Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism might 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 given descriptively and with particular 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 along with their communicative skills. Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes the majority of teaching techniques ineffective. Because the symptoms of autism could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which would help everyone.
Although autistic symptoms in children ought to 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. 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 extended, 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 account when evaluating children. The catalog of signs and symptoms cited in various sources for autism includes those presented below. It is fundamental to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child might be suffering from the disorder. Doctors look for specific symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. The symptoms and characteristics of autism can display in a multiplicity of combinations, from mild to extensive. Some typical autism symptoms are given and the intent is to offer 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)
Other symptoms of autism include problems with verbal and nonverbal communication. There might be symptoms not related to autism, and this is not intended to be a complete list of symptoms.
Severity of Symptoms
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), persons with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead average 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 frequently used. Children with autism might have various behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts indicate 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, especially in mildly affected individuals or in those with multiple handicaps.
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 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
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 may 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 collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Only your doctor can submit a sufficient amount of 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 a different condition.
Children with autism might display mild, moderate or severe symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). Certain children showed symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, for example less frequent use of words or babbling. Other autistic children who behaved typically at age 1, appeared to go back and exhibited typical symptoms of autism by age 2. Because the symptoms of autism can vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will assist everyone.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
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. Some children in treatment programs eliminate sufficient of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in a conventional 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. 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 relieve certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics appear to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms frequently arising among autism patients. Professionals think that early intervention is important in addressing the symptoms characteristic of autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may moderate as the child develops and receives care. Over the years, a variety of interventions have shown promise for improving symptoms of autism in some children.
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