Diagnosis
Just your doctor can submit adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed autism symptoms. Your physician can help to determine whether the symptoms are caused by autism, a related disorder, or another condition. Diagnosis of autism might be difficult, because the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is established by the occurrence or absence of a collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). 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 vastly from person to person, there is no one 'best' care which will help everyone. Some children exhibited symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, for instance less frequent use of words or babbling. Other autistic children who behaved normally at age 1, appeared to regress and exhibited typical symptoms of autism by age 2. Children with autism might exhibit mild, moderate or extensive symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior).
Though autistic symptoms in children may lessen with age, autism is a lifelong disorder. 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. 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 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 substantiate a diagnosis of autism, but are taken into consideration when evaluating children. The listing of signs and symptoms mentioned in numerous resources for autism includes those given below. The symptoms and aspects of autism can display in a multiplicity of combinations, from mild to extensive. Some typical autism symptoms are presented and the intent is to offer a better understanding of the autistic disorder. It is valuable to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child might be experiencing from the disorder. Doctors look for certain symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism.
- 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 problems with verbal and nonverbal communication. There might be symptoms not related to autism, and this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of symptoms.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes most teaching techniques ineffective. Because the symptoms of autism may vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which could help everyone. Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism may 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. In addition, signs and symptoms of Autism could vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms moreover vary a good deal in their mental abilities and also their communicative skills.
Severity of 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 could have various behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts hint that 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 may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected persons or in individuals with multiple handicaps. 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.
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
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. Asperger's syndrome is a condition 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.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
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 a few of his symptoms of autism. A few have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin. Authorities think that early intervention is significant in addressing the symptoms characteristic of autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may decrease as the child develops and receives care. Over the years, a variety of interventions have demonstrated promise for improving symptoms of autism in specific children. There are a multitude of diverse 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. Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being investigated as a way to diminish certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics appear to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms often arising among autism patients.
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