Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
Cognitive symptoms and social symptoms need to be looked at together as core 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 ordinary 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
Just your doctor can submit adequate 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 related 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. Diagnosis of autism could be hard, because the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is confirmed by the occurrence or absence of a collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).
Certain children showed symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, such as less frequent use of words or babbling. Other autistic children who behaved typically at age 1, appeared to regress and suggested typical symptoms of autism by age 2. Children with autism may display mild, moderate or substantial symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). Because the symptoms of autism might differ greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will benefit everyone.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Because of autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when given descriptively and with particular examples. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Autism may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms also vary a good deal in their mental abilities along with their communicative skills. Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and differ in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism might exhibit a wide range of symptoms, which range in severity from mild to disabling. Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes most teaching techniques ineffective. While the symptoms of autism can vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which would help everyone.
Severity of Symptoms
Based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), persons with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead typical 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 different behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts indicate that conditions resembling autism don't vary just in terms of severity, but also in pattern of symptoms. Because it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected persons or in individuals with multiple handicaps.
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. Although autistic symptoms in children may lessen with age, autism is a lifetime disorder. Physicians use the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to describe persons with mild symptoms, severe symptoms, or symptoms that fall anywhere in between.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
The diagnostic listing of symptoms and behaviors associated with autism is long, and each affected person expresses his or her own combination of these behaviors.
These symptoms alone don't establish a diagnosis of autism, but are taken into consideration when evaluating children. The listing of signs and symptoms cited in numerous sources for autism includes those presented below. It is valuable to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may be suffering from the disorder. Doctors look for particular symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. 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.
- 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 problems with verbal and nonverbal communication. There may be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be an exhaustive list of symptoms.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Over the years, a variety of interventions have shown promise for improving symptoms of autism in particular children. Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being explored as a way to relieve certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics appear to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms often cropping up among autism patients. There are many diverse 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. Professionals think that early intervention is significant in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children do not "outgrow" autism but symptoms may moderate as the child develops and receives care. Some children in treatment programs eliminate enough of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in an ordinary classroom. In 1996, a young boy with autism was given secretin for an endoscopy and showed improvements in particular of his symptoms of autism. A few have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin.
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