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 fairly similar in behavioral symptoms. Asperger's syndrome is a condition of autism where language and intelligence 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.
Though autistic symptoms in children could 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 unusual 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
It is essential to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may be suffering from the disorder. Doctors look for certain symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. The symptoms and aspects 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. 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 catalog of signs and symptoms cited in numerous sources for autism includes those given 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)
Other symptoms of autism include problems with verbal and nonverbal communication. There might be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be a complete list of symptoms.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of autism could be hard, 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 least 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. Only your doctor can submit sufficient 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 connected disorder, or a different condition.
Children with autism might display mild, moderate or substantial symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). A few children exhibited 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 could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will assist everyone.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes the majority of teaching techniques ineffective. While the symptoms of autism could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which would help everyone. Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and differ 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 presented descriptively and with particular examples. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Autism could vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms also vary a good deal in their mental abilities together with 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 might have diverse behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts indicate 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 may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected individuals or in those with multiple handicaps. Based on data from 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.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Some children in treatment programs lose sufficient 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 exhibited 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 demonstrated promise for improving symptoms of autism in certain children. There are numerous diverse 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. Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being explored as a way to relieve certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics seem to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms often cropping up among autism patients. Authorities think that early intervention is vital in addressing the symptoms characteristic of autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may decrease as the child develops and receives treatment.
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