Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger's syndrome is a form 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. 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.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Due to autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with particular examples. Moreover, signs and symptoms of Autism could 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 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. 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.
Severity of Symptoms
Clinical accounts hint that that conditions resembling autism don't 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 might go unrecognized, particularly in mildly affected individuals 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 numerous behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms. Based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), persons with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead typical or near-normal lives, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
Diagnosis
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. Diagnosis of autism may be difficult, because 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 cluster of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Just your doctor can provide a sufficient amount of 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 linked disorder, or a different condition.
Children with autism may 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' treatment which will help everyone. Some children exhibited symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, for example less frequent use of words or babbling. Other autistic children who behaved typically at age 1, appeared to regress and exhibited typical symptoms of autism by age 2.
Although 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 associated 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 diverse resources for autism includes those given below. It is fundamental to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may be dealing with from the disorder. Doctors look for specific symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism. The symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to substantial. 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)
Other symptoms of autism include difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication. There might be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be an exhaustive list of symptoms.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Over the years, a variety of interventions have shown promise for improving symptoms of autism in certain children. Authorities believe that early intervention is vital in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children don't "outgrow" autism but symptoms may moderate as the child develops and receives care. Some children in treatment programs lose enough 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 exhibited improvements in particular of his symptoms of autism. A few have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin. 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 often occurring among autism patients. There are multiple 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.
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