Autism

About Autism

Autism is a developmental disorder wherein the normal brain development is disrupted very early in life. Autistic spectrum disorder is an umbrella term to encompass all the neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Autism impacts communication, behaviour and social relationships and approximately 67 million people worldwide are estimated to be affected by it. It is the fastest growing global disorder. In this condition, cognition skills are hampered because of altered nerve cells, although the causative factor is unknown. A combination of genetics and the environment have been found to contribute to the development of autism. Symptoms differ from one child to the other. Autistic children have varying degrees of impairment in communication and socialization, and have various behavioural problems in the form of repetitive behaviour, restricted play interests and sometimes very unusual interests.

Autism can be diagnosed in many cases by 3 years of age based on the symptoms the child shows. There is no cure for autism. But early diagnosis and early intervention with therapies does improve the long term outcome in autism. The various therapies recommended are occupational therapy, communication therapy and behavioural therapy. Medications are used to improve some of the symptoms like irritability, hyperactivity and aggressive behaviour when they do not responded to other therapies. The month of April is celebrated worldwide as Autism Awareness month with 2^nd April being Autism awareness day.

Symptoms

Autistic spectrum disorder is an umbrella term to encompass all the neurodevelopmental disorders. There is a huge range of symptoms which differs from one child to the other. The common symptoms are related to three core main problems in autism – communication, socialisation and restricted behaviour.

Autistic children have problems with verbal (speech and language) and non-verbal communication (gestures, facial expressions, pointing). Parents need to look out for one of the symptoms from these ranges of communicative problems in their children:

The child may not speak or even try to communicate by pointing or gesturing.
The child may randomly repeat or echo what he/she has heard without understanding it.
The child has good vocabulary but may have problems with social communication
The child is unable to sustain or start a conversation

Symptoms related to socialization in autistic children could be:

The child does not respond with a head turn when the his/her name is called. This is a very important and early clue.
The child does not make eye contact while asking for something.
The child is self-involved i.e., they do not play interactive games with parents and other children. They prefer to have solitary play.
Pretend/imaginative play which children normally start when they are around 18 months of age, is delayed or lacking.

Other symptoms could include repetitive behaviour like spinning themselves, walking on toes, body rocking and clapping hands when excited.

Parents need to be alerted and seek a good doctor’s advise if the child

is not babbling and/or gesturing by waving hands or pointing by 12 months
does not have single words by 16 months
does not say two-word meaningful phrases by 24 months

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of autism and autistic spectrum disorder is clinical i.e. it is based on the symptoms the child shows. Tests are done to rule out other conditions which may mimic autism. For example, children who have hearing problem might show autism-like symptoms such as not responding to their name, etc. So tests are conducted to rule out hearing problems. Diagnostic tests like MRI or genetic testing are done to rule out other conditions which may cause autism. For e.g. autism is known to coexist in fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis.

Treatment

The earlier the diagnosis and intervention with therapies, the better is the outcome in the future. The various therapies recommended are:

Occupational therapy in the form of sensory integration.
Communication therapy to help the child with verbal and nonverbal communication.
Behavioural therapy.
Medications are used to improve some of the symptoms like irritability, hyperactivity and aggressive behaviour when they do not responded to other therapies.

Many new therapies are coming up worldwide claiming to treat autism. However, parents are advised to do their research and consult their child’s paediatrician before opting for them.

Autism News

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