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 data from 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. Clinical accounts hint that that conditions resembling autism do not vary just in terms of severity, but also in pattern of symptoms. As it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism might go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected persons or in individuals with multiple handicaps.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of autism may 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 provide 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 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.
Children with autism might display mild, moderate or severe symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). Because the symptoms of autism could vary vastly from person to person, there is no one 'best' care which will benefit everyone. Certain children showed symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, for instance less frequent use of words or babbling. Additional autistic children who behaved typically at age 1, appeared to go back and suggested typical symptoms of autism by age 2.
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 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 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. Due to autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when given descriptively and with specific examples. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Autism might vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms in addition vary a good deal in their mental abilities together with their communicative skills. Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes most 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 would help everyone.
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. Though autistic symptoms in children ought to lessen with age, autism is a lifelong disorder.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
It is valuable to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may be dealing with from the disorder. Doctors look for particular symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. The diagnostic list 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 diverse resources for autism includes those given below. The symptoms and aspects of autism can display in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to considerable. 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)
More symptoms of autism include difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication. There may be symptoms not related to autism, and this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of symptoms.
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 core symptoms of autism. Some children in treatment programs lose enough 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. A few have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin. Over the years, a variety of interventions have shown promise for improving symptoms of autism in some 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 frequently arising among autism patients. Experts agree that early intervention is fundamental in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children do not "outgrow" autism but symptoms may decrease as the child develops and receives care.
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