Barbados Sees Rise in Autism Cases Under Study by Behavior Analyst Natasha Heaselgrave

The increasing cases of autism in Barbados might not be a terrible thing, says board certified behaviour analyst Natasha Heaselgrave.

While acknowledging the difficulties surrounding the disorder, she told the

DAILY NATION that the increasing numbers might mean an improvement in identification and diagnosis.

“When I first started around 15 years ago, a lot of the cases that were being referred to me were older children, between five and seven, because that’s when they were getting identified as having a deficit, whereas now, paediatricians and people are catching it a lot earlier; so we’re getting a lot more referrals from the early intervention stages,” she said.

Heaselgrave was one of two presenters yesterday at a parenting workshop held by the Autism Association of Barbados at the Barbados Yacht Club, Bay Street, St Michael. She said there had been a marked increase in the number of cases since COVID-19 paused the globe, and though she was unsure why this was so, it could be partially due to increased vigilance from parents spending more time with their children.

“I haven’t really dug into the research but I’ve definitely seen an increase. I’ve also seen an increase in diagnoses and I think it’s usually a good thing. Some parents are concerned their child will be labelled but luckily, as the world’s turning, we’re getting a little bit more familiar and accepting.

“There are a lot of schools in Barbados that are practising inclusion, meaning they’ll take an autistic child that is not requiring additional support and put them in a mainstream classroom, which is amazing, because it’s better for them to be around children with higher skills; that’s how they learn,” she said.

As for the severity of cases she was seeing, Heaselgrave noted there was not an increase in the number of children diagnosed with severe autism.

The behaviour analyst gave the assembled parents some tools to help them identify challenging behaviours from their children and how to deal with them. She also showed them how to identify and design replacement behaviour strategies and build up the skill deficits which were hindering their children’s growth.

Speech language therapist Cindy Blades said her aim was to give the parents some communication strategies to use at home to support the development of their children. She added that some children on the spectrum were either non-verbal or spoke very little, so it was important to learn the best ways to communicate with them.

“It’s not just about talking, it’s about communication. I want to show the parents here things like getting on your child’s level, joining in play routines and using alternative and augmentative communication using either paper-based or digital devices,” she said. (CA)