What to Do If You Believe Your Child Is Autistic
August 7, 2009
It can be hard to come to terms with accepting that you or someone close to you has a child that is autistic. It is better, however, to start getting them the help and care they need and to start learning more about the condition sooner rather than later. Here are some of the first steps and a little advice you can take if you believe that your child may be exhibiting some of the first and most recognizable symptoms of autism.
Don’t let others persuade you away from seeking out advice. No one knows your child better than you and you know if something is out of the ordinary with how he or she is acting. Don’t let others dismiss your worries as nonsense or avoid getting help because you’re afraid of finding out the truth. You’re going to have to deal with it eventually, so it’s better to know more rather than less.
Research the condition. The best thing you can do for your child, whether you are sure of the diagnosis or not is to research all you can about autism and become an amateur expert on the subject. Go through the M-CHAT questionnaire and see if and where your child may fall within the spectrum of autism. It may not give you definitive answers but it will educate and inform you and give you things to watch out for as your child grows.
Talk to your pediatrician. The first and most important step to helping your child is taking him or her into the doctor to get a professional assessment. Only a professional truly diagnosis your child, and if you feel that your doctor isn’t being supportive of your concerns and offering you the advice and guidance you need then perhaps it’s time to find another doctor.
Get early intervention. If it turns out that your doctor believes that your child may have autism don’t wait to get help. There are numerous organizations out there that can put you in touch with people who can offer your child the best resources to help them develop and learn—things that are better done sooner rather than later.
Don’t forget to nurture your child. Throughout the whole process of diagnosis and analysis of your child, don’t forget that at heart he or she is still just a child and needs your love and support no matter what the outcome. It’s very easy to get caught up in the treatments and forget about the little person in there so spend time connecting and enjoying their company.
This post was contributed by Jill Gordon, who writes about the online nursing schools. She welcomes your feedback at Jill.Gordon25@ yahoo.com
Signs of Autism – Checklist of Symptoms You Can Use to Test Your Child for Autistic Disorder
July 2, 2009
The signs of autism can be identified as various early stages of development. The definition of autism is as a neurodevelopmental disorder with three very definite symptom classes. For a person to be diagnosed with having the signs of autism they must have a certain number of these symptoms. They are broken down into three groups. Signs must be seen, before the child reaches three years old, of unusual behaviors in social situations, language delays or oddities and an inability in normal imaginative play situations. If you are wondering if your child might be autistic review the checklist below, they must have at least six of the below signs, a minimum of two from the first group and one each from the second and third groups.
1.Lack of normal social interaction;
• Inability to use non-verbal social interaction; inability to make eye contact, odd body poses, lack of facial expressions, confusion with gestures.
• Inability to make friends with peers
• Inability to share moments of pleasure. Child does not point to things they like or bring a toy over to share.
• Inability to emotionally give or take
2. Impairments in communication;
• Delayed language, or an inability to speak that does not substitute gestures for language.
• For those who do talk there is still clumsiness in language, an inability to start a conversation or continue one.
• Repetition of a phrase over and over again. This is known as echolalia.
• A lack of imaginative play appropriate for their age.
3. Repetitive behaviors, patterns and routines.
• An intense or repetitive focus on something that is out of proportion to normal interest.
• Need for routines or rituals. A need for structure beyond the normal. Changes being overreacted to.
• Repetitive behaviors like rocking, hand movements, or anything else that are repeated non-stop over a period of time.
• An unusual focus on a part of something. For example the wheels of a toy car or the eyes of a stuffed animal.
If your child has six or more of the above signs of autism then its time to take them to your health care provider. They will do a number of diagnostic tests to determine if your child is autistic. Although a diagnosis of autism can be a shocking outcome to parents, especially as there is no cure, early intervention can go a long way to allowing your child to grow up taking part in the mainstream world of school and life.
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.
Infantile Autism – The Interesting Orgin of the Disorder is Suprising and a Curiosity to Researchers
July 2, 2009
Early infantile autism was the name first given to the neurodevelopmental disorder first written about by Dr. Leo Kanner in the early 1940s. Usually diagnosed before the age of three infantile autism disorder is characterized by a social ineptness, impaired communication skills both verbally and non-verbally and an inability to partake in normal imaginative play. Before Dr. Kanner was able to differentiate this disorder from other difficulties many autistic children were thought to be schizophrenic.
In the early 1800s a textbook called Observations on Madness and Melancholy relates the case of a five year old child who was admitted into a hospital with what appeared to be childhood schizophrenia but which researchers now feel certain was early infantile autism.
The boy had been ill with measles in his first year. When he was two his parents noticed that he was more livelily than other children. Yet, he did not walk until he was two and a half and did not speak until he was four. When brought to the hospital he exhibited almost no separation anxiety when his mother left him. After numerous tests one thing that was noted was the child seemed to have no understanding of distance. The little boy would reach for something that was very obviously too far away for him to be able to get. This odd behavior would be described now, in the jargon of the day, as a faulty awareness of ego limitations.
Socially he kept to himself although he did like to watch the other children when they played. He exhibited repetitive play with some toy soldiers he had. He was able to whistle tunes he had heard but they were unable to teach him to read. Oddly the child always referred to himself in the third person. As well, although he seemed to know the names of many objects he was unable to use them in the correct manner.
The thing that makes this case so remarkable is not so much the study of the time, but the fact that it has been studied since and that the facts all point to this likely being the first recorded case of early infantile autism as the little boy was found to have seventeen of the thirty potential symptoms of autism. Researchers feel that this account is the best, most clearly written before Kanner identified early infantile autism in 1943; including for the previous one hundred and forty years between this account and Kanner’s pronouncement.
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
Child PDD Issues Need to be Identified as Soon as Possible for Quick Diagnosis and Treatment
July 2, 2009
Chelation therapy is the use of an amino acid, often EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra acetic), which can attach itself to the toxic metal in the child’s system. It is put into the body through intravenous means and then flushed out through urine taking the toxins with it. Other similar treatments are given by using nasal sprays or creams that are absorbed into the skin.
This chelation treatment has been recognized as being useful for a variety of conditions including Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia, Cancer and Alzheimer’s. But, the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, does not recognize it as a treatment for autism. Chelation treatment is only when tests prove that there has been contamination of the patient by toxic metals. It especially is not recognized as a treatment for children with autism.
Despite researchers coming out against this therapy desperate parents are willing to try anything to cure their children of the incurable disorder of autism. One such attempt met with disastrous results last year. Recently an autistic child, who was only five years old, was undergoing repeated chelation therapy and on the third treatment session, in his doctor’s office, he died.
This news was received with great sadness by the community, but was used as a caution to other parents anxious to try anything possible to help their children. Those in the know in the autism community, professionals who follow these experimental treatments, had sadly expected an outcome like this to occur. It is being used as a warning to parents. While it’s understood that they want to try everything they can to help their children caution must be taken, not all treatments available are actually safe to use on children. Parents must allow researchers the opportunities to fully investigate alternatives before rushing in desperation to attempt unproven treatments.
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
Asperger’s Disorder Symptoms Vary According to the Way Each Individual is Affected
July 1, 2009
Asperger’s disorder symptoms will vary according to the way each individual is affected. But all people with autism with have symptoms characterized by difficulties in the areas of social interactions, communication and focus during play.
To expand further on these let’s first look at social interactions. Asperger’s disorder symptoms are first noticed in children and include trouble developing non-verbal communication, which includes facial expressions, cuddling, and eye contact. These children are not comfortable sharing the moment. They don’t understand when things are going well and that this is something to share with peers. They find is impossible to make friends, even as small children.
Communication is a big area that shows the delays a person with autism suffers from. People with autism have major delays in learning to talk, as many as fifty percent never speak. Some researchers feel this is because of an inability to learn to talk while others believe it’s from choice. For those who are able to speak, they still have limitations on their conversations. It seems to be almost painful for them to carry on a conversation to the point where they may not be able to continue it once its begun. They may be unable to understand humor. Some people with autism repeat a word or phrase over and over. This is called echolalia.
The third category deals with limitations on the interests of a person with autism as well as the focus in play. Children with autism will frequently focus on part of a toy as opposed to play with a toy. It might be the wheels of a car or the eyes of a stuffed animal. Odd things like license plates, television schedules or patterns often fascinate teens and adults with autism. They may focus on these things non-stop. They usually need their lives to be very structured. They may eat the same meal the same way at the same time every day. It might be necessary to take the same route when driving them to school. A disruption in these routines can be disastrous to the autistic person. This category also includes the stereotypical behaviors of rocking and hand flapping.
Parents, babysitters or other caregivers first notice symptoms of autism before the child is three years old. It may start with little things like a child resistant to being held or not making eye contact. Concern will build when the child resists playing baby games like peek-a-boo and will escalate when the child does not begin to speak; especially when friends have children who are developing normally.
Nothing can prevent the onset of autism, nor cure it once it develops, but early intervention and access to good programs will help minimize the severity of asperger’s disorder symptoms that may enable a person with autism lead as normal a life as possible.
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 – Early Signs To Be Aware Of
March 5, 2009
The autism early signs can vary from child to child, so there is no single, definitive checklist of symptoms. Even though it may not be the easiest things to detect, it’s one of the things that a careful and justifiably paranoid parent has to watch out for, among many other concerns and fears. Autism can be crippling if not dealt with early on – luckily, there are a number of things to watch out for, and signs that their development may not be going as smoothly as it should.
There are a number of ways to measure how a child grows up. Most of these measures are physical in nature, from their height, their weight, to whether or not they look like a tiny bald version of you or if they’ve started to grow some real hair already. These are called developmental milestones and as such, are merely guidelines that say your child should have developed a certain way as time passes by. If they’re little late, it doesn’t mean your kid’s definitely troubled – but it might be good to take a look.
The first milestone is at three months, or when they start being actively cute. At that point in their lives, they’re supposed to start picking up on physical and emotional cues from people. These signs are numerous, but the most recognizable one would be, well, the cutest one – their smile. They should start smiling at the sound of their parent’s voice, or when other playmates come along. At this milestone, they should also actively start using their arms and legs to play and to express themselves.
The next developmental milestone lies seven months into your bouncing baby’s life. Generally, around this point, the child takes on a more active stance towards the world around her. Language takes on a bigger role as they start understanding certain roles and tones, such as responding to laughter and the word “no” accordingly.
Their names take on some meaning, as the baby learns their name and start to respond to it. They start responding to certain sounds appropriately. They start playing with both hands as well, moving an object from left to right and vice versa. Generally, they’re learning that they can influence and are a part of the world itself.
What we are looking for are signs that they aren’t responding to their context in the world as well or as quickly as they should. If you didn’t know, autism infants can show signs as early as 3 months into their lives. It may not be easy to deal with, but if you don’t take action as early as you can, you could easily make this condition worse.
When something bad happens, you should deal with it as soon as you can and that goes double for children. This is their developmental stage – help them out as soon as you suspect it’s needed. Watch out for autism early signs in your children and you’re watching out for their future.
Wondering if your child has the symptoms of autism? What Autism treatments Work Best? Save your child from a challenged future by spotting the signs of autism early and learn the therapies that can dramatically improve your child’s quality of life at Autism Symptoms & Treatments
Extreme Preemies Might Have Higher Risk of Autism Symptoms
February 8, 2009
Babies Born Too Early Twice as Likely to Score Positive on Autism Test
By AUDREY GRAYSON
ABC News Medical Unit
Jan. 29, 2009
Among the many serious health risks faced by babies born extremely prematurely, an increased risk of autism may confront moms-to-be, a new study suggests
Autism is characterized by difficulty with social interaction, problems with all forms of communication and repetitive behaviors or obsessive interests. Depending on where a patient falls on the autism spectrum, the severity of these behaviors can range from mild to disabling.
Using a special questionnaire, researchers from Boston University and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem in North Carolina found that even among children with no pre-existing impairments, the chances of developing autism were about twice as high in those born three months early compared to children born within the normal range of gestation.
Lead study investigator Dr. Karl Kuban, chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at Boston Medical Center, cautioned that the test is not conclusive in determining whether a child will develop autism.
“You have to acknowledge that a positive screen isn’t the equivalent of autism,” Kuban warned.
Wondering if your child has the symptoms of autism? What Autism treatments Work Best? Save your child from a challenged future by spotting the signs of autism early and learn the therapies that can dramatically improve your child’s quality of life at Autism Symptoms & Treatments
See the rest of the original article here.
Attacking Autism with earlier diagnosis
February 6, 2009
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with an ASD, making them more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.
Autism was first identified in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins Hospital. At about the same time, a German scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that is now known as Asperger’s Syndrome.
The earliest signs of autism are usually seen by parents and typically include unusual behaviors and failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then regressed.
Lack of eye contact, repetitive behaviors and delayed or unusual speech patterns are just a few symptoms that are common in most ASD cases.
There is no medical test for autism. The Centers For Disease Control has set guidelines that suggest all children be screened for autism during their 18-month, 24-month and 30-month well checks. During the screening, doctors look at behavioral symptoms, ask parents specific developmental questions, perform speech and language tests as well as utilize various other screening techniques.
This screening cannot be used alone to make a diagnosis, but a positive screening should be followed up by further assessment.
Researchers at Yale University are studying detailed eye tracking technology as a means to diagnose autism at an earlier age.
Ami Klin, Ph.D., and his research partner Warren Jones, believe through their research they will be able to put together a better picture of how a child with autism perceives the world.
Their research began with toddlers whom they showed video clips from the movie Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? The children watched the screen while a hidden camera captured their eye movements.
Wondering if your child has the symptoms of autism? What Autism treatments Work Best? Save your child from a challenged future by spotting the signs of autism early and learn the therapies that can dramatically improve your child’s quality of life at Autism Symptoms & Treatments
See the rest of the original article here.
Asperger’s in Autistic Spectrum: Why Love May Not Be Enough
February 5, 2009
Wonder why the fellow you’re trying to make conversation with doesn’t meet you eye to eye. Ever worried that the good-looking fellow you would like to know better seems to give everyone the cold shoulder even when folks are friendly.
Turns out the individual may have Asperger’s syndrome. A recent scientific study reveals how these individuals may be diagnosed and treated during adulthood that may help individuals and families understand why certain people respond the way they do.
Not all autistics are diagnosed in childhood. In fact there are high-functioning individuals who have Aspergers syndrome who may go undiagnosed throughout a lifetime. There are ways, however, of finding out about this so that people can begin to understand that sometimes may not be able to change in easy, predictable ways.
What causes Asperger’s syndrome is being discussed and studied widely. The most prevalent hypothesis is that it is genetically caused. To make the diagnosis, however, a series of tests of social ability function, fluctuations in attention, ability to determine detail and attend, communication and fantasy can be administered.
Another diagnostic procedure is to do an inventory of the individual’s background. This would include asking parents and brothers and sisters, or other members of a household, about any unusual or different characteristics that they have noticed in the person about whom there is concern. There are certain behavioral patterns associated with Aspergers that include monotonous facial expressions and intonation, even in the context of sophisticated conversation. Often direct eye contact is avoided. A joke or smile doesn’t get the predicted response. In addition the person may not feel empathetic towards others.
Wondering if your child has the symptoms of autism? What Autism treatments Work Best? Save your child from a challenged future by spotting the signs of autism early and learn the therapies that can dramatically improve your child’s quality of life at Autism Symptoms & Treatments
To read the rest of the article see here.