Autism

As each year passes more and more children are being diagnosed with Autism. With all the different types of disorders out there, Autism has been creeping its way to the top of the list. Autism Spectrum Disorder known as ASD is a complicated condition that includes problems with communication and behavior. It is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. As recently as 200,000 U.S. cases per year are just diagnosed with Autism. Broken down the term, “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity. A wide range of behaviors can result in a diagnosis of Autism such as: minor problem or a disability that needs full-time care in a special facility, trouble with communication, trouble understanding what other people think and feel, problems with learning, skills might develop unevenly, and it is hard for them to express themselves, either with words, gestures, facial expressions and touch. Autism isn’t easy to diagnose and is hard to define. There are many different types such as: Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder (atypical autism). Not a disorder that anyone wants to be faced with but with shared information on the disorder it can become manageable. With that said I want other families who suffer from Autism to know they are not alone and to be able to learn more about it what it is and how they can cope.

Mentioned above I explained that it isn’t easy to diagnose a child with Autism. However, it isn’t impossible either. Even though it can be hard to get a definite diagnosis a doctor will focus on behavior and development. During that process there is usually two steps that are taken. Those are developmental screening and if a child shows signs of a problem on these screenings they’ll need more complete evaluation and testing might include hearing and vision test or genetic tests. Overall, Autism is diagnosed four times more in boys than in girls and can only be found out through the physician and going through the different tests.

What would the signs be? Due to different types of Autism there are different symptoms to look for. Listed below are many symptoms that can define as child as Autistic once medically diagnosed. Symptoms to look for:

· Difficulty with communication, social interactions, obsessive interests and repetitive behaviors

· A lack of eye contact, narrow range of interests or intense interest in certain topics, do something over and over such as repeating words or phrases, rocking back and forth or flipping a lever, high sensitivity to sounds, touches, smells or sights that seem ordinary to other people, not looking at or listening to other people, not looking at things when another person points at them, not wanting to be held or cuddled, problems understanding or using speech, gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice, talking in a sing-song, flat or robotic voice, trouble adapting to changes in routine and some may have seizures

· Fail to respond to his or her name or appears to not hear you at times

· Prefer playing alone, retreating into his or her own world

· Can’t start a conversation or keep one going or only starts one to make requests or label items

· Doesn’t appear to understand simple questions or directions

· Inappropriately approaches a social interaction by being passive aggressive or disruptive

· Difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues, such as: interpreting other people’s facial expressions, body postures or tone of voice

· Performs activities that could cause self-harm such as: biting or head-banging

· Develops specific routines or rituals and becomes disturbed at the slightest change

· Problems with coordination or has odd movement patterns such as: clumsiness or walking on toes and has odd, stiff or exaggerated body language

· Fascinated by details of an object such as: spinning wheels of a toy car but doesn’t understand the overall purpose or function of the object

· Doesn’t engage in imitative or make-believe play

· Specific food preferences such as: eating on a few foods or refusing foods with a certain texture

There are many symptoms that could define a child as Autistic. The range and sensitivity of symptoms can vary widely. Overall, some could show signs from birth or most common is usually appears before a child turns 3 years old or during adolescence. As a parent all you can do is just be cautious of your child’s behavior and continue to give them the same love and care.

As with most disorders or disease it isn’t clear why a child becomes Autistic. Some of the recent research show that it could stem from problems in parts of your brain that interpret sensory input and process language. Can happen in people of any race, ethnicity or social background. Runs in families, so certain combinations of genes may increase a child’s risk or a child with an older parent has a higher risk of developing Autism. Other risk factors include: maternal metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity or if a pregnant woman is exposed to certain drugs or chemicals; like alcohol or anti-seizure medications. Autism isn’t defined from receiving vaccinations and research has linked it to untreated phenylketonuria and rubella. As research continues we all hope that eventually a cause for this disorder will be discovered.

Usually a struggle to deal with a child that brings challenges but on the bright side there is treatment that can be performed. There is no cure. Also keep in mind that what works for some families or person might not work for another. Once diagnosed early treatment can make a big difference in development starting with therapies, medications, specialists (neurologist, psychologists, developmental, speech/language, learning consultant). It all comes down to routine and keeping each day, time, minute and second the same. Other services offered are:

· Behavioral and communication therapy- applied behavior analysis (ABA)

· Occupational therapy

· Sensory integration therapy

· Speech therapy and medications to help with symptoms like attention problems, hyperactivity or anxiety

With a little patience and attention this disorder can be overcome. The child can live a normal or half normal life through progress and determination to correct areas that need improvement.

Most parents will tell you that you can’t understand or relate to what they are going. Those parents are right; however, it doesn’t hurt to become educated of this disorder that seems to be multiplying. Facts and stats related to Autism:

· Affect 1 in 59 children

· 40% do not speak

· 25%-30% have some words at 12 to 18 months of age then lose them

· Other might speak but not until later in childhood

· Greatly varies (no two people are alike)

· Steadily grown over the last 20 years

· Co-morbid conditions: fragile x, allergies, asthma, epilepsy, bowel disease, GI/digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, PANDAS, feeding disorders, anxiety, bipolar, ADHD, Tourette, OCD, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders, immune disorder and neuroinflammation

· Most underfunded

· Generally, appears before the age of 3

· A small number of children appear to develop normally in the first year and then go through a period of regression between 18 and 24 months of age when they develop symptoms

· Each child is likely to have a unique pattern of behavior and level of severity: from low function to high

· Some have difficulty learning and some have signs of lower than normal intelligence

· Others have normal to high intelligence: they learn quickly, yet have trouble communicating and applying what they know in everyday life and adjusting to social situations

· Due to the unique mixtures of symptoms, severity can sometimes be difficult to determine

· Generally based on the level of impairments and how they impact the ability to function

· Some children become more engaged with others and show fewer disturbances in behavior

· Some eventually may lead normal or near-normal lives

· Others however, continue to have difficulty with language or social skills and the teen years can bring worse behavioral and emotional problems

The reason for the research on Autism was due to my own personal experience with my child. As a single parent it has been difficult trying to figure out how to handle most of the behavior that my child has been expressing. Still waiting on a diagnosis from a physician but thankful that the pediatrician saw signs as well. At times I can relate to other families struggling with Autism and other times I still can’t wrap my head around it. Like most I am under educated about this disorder and feel that sharing this information can help others learn to understand how to cope with difficult children. Overall, there are no difficult or bad children, but they are misunderstood and just need love, care, patience and attention to continue to help them grow and make progress in this world.