Severity of Symptoms
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), people 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 often used. Children with autism might have numerous behaviors and abilities because of 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. As it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism could go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected individuals or in individuals with multiple handicaps.
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger's syndrome is a condition 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. Cognitive symptoms and social symptoms need to be looked through together as core features of both autism and Asperger's syndrome. Asperger syndrome and autism are quite similar in behavioral symptoms.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes the majority of teaching techniques ineffective. Due to the fact that the symptoms of autism may vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will help everyone. 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. Due to autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with specific examples. In addition, 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 together with their communicative skills.
Although autistic symptoms in children may lessen with age, autism is a lifelong 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. Doctors 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 catalog 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 confirm a diagnosis of autism, but are taken into consideration when evaluating children. The catalog of signs and symptoms mentioned in various resources for autism includes those presented below. It is fundamental 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. The symptoms and characteristics of autism can display in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to substantial. Some typical autism symptoms are presented 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)
Additional symptoms of autism include difficulties 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.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of autism may be hard, because the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is verified 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. Your doctor can help to determine whether the symptoms are caused by autism, a related disorder, or a different 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.
Children with autism might 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. Certain children exhibited 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 suggested typical symptoms of autism by age 2.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Over the years, a variety of interventions have demonstrated promise for improving symptoms of autism in particular 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 often arising among autism patients. 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 central symptoms of autism. Professionals think that early intervention is fundamental in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may diminish as the child develops and receives care. Some children in treatment programs eliminate sufficient 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 exhibited 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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