AUTISM

Autism starts before a child turns to three years. It is a disorder in the brain development which weakens the social interaction and communication. Autism causes restricted and repetitive behavior. Autism is a hereditary disorder even though the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear which genes are responsible. Autism is associated with agents which cause birth defects in rare cases. Other possible causes of autism are childhood vaccines which are controversial and the vaccine hypotheses lack convincing scientific evidence. According to the experts out of 1000 children 3-6 children will have autism. Male are four times more to have autism than females.

Symptoms

The occurrence of autism is not known and it affects many parts of the brain. In the first two years of the child’s life, parents usually notice the signs of autism. Autism is characterized by three distinctive behaviors. The autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and non verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. There is a reduced sensitivity of pain, but are more sensitive to sound, touch or other sensory stimulation. These reactions may contribute to the behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged. There is no cure for autism but treatment can help. The early behavioral and cognitive interference can help them to develop self-care, social and communication. An infant with autism may be non responsive to people or focus intently on one item by excluding others for a long period of time. With this disorder few children live independently after reaching adulthood and some of them become successful. Some people believe that autism is a condition than a disorder.

Autism children have speech problems, they might not look in to the eyes when talk to them. Before they can pay attention they may have to line up their pencils, these children will say the same sentence again and again. To tell that they are happy they flap their arms or they might hurt themselves if they are not. Some people never learn to talk. They lack empathy. The autistic children cannot interpret the thoughts and feelings of others and also cannot understand the tone of voice and facial expressions. The autistic people have different symptoms and because this it is known as spectrum disorder. The milder version of this disorder is Asperger syndrome. The disorder lasts throughout a person’s life time. Autism shares numerous signs with Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. Asperger’s syndrome does not have any delay in the language development. Autistic children are at a higher risk for some co-existing conditions such as fragile X syndrome which causes mental retardation, tuberous sclerosis in which the tumors grow on the brain, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, disabilities in learning and attention deficit disorder. By the time autistic children reach adulthood about 20 to 30% of children develop epilepsy for the reasons unknown. Also schizophrenic people may show some autistic-like behavior but the symptoms do not appear until the late teens or early adulthood. The Schizophrenic people also have hallucinations and delusions which are not found in autism.

Diagnose

Based on the IQ autism is sometimes divided in to the low, medium and high functioning autism. The child affected by autism will show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others less often and very rarely respond to their own name. The severity and symptoms of autism may go unrecognized mainly in mildly affected children or when it is covered by more weakening handicaps. Doctors depend on a group of behaviors for diagnosing autism. These behaviors are:

(1) Unable to make friends with peers

(2) Unable to initiate or to continue a conversation with others.

(3) Absence of imaginative and social play.

(4) Unusual, typecast, repetitive use of language.

(5) Preoccupation with certain subjects or objects.

(6) Rigid devotion to certain routines or rituals.

With help of a questionnaire or any other screening instrument doctors assemble information about the child’s development and behavior. Some screening depends on the parent observations and some others on a combination of parent and doctor observations. If there is an indication or possibility of autism, the doctors will ask for more comprehensive evaluation. As autism is a complex disorder a combined evaluation is needed with a multidisciplinary team including psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist and other expert in diagnosing the children with ASDs. Girls with autism may be suffering from Rett syndrome, a sex-linked genetic disorder described by social withdrawal, deteriorated language skills and hand wringing.

Treatment

Autism cannot be cured. But according to the experts the earlier intervention can make them to cope up with the day-to-day life. Structured and skill oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills. Counseling for parents and siblings of autistic children can help the families to cope with the challenges of living with an autistic child. To handle symptoms of anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive disorder doctors often prescribe anti depressant medications. To treat severe behavioral problems anti-psychotic medicines are used. With one or more of the anti-convulsant drugs seizures can be treated. To reduce impulsiveness and hyperactivity stimulant drugs are some times used effectively. There are several therapies which are controversial and parents should be aware of that before taking in to consideration any of these treatments.

There are more and more children being diagnosed with autism today. There are new forms of higher functioning autistics being diagnosed, and that leads to higher numbers. Many times children were labeled as being shy or painfully introverted when they really had autism. Though the lower functioning and more common form of autism are easily spotted, those with Asperger’s were often missed or dismissed. Parents that know more about the different symtoms of autism in children will have an easier time recognizing if their child needs further evaluation.

Social Relating: There is a common thread that seems to connect all children with any form of autism. These children have problems relating with others, and in particular, have problems with their peers. They struggle to relate, and they have huge anxiety when trying to form or keep relationships. This causes large amounts of frustration, and many end up alone, avoiding those feelings. They can’t really relate to many things emotionally, though that is different for higher functioning children. In many cases, group activities are just too much for them.

Communication: Some with autism never develop any type of verbal communication. There are others who begin to talk, but then regress. Higher functioning children can have a great vocabulary, but are limited in how they choose to share it. Many of them choose to use gestures rather than talk at all. Those who have some skill might latch on to phrases that they hear and repeat them over and over.

Reaction to Stimulus: Another symptom of autism in children that parents often notice early is that they seem to have exaggerated reactions to many things, or that they have no reaction at all. Many respond to things in the most inappropriate manner. They may cover their ears at tiny sounds, or they may not even blink if a horn were to go off nearby. Some have problems with touch, and seem overly sensitive when touched by others. They may seem like they are in pain from a slight brush of the hand or a simple hug. Others can react violently to bright lights maintaining eye contact can be difficult.

Unusual Behavior: There are many different types of problems that appear in autism. Behaviors are often over-the-top and out of whack with others of the same age. They have a tendency to over-react to things and have tantrums at the slightest variation in schedule. They might be misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder before the proper diagnosis is found. Repetitive motions and actions are also quite common.

At Play: There is some play involved for some children with autism, but some do not play at all, at least, not in the traditional way. Many who do play will play on their own most of the time. They often feel great frustration and anxiety when they are expected to play in a group or with one other child. When they play on their own, it is marked by the repetition of the same motions or action. They appear to be in their own world while at play, and may ignore everything exclusive of the thing they are doing.

Many of the symtoms of autism in children are obvious right away, but they can remain hidden. Some function very well, and these things might not come to light until they are in school or pre-school. When a parent thinks there might be something wrong, they should look for evaluation. No matter what the diagnosis might be, it is smart to remember that some mistakes are made, and some children are said to have autism when they don’t, or that they don’t when they do. If the diagnosis seems wrong, consult with another doctor when there is a change in symptoms.

It would seem there are more alarming autism statistics each year. These are often hard to comprehend, and can be very misleading if you don’t understand what you are reading. Autism is a blanket term for quite a few different conditions that are all related, yet vary in degree of function.

Asperger’s is a relatively new term that covers a wide range of higher functioning children and adults. This is something that is relatively new, and people are now just getting the proper diagnosis. Though it would seem that the numbers of those with autism is rising almost out of control, it may be that diagnosis has been wrong in the past, and it is now easier to make the proper one.

If you go by the number presented in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 150 births will result in autistic children. This number seems scary, but the actually cases are probably about the same as before, but many others just were not known or could not be diagnosed. Some of these children had never been seen by a doctor, and many grew into adulthood with a different but wrong diagnosis. They may have been living with autism, but they were thought of as introverted, troubled or disruptive.

If you go back to the findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2001, it was estimated that about 1.5 million children and adults are living with autism. The statistics from that year in comparison to this year would leave you to believe that the cases of this condition are rising by 15%. That seems alarming, but it might show in increase in proper diagnosis rather than an increase in overall cases. More and more children are now being diagnosed with autism when they would have normally been left to fall through the cracks and suffer needlessly.

There is some good news, even though the numbers seem to be very troubling. It would seem that an early and proper diagnosis might help avoid some of the costs of raising and caring for a child with autism. Most of the extra costs are ones that occur in adulthood, with some people requiring care for their entire lives.

When a child is diagnosed early, they can go through programs designed to help them communicate and socialize with others more effectively. This lessens the costs associated with caring for them when they reach adulthood in most cases. Though many children with autism are unlikely to fully integrate into society, some manage their condition well and go on to have pretty normal interactions and jobs when they reach adulthood.

The rise in Autism statistics can not be attributed to bad parenting nor is it something a person can ever leave behind, but through the proper support and intervention they can lead happy and fulfilled lives.