Autism Spectrum Disorders

What Are Autism Spectrum Disorders?

According to the National Institute for Mental Health, "autism is a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively called autism spectrum disorders (ASD)."

Spectrum, in its most expansive definition means a wide range of behavioral symptoms, impaired skills, and levels of other forms of impairment, or disability that are associated with autism spectrum disorders in children.

There are five disorders that defines autism spectrum disorders and these are the following:

*** Autistic disorder or the classic autism

*** Asperger’s disorder or syndrome

*** Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)

*** Rett’s disorder or syndrome

*** Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD)

Symptom of autism spectrum disorder:

The symptoms of ASD are not the same from one child to the other. Generally, there are three areas that can be distinguished as symptoms of ASD.

Social Impairment: The most obvious of Symptoms

Children with autism spectrum disorders find it so hard to interact with other people.

*** They make little eye contact with people who speak with them.

*** They don’t focus attention to people or their environment.

*** They do not respond to the emotional display of the people around them.

Communication Problems and Speech Impairment:

Children with ASD do not communicate well with other people. Unlike ordinary children who can easily communicate by pointing out what they want, or saying a word or two, answer yes or no, gives facial or bodily reactions. Children with ASD show the following symptoms:

*** Slow in responding or may even fail to respond when being called.

*** Fail or slow in improving or developing facial or bodily reactions.

*** Slow to learn and develop language

*** They try to communicate by using their natural sign language or through pictures

*** Repeat words they hear or use odd words.

Repetitive and Stereotyped Behavior:

They show repetitive or unusual behavior like having the same pattern of actions. They also have the tendency to have an overly obsession or interests with certain things or movements.

Can autism spectrum disorders be treated?

There is no proven cure yet for ASD, but there are treatment programs and proper medical care to reduce the symptoms and help children develop their learning and communication ability.

There are three ways in treating children with ASD:

*** Behavioral therapy. This therapy helps a child to develop the right behavior and to lose the bad ones. It can also help in improving the communication motor skills through speech language-therapists and physical therapists. There are also occupational therapists that can help inform people to adjust the tasks based on their abilities.

*** Educational and school-based options. Appropriate public education can be acquired at all public schools because they are required to provide free education for children from grade school through high school. There are also individualized education plan designed to help not only the child but also the parents, teachers, school psychologists while the child is in the school.

*** Medication options. There are no medications yet that can cure autism, but there are medications that can treat some of the symptoms of autism.

People with autism can actually function as normally as each and every one of us but their road ahead depends on our attitude and willingness to help them and give them opportunities and accept them as they are.