Physicians use the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to describe people with mild symptoms, severe symptoms, or symptoms that fall anywhere in between. Notwithstanding autistic symptoms in children ought to lessen with age, autism is a lifetime disorder. It is not unique for autism to be confused with other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), such as Asperger's disorder or syndrome, or to have overlapping symptoms.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
The diagnostic listing of symptoms and behaviors characteristic with autism is long, and each affected person expresses his or her own combination of these behaviors.
These symptoms alone don't confirm a diagnosis of autism, but are taken into consideration when evaluating children. The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various resources for autism includes those given below. It is vital to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child might be suffering from the disorder. Doctors look for certain symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. The symptoms and aspects of autism can display in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe. Some typical autism symptoms are given and the intent is to create a better understanding of the autistic disorder.
- social interaction impairment (poor eye-to-eye gazing, lack of social reciprocity, no peer relations)
- communication impairment (can't sustain a conversation, lack of spontaneous play, delay in development of language)
- repeating/stereotyped patterns of behavior (repetitive motor habits, pre-occupation with parts of objects , preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus, repeated hand or finger flapping or twisting, complex whole body movements, preoccupation with parts of objects)
Further symptoms of autism include difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. There could be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be a complete list of symptoms.
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
Cognitive symptoms and social symptoms need to be looked at together as central features of both autism and Asperger's syndrome. Asperger syndrome and autism are quite similar in behavioral symptoms. Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism where language and aptitude are typical and autistic symptoms present later in childhood. What distinguishes Asperger's Syndrome from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays.
Diagnosis
Only your doctor can give out sufficient diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed autism symptoms. Your doctor can help to determine whether the symptoms are caused by autism, a connected disorder, or another condition. Diagnosis of autism may be difficult, due to the fact that the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is established by the appearance or absence of a collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The diagnosis of Autistic Disorder consists of a total of at minimum six observational items from social impairment, communication impairment and behavior impairment categories outlined (see list) with minimally two from social impairment, and one each from communication impairment and behavior impairment.
Children with autism may exhibit mild, moderate or substantial symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). Because the symptoms of autism could differ vastly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will help everyone. Certain children showed symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, such as less frequent use of words or babbling. Additional autistic children who behaved normally at age 1, appeared to go back and showed typical symptoms of autism by age 2.
Severity of Symptoms
Based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), people with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead normal or near-normal lives, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts hint that that conditions resembling autism do not differ just in terms of severity, but also in pattern of symptoms. Due to the fact that it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected persons or in those with multiple handicaps. There is a range of severity in autism symptoms, and for this reason the term “autism spectrum disorders” is frequently used. Children with autism may have different behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism can exhibit a wide range of symptoms, which range in severity from mild to disabling. Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes the majority of teaching techniques ineffective. Due to the fact that the symptoms of autism could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will help everyone. Because of autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with specific examples. In addition, signs and symptoms of Autism could vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms also vary a good deal in their mental abilities as well as their communicative skills.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Over the years, a variety of interventions have shown promise for improving symptoms of autism in certain children. Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being investigated as a way to relieve certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics seem to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms frequently cropping up among autism patients. Some children in treatment programs eliminate sufficient of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in a regular classroom. In 1996, a young boy with autism was given secretin for an endoscopy and exhibited improvements in a few of his symptoms of autism. A few have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin. There are multiple different medications that are prescribed to treat the symptoms of autism. It has been reported that there are no well-established medications to treat central symptoms of autism. Authorities agree that early intervention is vital in addressing the symptoms characteristic of autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may diminish as the child develops and receives treatment.
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