What is Autism Spectrum Disorder – This is the Answer to a Question That Every Parent Should Know
July 2, 2009
What is autism spectrum disorder? Eugene Bleuler first coined the term autism in 1912. This Swiss psychiatrist used the word when explaining a schizophrenic’s difficulty in connecting with others. He choose this word because if means self.
Later, in 1943, Dr. Leo Kanner, after studying eleven children suffering similar symptoms, used the expression early infantile autism. He also picked this word because of its Greek origins, which also came from the word meaning self. He did this because he felt that a main symptom the children suffered from included an interest in themselves but not the world around them. Dr. Kanner wrote a paper based on his observation that was published in a medical publication called The Nervous Child. While this publication has long since disappeared every symptom that Kanner described in his paper are still felt to be typical behaviors of autism to this day. There are different kinds of autism, the most common one is known as Kanner’s Autism.
The term autism describes a neurodevelopmental disorder with a variety of symptoms and characteristics whose focus is on abnormal social relationships and interplay, difficulties with communications of both the verbal and non-verbal kind, a lack of focus in normal play and repetitive pattern behaviors.
Around the same time that Kanner was working with his patients, Dr. Hans Asperger was having similar results with patients who were higher functioning but exhibiting similar symptoms. This disorder was later called Asperger’s syndrome. The Second World War delayed his findings becoming well known, as did a wait of nearly fifty years to translate his conclusions into English. I was not until the late 1990s that his work was incorporated into the ongoing research into autism.
When you put these two together you get what is now referred to as ASD; autism spectrum disorders. They are two of the five pervasive developmental disorders, PDD, listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
In someone with autism they way the perceive the world can be very different than someone without autism. Their sensory reactions seem to be affected strongly. Something with a light scent to you or I may smell foul or excessively strong to someone with autism. Light that just brightens our way can be found to be blinding to an autistic. Just like a gentle touch may feel painful.
It’s difficult to treat when each person suffers somewhat different symptoms. Since there is no cure there are controversies about treatment. Some say it’s not a disorder its what these people are born with. Others claim that treatment does more harm than good and that autistics are better left alone than intruded on. The last camp heard from feel that whatever can be done to help people with autism cope in the world is worth the time and money invested.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
Types of Autism – Learn the Differences Between Kanner’s Autism, Asperger’s and Rett Syndromes
July 2, 2009
The five types of autism, all of which are neurodevelopmental disorders, all exhibit similar symptoms, but each one is slightly different. The five types of autism are Kanner’s Autism (the most common one), Asperger’s Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
Rett Syndrome is the most different from the others. For one thing it favors girls just about entirely, while all other types of autism seem to have more male sufferers. It’s quite rare with only one affected out of every ten to fifteen thousand children. The baby begins to develop normally, but somewhere between six and eighteen months this all changes and the child not only stops progressing but also they begin to regress, losing any of the progress she has made. She will no longer cuddle, and if she had been babbling or even had a few words, she will lose them. She can no longer control her feet and will wring her hands. Researchers do not as of yet understand these last symptoms.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is similar in that it too is a regressive disorder. This favors boys and does not begin to show symptoms before three to four years. By this time the child has meet many of their early milestones. They are walking, potty trained, affectionate and will be speaking. They’ll enjoy playing with their peers. Then it will begin without warning and over the space of just a few months all this progress will stop. The child will lose whatever language they have and will no longer be able to control their bowel or bladder. They may begin to have seizures and will usually have a low IQ. This is the most dramatic of all the types of autism as the once sunny smiling child will turn sullen, uncommunicative and lose all they have learned.
Asperger’s is the mildest form of autism. Although this follows all the other symptoms of autism they are in a milder form. Some people say that Asperger’s is autism at a higher functioning level. The child still has impairments, their communication skills often come with difficulty and they are still very awkward in social situations. They usually have a very narrow field of interest and have been compared to “little professors” as children. Although many of their interests are common among children those with Asperger’s will obsess on that which interests them.
Kanner’s autism, commonly referred to as autism disorder, is the most common form of autism. It is believed to affect one child in one hundred and sixty six. This has the three major areas of symptoms; difficulties with social interactions, difficulties with imaginative play and repetitive behavior and difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication.
The final form of autism is Pervasive Developmental Disorder not Otherwise Specified. This is exactly what it sounds like. It is the name used for people who have many of the symptoms of autism but not enough of one kind to be labeled with it and so they are put in this general category. The person may have most of the symptoms, a very few or almost none. It is not a diagnosis of a disorder but merely a term to cover off the symptoms of an unknown neurodevelopmental disorder.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
Regressive Autism – Sometimes These Symptoms are Diagnosed Incorrectlyas PDD or Schizophrenia
July 2, 2009
Regressive Autism is when a child who has developed normally for the first three to four years of heir lives, meeting all the social, communicative and motor skill milestones, suddenly begins to regress you may be looking at a case of Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. This is a rare and frightening form of regressive autism. Studies have shown that a mere two out of one hundred thousand autistic children will be found to have this condition. And like autism itself this regressive disorder favors the males.
To clarify, this is different than Rett Syndrome, which favors girls, because of the extended phase of normal development. A child with Rett Syndrome begins their regression at no later than eighteen months. A child with Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, CDD, will learn age appropriated communication skills; they will have learned to talk. The child will have had normal social interactions, been cuddly and affectionate. Then it will stop and over a few short months the child will begin to regress and all the things they will have learned will disappear. They will completely lose their vocabulary no matter how developed it was. Their motor skills will suffer, as will their social abilities. They will pull away from the hugs they used to crave.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder will also show other major symptoms of change. A child who was toilet trained will lose the ability to control their bladder and bowels. Their play will change and may now become more a repetitive process. The imaginative play they used to partake in will disappear. They may begin repetitive gestures like rocking or tip toe walking.
One of things that parents must watch is that sometimes these symptoms are diagnosed incorrectly as pervasive developmental disorder or even schizophrenia. They are neither but instead a very serious disorder that is often accompanied by seizures and a low IQ. Treatment for Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is the same as it is for autism. The prognosis is not a good one, as the loss of functioning does not return. But the child can be helped to cope as best as they can and learn as much as is possible based on their skills.
The causes of this devastating disorder are still unknown. Some research has shown links to the central nervous system, but research is still underway to determine why a child developing normally suddenly stops, and not only loses all they’ve learned but pulls away from normal social interactions with those who love them.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Consists of Five Neurodevelopmental Disorders Including Austism
July 2, 2009
Pervasive developmental disorder is a number of neurodevelopmental disorders classified under one umbrella. They are called either pervasive developmental disorder or, as they are more commonly known, autism spectrum disorders. There are five disorders included in this group. The most common one is known as autistic disorder, or Kanner’s autism, and is considered the most severe. Asperger’s syndrome is the milder form. They both share the same symptoms, verbal and non-verbal communication difficulties, lacking the ability for imaginative play with repetitive play instead and poor social interaction skills.
A third is Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise specified. This one is for all the people who have many of the symptoms of these neurodevelopmental disorders but not enough symptoms to be definitely placed in one category or another. So, as they are not specifically sufferers of either Asperger’s syndrome or Kanner’s autism or either of the regressive autisms, they get lumped into this category.
The regressive autisms are more frightening because the child starts out making normal progress, which then not only stops but also disappears. All the progress made by the child is gone in a short period of time leaving the child to start again and the parent’s completely bewildered. Both of these are very rare but they do occur. Rett Syndrome has another oddity; almost all those that suffer from this disorder are girls. The other autism disorders are more likely to affect boys, though girls do have autism too. The regression with Rett Syndrome begins as early as six months of age and not later than a year and a half. The child stops any of the developmental progress she has made, stops being that cuddly baby and pulls away, then begins to show the signs of autism. She also loses control of her feet and constantly wrings her hands.
The other regressive type of autism is called Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. This is worse to watch as the child meets all their milestones including speaking until they hit the age of three or at the latest four years of age. Then in the space of a few months it’s all lost. They lose their sunny disposition, the ability to talk, and they can no longer control their bowels or bladder despite having already been potty trained. This regression can be very confusing for the child and earth shattering for the parents who watch their smiley child lose all interest in normal physical contact.
No matter which pervasive development disorder your child has early intervention is a must to give them the best chance in life. This should include occupation, speech and physical therapies.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
Neurodevelopmental Disorders – Does Your Child Have One of These Developmental Disabilities
July 2, 2009
Neurodevelopmental disorders are different from a simple developmental disability. A developmental disability means anything that causes, with an onset during childhood, delays in normal function. These could include, but are not limited to, mental retardation, seizures, or cerebral palsy. The child with a developmental disability will have problems with mobility, learning, self care and/or communication.
Neurodevelopmental disorders mean the specific disorder that causes the disability. This can include, but is not limited to, Autism, Down syndrome, Williams’s syndrome or Fragile X. Of the neurodevelopmental disorders Autism is probably one of the ones most familiar to the general public. It is one of he better know pervasive developmental disorders and has three very distinctive sets of symptoms. These include a lack of imaginative play that is instead replaced by repetitive play, difficulties with spoken communication and non-spoken communication and an inability to have normal social interplay.
Turner’s syndrome is exclusively a condition suffered by girls. It is caused because the X chromosome is either totally or partly missing. Some of the signs of Turner’s are the girls being short and not having normal development as they reach puberty. She may also have kidney or heart deformities. This syndrome can arise in one in twenty five hundred births of girls.
Fragile X can affect boys or girls. A child with this disorder is usually mentally retarded to some degree or at the very least has learning disabilities. They also have social interaction problems and other autistic like symptoms. Interestingly Fragile X will come up once in two thousand male births, but oddly only once in four thousand births of girls.
William’s syndrome is another neurodevelopmental disorder. This one is much more unusual occurring only rarely with one in every twenty-five thousand births. Its characteristics include failure to thrive and slow growth, widely spaced teeth, developmental delays, high blood calcium levels, language and behavioral difficulties, and hyperacusis, which is oversensitivity to loud sounds. Despite these difficulties sufferers of William’s syndrome are known for being very friendly and outgoing.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD, occurs in a surprisingly large number of children. Studies have shown that three to five percent of all school age children suffer from ADHD. The symptoms include difficulty focusing, being distracted easily, impatience, restlessness, difficulty in staying in one place and a host of others that all come down to trouble paying attention. Twenty five percent of children with ADHD also have a parent with it.
No matter which neurodevelopmental disorder a child has early intervention and a good program designed specifically with their special needs in mind is essential to give them the best chance at a full life as they grow.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
Kanner Syndrome – Information You Need if You Suspect Your Child Has This Disorder
July 2, 2009
Kanner syndrome studies began in the early 1940s when a strange coincidence of research was taking place in America and Austria at the very same time. Two scientists were researching unusual behaviors in children. They were both not only coming to the same conclusions but they were using the same word, unbeknownst to the other, to describe this disorder. Both used the word autism, though oddly they were seeing different degrees of a similar disorder.
Kanner called the disorder he was researching Kanner syndrome or autism disorder. It is known as both though more people refer to it simply as autism. In the early 1940s Dr. Leo Kanner was researching this with a group of children who seemed to be exhibiting the symptoms of schizophrenia. But his research led him to believe that it was not actually childhood schizophrenia he was seeing but something else, something quite different. He first used the term infantile autism to name this new disorder he’d found.
Many researchers have seen his early identification of autism as a breakthrough and his early conclusions still hold true to this day. Interestingly, as his work was written in English it was becoming widely known throughout the world. In the 1950s and 1960s more children were being diagnosed with the condition he had discovered. Further to that his research paper on Kanner syndrome was being published in the United Kingdom.
At the same time Asperger’s work was largely ignored in the countries where English was spoken because it was written in German at the time. His work continued, but relatively unnoticed. The bulk of his work was not translated before the early 1990s. No one knows if Dr. Kanner was aware of Dr. Asperger’s work. They do know that Dr. Asperger eventually became aware of Dr. Kanner’s work and later argued that they had each discovered slightly differently disorders that seemed to overlap the other in their symptoms. Researchers and medical professional argued back that they were the same disorder just with different functioning abilities. Asperger’s sufferers seemed to be higher functioning.
No matter the levels of functioning, both are neurodevelopmental disorders. Both have symptoms that deal with inept social interplay, difficulties with the spoken language as a means to communicate as well as non-verbal communication and the inability to partake in imaginative play instead of repetitive play. In the end both Asperger’s syndrome and Kanner syndrome became lumped in with three other disorders that are similar and now they are all refereed to as pervasive developmental disorders.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
High Functioning Autism Definition and Description
July 2, 2009
High functioning autism research has given many professionals insight into this disorder. Many believe it should be considered a disorder of its own. It’s seen as different from Asperger’s syndrome, in which many sufferers are better able to function than those with autism disorder. High functioning autism, HFA, does not occur in people whose IQ is less than seventy-five. Therefore these are people who are able to enter and remain in school until graduation. People with HFA have a wide range of strengths and weaknesses like any person with autism; they are just able to get by better.
Socially, those diagnosed with high functioning autism, are inept. They try, but the social niceties that children are taught simply do not stick. Therefore, they can inadvertently make social errors without realizing that what they have done is improper. For example, they may just walk into a home, or room, without knocking and not understand someone being upset about it. Social pleasantries like hello or how are you may go unused or unresponded to. They could be characterized as socially naive and so they are best shielded from others who may take advantage of them.
Sensory overload is definitely a problem even for those who are high functioning. Party situations or just being in a big group of people may prove to be too much for them to deal with. They may overreact to loud noises. Trying to get a job is another area of difficulty since making eye contract is still a problem. If they are not able to present well then this leads to a lack of income which then means long term government help required though because they are higher functioning they may find themselves denied this help or at least have trouble getting it.
Some people with high functioning autism actually have motor skill difficulties. They may even walk oddly because of coordination problems. When they are young children they would be called clumsy but as adults this becomes an issue that gets them ridiculed. Frequently they compensate for this by being obsessively neat and organized.
Children who have High Functioning autism may not be diagnosed until they are seven to ten years old. The symptoms are often mistaken for a child who is just developing slower or a child who perhaps is having troubles at home and so acting out at school. But in they end they will do well in school if they are recognized to have HFA and are lucky enough to have good teachers who will take the time to stimulate them and keep them interested in their studies.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
Autism Research Review of Various Studies and Their Results
July 1, 2009
The autism research review takes many different directions depending on the theories of each individual research team. One group is investigating urinary analysis because of the group’s feeling that autism is actually a metabolic condition cause by the intake of gluten and casein and that the body’s inability to properly metabolize them. The feeling is that urine samples will show that the body is unable to get rid of these extra compounds and so prove the point of these ongoing studies.
Other research studies are looking at the environmental factors of autism. There is the belief that multiple genes affect the child who develops autism. As they narrow the field and find which genes are linked to autism they hope to be able to tell parents of an autistic child whether they will have the possibility of having another autistic child. Parents often are afraid to risk another pregnancy though they would like the opportunity to have another child but do not want to risk a pregnancy that may give them another autistic child. This does not mean they do not love their child who is autistic, just that they do not want to have another child who will have to struggle the way an autistic child does.
An autism research review of other studies are looking into diet as a contributing factor in autism. These studies continue on the premise that gluten and casein are bad for the child and eliminate them from their diets. That means no more grain in their diets and no more milk. Then they use heavy doses of Vitamin B6. Unfortunately the results have been mixed. Some children respond to the treatment, while others have shown no differences and still others may have some minor changes. These dietary trials are continuing.
Still another study is experimenting with the use of secretin. The Food and Drug Administration approved this drug for use with gastrointestinal problems. These studies too have proven inclusive with some children showing improvement in sleep habits, eye contact, verbal communication and awareness. Unfortunately just as many showed no changes.
Currently several studies are working on the vaccination theory despite a lot of proof already to the contrary for this to be the cause. Many parents have latched onto this one because it is a common factor among all young children. A pronouncement by the Institute of Medicine said no, this is not the cause of autism. They used in their findings in several studies including one done by the Danish who checked nearly half a million children. They noticed an increase in autism after thimerosal, the supposed culprit in vaccinations, was removed.
Research will continue and we can only hope that eventually the cause and hopefully then a cure will be found for autism.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
Autism Genetic Research Indicates Which Parent’s Children are at Risk for Developing the Disorder
July 1, 2009
Autism genetic research has shown that it is one of the most heritable disorders. Despite an increasing amount of autism genetic studies being performed each year the researchers are still trying to discover the multiple genes believed to be the reason for autism.
There have been numerous studies, completed and ongoing, on twins and siblings. Identical twins, who share one hundred percent of their nuclear DNA, where one has autism, have about a sixty percent chance of the second child having autism and a ninety percent chance of the identical twin having some type of autistic spectrum disorder. With fraternal twins, where the genes shared number only fifty percent, the chance of the second twin being autistic lowers dramatically to four and half percent, just like it would with any sibling. For the average person the chance of having autism is .2%. These numbers speak strongly in favor of evidence that links autism with heritability.
Autism genetic studies of twins have been going on since the middle 1970s. Of nine studies conducted worldwide between 1977 and 2004 all of them came to relatively the same conclusion regarding identical twins and the chances of a second twin having autism. One study felt that the delivery highly influenced the chance of an autistic child, but overall the conclusions were very similar.
Many family studies have been conducted as well. A Danish study in 2005 looked at risk aspects of the entire family. If the autistic child had Asperger’s syndrome the risk for other children to have some type of autism was believed to be 1.04% while if the child had other forms of autism the feeling was a risk factor of 1.76%. These risk factors were double if the mother had ever been diagnosed with any form of psychiatric disorder. These conclusions were formed after a thorough study of the entire family including collecting information on the parent’s place of birth, their age, the location the child/children were born, and the family history for depression or psychiatric difficulties. Although paternal age seemed to be an issue, maternal age was not.
These studies have left almost as many questions unanswered as they have answered. If identical twins show such an increase in heritability why don’t fraternal twins? Why are parents of autistic children almost always people who do not have autism if heritability is so definitely a factor in this disorder? Some researchers question if autism has become the word of its time and perhaps too many children are being lumped into this group for ease of diagnosis. All these unanswered questions will only be answered once more studies into the heritability of autism are conducted and results are known.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates
What Causes Autism? A Look at Various Factors That May Cause Autism
July 1, 2009
What causes autism?
The truth is that there is no one factor that researchers have been able to track down to being the single cause of autism. But, there are theories and with these theories is the eventual hope of finding the cause and then perhaps, a cure. This process will be long, but research never stops and that means that some day there will be a breakthrough.
Researchers are currently looking at a few possible answers to the question of what causes autism. Some believe it is gene based. While some researchers are looking for one gene as the answer to what causes autism, others pursue the idea that it is three or five genes that are linked together to produce the disorder. Some studies are showing that autism may be linked to a depressed immune system. While other studies are showing links between family members with dyslexia or depression. If there are links on both sides of the family the chances of having a child with autism appears to be much higher.
At the same time other researchers are finding association between illness in the first trimester of pregnancy and autism; specifically if the mother has rubella. At the same time there are questions regarding having vaccinations during the first trimester and autism. Particularly concerns are for the measles aspect of the MMR shot and the pertussis part of the DPT injection. Researchers are saying do not get vaccinated while pregnant.
Studies are being conduced on the brains of those with autism. These are, of course, post-mortem studies. They have found several common brain abnormalities. They have learned that there are two sections in the limbic system of the brain that are different form those who are not autistic. These two sections are the amygdale and the hippocampus. They control emotions, sensory input, learning and aggression. It seems that these scientists have found a connection even if they do not as of yet understand why the brains are different.
Other interesting discrepancies with those who do not have autism are serotonin levels. Some autistic people have too much while others have too little. Other disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or unipolar depression also have atypical levels of serotonin. Other people with autism have elevated levels of beta-endorphins. This is felt to contribute to the higher pain tolerance shown by some autism sufferers.
It is obvious to those who continue to research autism and its causes that so far there is not one answer to what causes autism coming to the forefront, but many pieces to a much larger puzzle that over time will hopefully give the answers that researchers and parents alike continue to search for.
If you think that there is “something not right” with your child you must find out as soon as possible if autism is the issue. Treatments are less effective with each passing day as we grow older, so find out now with the complete autism resource for determining symptoms and goes into depth about ALL treatment options for autism, natural AND medical. So do your family a favor and check out the information at Autism Symptoms.
You can also make extra money to help pay for treatment and training by telling people about this helpful resource. You earn $26.30 for each book sold, so start making money by clicking Autism Symptoms Affiliates