatest responsibility because she is the person most likely to be with the child at this stage. The participation of the father and those close to her is essential, and the idea of isolation that some families are practicing recently may sometimes cause more harm than good. Therefore, the idea of social relationships must be revived as a safety valve for many of the dangerous situations that families may encounter and for which they do not know the solutions.
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