Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes most teaching techniques ineffective. Due to the fact that the symptoms of autism can vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will help everyone. Because of autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with particular examples. In addition, 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 as well as their communicative skills. Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism may exhibit a wide range of symptoms, which range in severity from mild to disabling.
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 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.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms and characteristics of autism can display in a multiplicity of combinations, from mild to severe. Some typical autism symptoms are presented and the intent is to provide a better understanding of the autistic disorder. It is valuable to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child might be suffering from the disorder. Doctors look for particular symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. 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 confirm a diagnosis of autism, but are taken into consideration when evaluating children. The listing of signs and symptoms cited in a large number of sources for autism includes those presented below.
- 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 difficulty 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.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Autistic Disorder consists of a total of at least 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. Just 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. Diagnosis of autism might be hard, because the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is verified by the appearance or absence of a cluster of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).
Children with autism might exhibit mild, moderate or substantial symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). Because the symptoms of autism might vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' care which will assist everyone. A few 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 normally at age 1, appeared to regress and showed typical symptoms of autism by age 2.
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 quite similar in behavioral symptoms. Asperger's syndrome is a form 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.
Severity of Symptoms
Clinical accounts hint that that conditions resembling autism do not vary just in terms of severity, but also in pattern of symptoms. Because it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism could go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected persons or in individuals with multiple handicaps. There is a range of severity in autism symptoms, and for this reason the term “autism spectrum disorders” is often used. Children with autism could have various behaviors and abilities because of the severity of their symptoms. Based on data from 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.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
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 occurring 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. Over the years, a variety of interventions have shown promise for improving symptoms of autism in specific children. Some children in treatment programs lose sufficient of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in a conventional 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. Authorities are in agreement that early intervention is fundamental in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may decrease as the child develops and receives treatment.
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