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 form of autism where language and aptitude are normal 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.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes most teaching techniques ineffective. Because the symptoms of autism could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which is able to help everyone. Due to autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with select examples. Moreover, signs and symptoms of Autism might vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms moreover vary a good deal in their mental abilities along with their communicative skills. 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.
Severity of 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. Based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), persons with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead normal or near-normal lives, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts suggest that conditions resembling autism don't differ just in terms of severity, but also in pattern of symptoms. As it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism could go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected individuals or in those with multiple handicaps.
It is not unusual for autism to be confused with other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), such as Asperger's disorder or syndrome, or to have overlapping symptoms. Even though autistic symptoms in children could lessen with age, autism is a lifelong disorder. Physicians use the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to describe people 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 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 consideration when evaluating children. The catalog of signs and symptoms cited in numerous resources for autism includes those presented below. It is essential to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child might be dealing with from the disorder. Doctors look for particular 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 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)
Further symptoms of autism include problems with verbal and nonverbal communication. There may be symptoms not related to autism, and this is not intended to be a complete list of symptoms.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of autism could 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 verified by the occurrence or absence of a collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). 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 linked 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 at least two from social impairment, and one each from communication impairment and behavior impairment.
Because the symptoms of autism could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will assist everyone. Certain children exhibited symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, for example less frequent use of words or babbling. Additional autistic children who behaved normally at age 1, appeared to regress and suggested typical symptoms of autism by age 2. Children with autism might exhibit mild, moderate or extensive symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior).
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being investigated as a way to relieve certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics look to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms frequently arising among autism patients. There are a multitude of 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. Professionals believe that early intervention is fundamental in addressing the symptoms characteristic of autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may lessen as the child develops and receives care. Over the years, a variety of interventions have demonstrated promise for improving symptoms of autism in some children. Some children in treatment programs lose sufficient of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in an ordinary classroom. In 1996, a young boy with autism was supplied secretin for an endoscopy and showed improvements in certain of his symptoms of autism. Some have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin.
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