Vaccines and Child Autism
Throughout the 1990s, when thimerosal was most heavily
used, the number of children diagnosed with autism reached epidemic
proportions. A purported increase in reported autism cases coincided with
the expanded use of childhood vaccines. Good contemporary research has shown
however that there is no link between autism and childhood vaccinations
("shots") like the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. It is clear,
however, that autism is not caused by substandard parenting, adverse childhood
conditions, or vaccination.
Child Autism Diagnosis
Doctors can diagnose children with
autism according to the definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical manual
(DSM IV) that lists characteristics that must be present for the diagnosis.
Boys are additionally likely to develop autism, and most children are diagnosed before
the age of 3. Many children are not diagnosed with autism until they reach
school age. The rate of children being diagnosed with autism is presently as high
as one in 166. Autism is one of the most commonly diagnosed
developmental disabilities in children. A diagnosis for autism is based
on a child's behavior and development. According to one study, it is
possible to recognize autism in infancy. Diagnosis is complicated by the
variations found in the mental ability of children with autism. The
diagnosis of autism is unlikely to be made on the basis of one examination,
especially if the child is really young.
Some common behaviors that may be warning signs of child autism:
- Not babbled by age one year
- Not gestured, pointed or waved after a year
- Not having spoken a single word after 16 months
- Not having spoken a two-word phrase after two years
- The toddler has any loss of any language skills
Some children diagnosed with
autism also experience sensitivities to sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. There is an increasing rate of diagnosis of
childhood autism. Over the past decade, for example, California has seen a
nearly 300 percent increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism.
Whereas one in every 2,500 children was diagnosed with autism before 1991,
one in 166 children now have the disease.
Once a child has been diagnosed with autism, seeking treatment as soon as
possible is crucial. For example, a child who is diagnosed with high-functioning
autism today may have been thought to be to simply be odd or strange 30 years
ago.
Autism specialists focus their clinical time on the early diagnosis of autism,
and children under 2 1/2 years are given priority in scheduling. Even though often
autism can be identified as early as 18 months, many children won't be diagnosed until they start school. Diagnosis must be made by specialists with expertise in
working with children with autism. Two national studies of parents suggest
that over 300,000 school-age children had a diagnosis of autism in 2003-2004. Forty percent of children with autism wait more than three years for a clear diagnosis, according to one survey. Regardless of their reaction, families did not feel that a diagnosis of autism influenced their
interactions with their child.
Autism Treatment
There is no cure for autism, but care may help your
child to live a more normal life. It is best if treatment for your child's
autism is started early. Treatment intensive, appropriate early
intervention greatly improves the outlook for many young children with
autism. Your child will always have autism, but getting treatment early
can help make a difference in your child's development. Some children with autism
also suggested limited improvement after treatment with secretin. Treatment for
autism may include a combination of special education structured to meet
the child's unique educational needs and treatment with medication. The
newest research in treatment efficacy shows that children with autism
do better when intervention is early and often.
Child Autism Spectrum
The term 'autism spectrum' indicates that children will vary
in the pattern of difficulty they have. The term "autism" now includes a wider
spectrum of children with personality development disorders (PDD's). Autistic-like, autistic tendencies, high-or low-functioning autism, etc. are used to describe children within the autism spectrum. Some parents report that they or their autism-spectrum child have a hypersensitivity to mosquito bites.
Improving Autism Symptoms
In certain children with autism, problems improve as they mature. Frustrations
dealing with autistic children are driving a grass-roots organization effort
by parents, the National Alliance for Autism Research (www.naar.org), who are
making an attempt to improve services and opportunities for children with autism.
Some children will take more than 3 months to improve
their autism behavior. Vitamin B12 is one supplement that is given to
augment autism behaviors which are odd when compared to a normal child.
Occupational Therapy benefits a child with autism by trying to improve
the quality of life for the individual through successful and meaningful
experiences. Symptoms associated with autism often improve as children
start to take in language and figure out how to communicate their needs.
Child Autism Symptoms
At birth, a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
often seems normal. A child with Autism Spectrum Disorder may not
speak much or might remain silent.
New guidelines can help identify children with autism early, which means earlier,
more effective treatment for the disorder. Specific behaviors associated with autism
include disordered play. A toddler with autism spectrum disorder mostly ignores
other children and prefers to play alone. Sometimes you may hear other
developmental disorders mentioned in the same way as autism, such as
Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder.
When children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, they have trouble with
communication and social skills and they have particular repetitive behaviors.
Family Involvement
The odds are about 1-in-20 that a family with
one child with autism will have another. In many cases, children with
autism are unable to emotionally bond with their parents or other
family members. Your family may feel scared, confused, and anxious
because of your child's autism. Caring for a child with autism can
be a round-the-clock job that puts stress on your marriage and your
whole family. Parents often rely on talking to friends and family as a
way of dealing with their emotions, particularly other mothers having a
child with autism.
Although symptoms in children may decrease with age, autism is a lifelong disorder. Because of a suspected genetic link, siblings of a child with autism have a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is not known how many children in the United States currently have autism or a related disorder. Because autism is thought to be a spectrum disorder, children can display a combination of symptoms and behaviors in any degree of severity. Autism is a neuro-biological disorder with which a child is born. Autism impacts several areas of a child's development.
Educating Children with Autism
In terms of education, children with autism
respond to a highly structured special education and behavior
modification program provided by autism trained professionals.
Special education is critical and often includes speech, occupational,
physical, and behavioral therapy for the duration of a program equipped to manage
children with autism. There are a good amount of of laws that give your child
with autism rights to an appropriate education.
Communication with Autistic Children
In addition to trouble with social interaction,
imagination and communication, children with autism in addition have a limited
range of interests. Specialists understand how to recognize autism in the
course of good child care during observation of play and communication.
A large number of children with autism do not develop enough functional and
communication skills to reside independently as adults. These
communication matters make it more challenging for children with autism to
interact with others.
Development with Child Autism
A variety of circumstances influencing brain development
before, during or after birth can contribute to a child developing autism.
In children with autism who have normal intellectual ability, abnormalities
in development could occur, or be recognized only after the first year.
A possible link between fatty acid deficiency and childhood autism
has been discovered by scientists at the universities of Edinburgh
and Stirling.
However, children with autism typically show some signs of delayed development
by 18 months. A child with autism may resist cuddling, play alone,
be resistant to change, and/or have delayed speech development.
