What is Autism? As per Wikipedia
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old.Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.
Autism is considered as Spectrum of range of disorders(ASD- autism spectrum disorder). The Autistic children normally posses follwing symptoms
-Repetitive Behaviour
-communication related issues
-social development related issues
How is autism diagnosed?
ASD varies widely in severity and symptoms and may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children or when it is masked by more debilitating handicaps. Very early indicators that require evaluation by an expert include:
- no babbling or pointing by age 1
- no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
- no response to name
- loss of language or social skills
- poor eye contact
- excessive lining up of toys or objects
- no smiling or social responsiveness.
- impaired ability to make friends with peers
- impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
- absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
- stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
- restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
- preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
- inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals.
How is autism treated?
There is no cure for ASDs. Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can bring about substantial improvement. The ideal treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that meet the specific needs of individual children. Most health care professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better.
Educational/behavioral interventions: Therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis. Family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with an ASD often helps families cope with the particular challenges of living with a child with an ASD.
Medications: Doctors may prescribe medications for treatment of specific autism-related symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antipsychotic medications are used to treat severe behavioral problems. Seizures can be treated with one or more anticonvulsant drugs. Medication used to treat people with attention deficit disorder can be used effectively to help decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity.
Other therapies: There are a number of controversial therapies or interventions available, but few, if any, are supported by scientific studies. Parents should use caution before adopting any unproven treatments. Although dietary interventions have been helpful in some children, parents should be careful that their child’s nutritional status is carefully followed.
Some of the following can be tried for betterment of autistic kids with the guidence of proper physician if needed.
some of the autistic cases were reported in families where there is no marital harmony between spouses.Heated arguments between parents often drive children to socially withdrawl.
Alternative medical treatments like Ayurveda and Homeopathy would help .
Speech Therapy would be beneficial.
Autistic children normally would posses good memory. They can be taught some subjects like english, vocabulary and math through repetition and rote memory. Books with lots of pictures can be used for teaching.
Dietary interventions such as avoiding sugars, cheese and soft drinks would reduce hyperactivity.
Autistic children need lot of exercise to ground their energy and sleep well in night or else they would be awake through out the night.
I will post more information in future.
Some of the following can be tried for betterment of autistic kids with the guidence of proper physician if needed.
some of the autistic cases were reported in families where there is no marital harmony between spouses.Heated arguments between parents often drive children to socially withdrawl.
Alternative medical treatments like Ayurveda and Homeopathy would help .
Speech Therapy would be beneficial.
Autistic children normally would posses good memory. They can be taught some subjects like english, vocabulary and math through repetition and rote memory. Books with lots of pictures can be used for teaching.
Dietary interventions such as avoiding sugars, cheese and soft drinks would reduce hyperactivity.
Autistic children need lot of exercise to ground their energy and sleep well in night or else they would be awake through out the night.
I will post more information in future.
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