Victoria Laurie

FOUR-YEAR-OLD Cameron Banks can speak a few words, "high five" his grandfather and look straight at the camera lens when asked. For a child diagnosed at age one with autism, they are huge achievements.

But his mother, Katherine Banks, knows that when Cameron starts primary school many teachers will not be prepared for the behavioural challenges he presents each day.

University of North Carolina professor Gary Mesibov, who is giving master classes in Perth this week in teaching autistic students, said a key to unlocking Cameron's world was understanding that his brain was better wired for pictures than words.

"People with autism think in pictures, whereas typical learners think in terms of words and ideas," he said.

"That's why they are more precise because pictures are more precise than words. They tend to be more exact but less conceptual because language is conceptual. They don't generalise from one situation to the next. So in the classroom we use a much more visual and less verbal presentation of information -- if your instruction matches the way a person thinks, they'll understand the instruction and follow it."

Professor Mesibov is director of the TEACCH program for the treatment and education of autistic and communication-handicapped children. Widely used in the US, Britain and Europe, it has pioneered techniques to help autistic people learn.

Professor Mesibov said autistic children, who were often overwhelmed by noisy and overstimulating classrooms, did better in learning situations with less light and extraneous movement.

"Teachers say children with autism are the only students for whom actually doing the homework is the easiest part. The hard part is figuring out what the homework is; getting the book home; putting the pencil, book and assignment in one place to do it," he said. "So for a child in middle or high school, we might colour-code their classes, and organise their backpack so there's a place for the book and pencil. We talk to parents about organising the house and having a list for doing homework."

Cameron's mother realised her son was not responding normally when he turned one. "He had no interest in things, no eye contact, no ability to play with toys. He was locked in his own little world and he was bewildered by every change," she said.

But intensive supervision had taught him to communicate a few words and interact happily with family members.

According to Professor Mesibov, Cameron's prospects are better than they would have been a decade ago. "School programs are getting better and 80per cent of such children are developing functional language skills, whereas it was only 50per cent 10 or 15 years ago."

Autism Queensland says one in 160 Australian children aged between six and 12 has an autism spectrum disorder.