Aiding children on the autism spectrum: Catch problems early

Last week, Dr. Sabooh Mubbashar, the new psychiatrist at Sharon Hospital,  discussed problems that face the elderly. This week, the doctor discusses problems affecting younger patients.

Originally from Pakistan, the 33-year-old Mubbasha has completed his residency in adult psychiatry from the Yale University School of Medicine, an advanced fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry from the respected Yale Child Study Center and a fellowship at Yale in psychopharmacology.

He has a private practice here in addition to his work for the hospital.

Although Mubbashar said that working with geriatric patients was a “big part of my training,� he also specializes in treating young people. The medical world is becoming more and more aware that some youngsters are simply “wired differently� than others, and that school and social situations are deeply challenging for them.

“Often, these problems can be as simple as anxiety, depression or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),� Mubbashar said. “For problems such as these, we have easy and safe interventions.�

But at other times, clinical situations can be more complex, such as those included in autism disorders. These children can appear deeply disengaged  and often mute — or they can be highly functional.

 â€œThere are some very rich and successful people who are arguably on the spectrum,â€� he observed. “They can be quirky or obsessive but those qualities have allowed them to excel. With this type of child, you want to identify their strengths and work with them, and help them learn to cope with their weaknesses.

“You have to understand these kids. The symptoms to look for in a child can include difficulty with social interaction, developmental delays and a struggle with transitions from a very young age. They like a particular routine, they like to eat the same thing for breakfast every day. They are not good at parallel play. They often have a like or dislike of particular textures and sounds. If you throw a curve ball into their routine, they don’t deal well with it and are likely to have a meltdown. You have to prepare them.�

A key to helping children on the autism spectrum is to catch them early, before their problems become deep-seated and spiral out to include anxiety and depression, or a destructively negative self-image.

“You want to try and get as much help as possible early on,� he said.

Some parents recognize problems in their child, and, in this Internet age, have already looked them up at Google or Web MD. Surprisingly, he said, he has found that with such parents, “when you tell them that their child might have an autism spectrum disorder, they are often relieved and say they had suspected it. They say they’re glad to know they weren’t imagining it.�

Although as a psychiatrist he can prescribe medications, Mubbashar also does therapy sessions with children, families and the elderly. Sometimes the solution to a problem is as simple as helping parents understand that, especially with children on the autism spectrum, “if your child is really good at building boats and really wants to build boats, and you really want your child to build rockets, that’s not going to work out well.�

When asked if autism spectrum disorders are simply the new disease fad, Mubbashar explains that more children are being diagnosed with it these days because doctors are just beginning to understand it.

“The eyes cannot see what the mind does not know,� he said.

Children might have been suffering from it and coping with it in whatever ways they could. As with other ailments, diagnosis and treatment today can make coping an easier road.

To learn more about the psychiatric needs of children, elders and all other adults, call Dr. Mubbashar at 860-364-4288.