Child Autism Diagnosis
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. Doctors can diagnose children with
autism according to the definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical manual
(DSM IV) that lists aspects that must be present for the diagnosis.
Boys are more likely to develop autism, and many 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. According to one report, it is
possible to comprehend 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 very 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
Once a child has been diagnosed with autism, seeking treatment as soon as
possible is critical. For example, a child who is diagnosed with high-functioning
autism today may have been understood to simply be odd or strange 30 years
ago. There is a growing 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. Diagnosis must be made by experts with expertise in
working with children with autism. Two national surveys of parents suggest
that over 300,000 school-age children had a diagnosis of autism in 2003-2004. Some children diagnosed with
autism also experience sensitivities to sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Forty percent of children with autism wait more than three years for a basic 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 professionals focus their clinical time on the early diagnosis of autism,
and children under 2 1/2 years are given priority in scheduling. Although often
autism can be labeled as early as 18 months, many children won't be diagnosed until they begin school.
Communication with Autistic Children
A large number of children with autism do not develop enough functional and
communication skills to live independently as adults. These
communication difficulties make it harder for children with autism to
interact with others. In addition to trouble with social interaction,
imagination and communication, children with autism moreover have a limited
range of interests. Specialists understand how to know autism in the
course of well child care during observation of play and communication.
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 up to date 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 poor parenting, adverse childhood
conditions, or vaccination.
Child Autism Spectrum
The term 'autism spectrum' means that children will vary
in the pattern of difficulties 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.
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. Some 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 difficulties with
communication and social skills and they have particular repetitive behaviors.
Autism is a neuro-biological disorder with which a child is born. Autism impacts several areas of a child's development. Although symptoms in children may diminish with age, autism is a lifelong disorder. Because of a suspected genetic link, siblings of a child with autism have a greater chance 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 considered a spectrum disorder, children can display a combination of symptoms and behaviors in any degree of severity.
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 may occur, or be recognized only after the first year.
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.
A possible link between fatty acid deficiency and childhood autism
has been discovered by scientists at the universities of Edinburgh
and Stirling.
Family Involvement
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. 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.
Autism Treatment
Treatment for
autism may include a combination of special education structured to meet
the child's distinct educational needs and treatment with medication. The
latest research in treatment efficacy suggests that children with autism
do better when intervention is early and often. Some children with autism
also showed limited improvement after treatment with secretin. 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. There is no cure for autism, but treatment may help your
child to live a more normal life. It is best if treatment for your child's
autism is started early.
Improving Autism Symptoms
Occupational Therapy benefits a child with autism by trying to improve
the worth of life for the individual through successful and meaningful
experiences. Symptoms associated with autism often improve as children
start to acquire language and learn how to communicate their needs.
In certain children with autism, difficulty 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
working to enhance services and options 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
improve autism behaviors which are odd when compared to a normal child.
Educating Children with Autism
Special education is fundamental and often includes speech, occupational,
physical, and behavioral therapy within 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. In terms of education, children with autism
respond to a highly structured special education and behavior
modification program provided by autism trained professionals.
