Though autistic symptoms in children may 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. 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.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
The diagnostic listing of symptoms and behaviors characteristic with autism is long, 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 account when evaluating children. The listing of signs and symptoms cited in numerous resources for autism includes those presented below. The symptoms and aspects of autism can present themselves in a wide variety 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 essential to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may 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 may be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be a complete 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 adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed autism symptoms. He or she can help to determine whether the symptoms are caused by autism, a linked 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 established by the presence or absence of a collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).
Some children showed symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, such as less frequent use of words or babbling. Other autistic children who behaved normally at age 1, appeared to go back and exhibited typical symptoms of autism by age 2. Because the symptoms of autism might vary vastly from person to person, there is no one 'best' care which will help everyone. Children with autism may display mild, moderate or substantial symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior).
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 numerous behaviors and abilities because of 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), people with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead average or near-normal lives, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and differ in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism may 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 particular 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 as well as their communicative skills. 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 would help everyone.
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 fairly 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
Experts agree that early intervention is important in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children do not "outgrow" autism but symptoms may diminish as the child develops and receives treatment. Some children in treatment programs lose sufficient of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in a regular classroom. In 1996, a young boy with autism was given 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. 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 explored as a way to diminish certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics look to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms frequently cropping up among autism patients. There are numerous 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.
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