Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects all the areas of the patient's life from social relationships to language use. Although some symptoms of the disorder may be visible very early on, the condition might not become apparent before the child is three years old. At this point, the child is likely to have delayed language development, suffer from odd repetitive behaviors and avoid social contact with other people.
Diagnosis
Forming a full diagnosis of autism in a patient is usually a two-part procedure, says the National Institute of Mental Health. This process starts with a doctor performing a screening test on the patient. These tests often rely on behavioral characteristics exhibited by patients but can also include questions for parents about the behavior of their child. To proceed with the diagnosis, the doctor must see problems in at least one of the three typical areas autistic people struggle with. The next part often involves more than one person. Professionals in the fields of psychology, neurology, psychiatry and speech can often collaborate to assess the severity of the disorder. Determining what weaknesses and strengths an individual child has helps doctors to determine the kind of help that is most needed by the individual.
Language Problems
One of the most defining characteristics of autism is delayed language development. Healthy children have usually spoken a word by their first birthday and can use sentences consisting of two words half a year later. In 1998, a study conducted by A. De Giacomo, Ph.D., and E. Fombonne, Ph.D., that was published in "European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" concluded that this might take significantly longer for autistic children. The researchers found that autistic children use language as a way to get what they want and not as a way of socializing with other people. These patients may sound like they are having a conversation, but it is likely that they are just talking to themselves or repeating what others have said.
Social Problems
Another hallmark of autistic patients is their atypical social development. Starting from early infancy, a child wants and needs attention. She dislikes spending time alone and often wants to have eye contact with other people. When she matures, she will try to show her interest and excitement with using eye contact and by pointing at objects that interest her. In a few years, she will start developing friendships and sharing her experiences even more than when she was younger. An autistic child often will not do any of these things or will learn how to do them much later than normally developing children. According to a study conducted by Dr. M. L. Spezio in 2007 that was published in the "Journal of Autistic Developmental Disorders", an autistic individual is very likely to avoid eye contact. He may dislike being help as a baby and want to be left to play by himself. This is also true for older autistic people. It is common for an autistic adult to have no friends and to behave very much like he did when he was still a child.
Repetitive Behaviors
Autistic people are likely to engage in repetitive, or constrictive, behavior. A patient may, for example, rock a body part back and forth. This type of behavior, however, is not limited to physical movement. A patient may also fixate on a specific topic and only want to talk about dogs, for example. Dr. Anna J. Esbensen and her colleagues stated in 2009 in their study published in the "Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders" that this type of behavior grows less frequent with age. Unfortunately, this does not apply with self-injurious behavior. It is quite common for autistic people to hurt themselves by biting or hitting their head against the wall when they are angry or frustrated.
Treatment
Unfortunately, it remains impossible to cure autism, but there treatment options that can help an autistic child. Usually, making any kind of progress with an autistic child is hard, but treatment can help an autistic patient to function better despite of their condition and to be more self-reliant, says Autism-Society.com. In determining what treatment an autistic individual should receive, it is important to consider their strong and weak points. Knowing where to focus will help medical professionals to tailor the best possible plan for treatment.
References
- National Institute of Mental Health: The Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders
- "European Child and Adolescen Psychiatry" Journal; Parental recognition of developmental abnormalities in autism; De Giacomo A, Fombonne E.; September, 1998.
- Journal of Autistic Developmental Disorders: Abnormal use of facial information in high-functioning autism.
- Jrnl of Autism Developmental Disorders: Age-related Differences in Repetitive Behavior
- Autism-Society: Treatment Options
