Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
Cognitive symptoms and social symptoms need to be looked through together as central features of both autism and Asperger's syndrome. Asperger syndrome and autism are fairly similar in behavioral symptoms. Asperger's syndrome is a condition of autism where language and intelligence are standard 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
Diagnosis of autism might be hard, due to the fact that the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is confirmed by the presence or absence of a cluster of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Just your doctor can submit sufficient diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed autism symptoms. He or she can help to determine whether the symptoms are caused by autism, a connected disorder, or another condition. 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.
Because the symptoms of autism can vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will help everyone. A few 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 typically at age 1, appeared to go back and exhibited typical symptoms of autism by age 2. Children with autism may display mild, moderate or substantial symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior).
Severity of 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 might go unrecognized, particularly in mildly affected individuals or in individuals with multiple handicaps. Based on data from 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. There is a range of severity in autism symptoms, and for this reason the term “autism spectrum disorders” is often used. Children with autism might have diverse 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 may display a wide range of symptoms, which range in severity from mild to disabling. Because of autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with specific examples. Moreover, signs and symptoms of Autism may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms in addition vary a good deal in their mental abilities and also their communicative skills. Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes the majority of teaching techniques ineffective. Due to the fact that the symptoms of autism can vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which would help everyone.
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. Physicians use the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to describe persons with mild symptoms, severe symptoms, or symptoms that fall anywhere in between. Even though autistic symptoms in children may lessen with age, autism is a lifelong disorder.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
The diagnostic catalog 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 diverse sources for autism includes those given below. The symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to extensive. Some typical autism symptoms are given and the intent is to provide a better understanding of the autistic disorder. It is valuable to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may be experiencing from the disorder. Doctors look for specific symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism.
- 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)
Other symptoms of autism include difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. There might be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be an exhaustive list of symptoms.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Some children in treatment programs lose enough of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in a standard classroom. In 1996, a young boy with autism was given secretin for an endoscopy and exhibited improvements in certain of his symptoms of autism. Some have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin. Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being explored as a way to diminish certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics appear to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms frequently arising among autism patients. Over the years, a variety of interventions have demonstrated promise for improving symptoms of autism in certain children. Professionals are in agreement that early intervention is significant in addressing the symptoms characteristic of autism. Children do not "outgrow" autism but symptoms may lessen as the child develops and receives care. There are many various medications that are prescribed to treat the symptoms of autism. It has been reported that there are no well-established medications to treat core symptoms of autism.
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