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Autism: a comprehensive compendium

 Autism: a comprehensive compendium 2022


Autism or autism is one of the disorders that belongs to a group of developmental disorders called autism spectrum disorders, and it appears in childhood, usually before the child is three years old.

 
Autism: a comprehensive compendium 2022
 Autism

Although the severity and symptoms of autism vary from case to case, all autism disorders affect a child's ability to communicate with and develop relationships with those around him.

 

Estimates show that 6 out of 1,000 children in the United States have autism, and the number of diagnosed cases of the disorder is steadily increasing.

 

It is not yet known whether this increase is the result of better effective case detection and reporting, a real and real increase in the number of people with autism, or the result of these two factors together.

 

Although there is still no cure for autism, intensive treatment and early diagnosis can make a significant and significant change in the lives of children with this disorder.

 

The main difficulties faced by autistic patients

Children with autism also almost certainly have difficulties in three basic areas of development:

 

  1. Mutual social relations.
  2. language.
  3. behavior.

As children advance into adulthood, some of them may become more capable and willing to blend in and blend into the surrounding social environment.

and they may show fewerbehavioral disturbances than the characteristics of autism, and some may even be successful in lead a normal life or lifestyle. soon From normal and normal.

 

On the other hand, others continue to have difficulties in language skills and social interactions, as their behavior problems worsens into adulthood.

 

Some children are slow to learn new information and skills, and others have normal IQs, or even higher than other normal people. These children learn quickly but have communication problems to apply the things they have learned in their daily lives and to cope with different situations.

 

A very small proportion of children with autism are self-taught and have unique exceptional abilities, especially in a particular field, such as: art, math, or music.

 

Symptoms of autism

 

Because the signs and symptoms of autism vary from patient to patient, two different children with the same medical diagnosis are likely to behave in very different ways and have completely different abilities.

 

But cases of severe autism are characterized in most cases by the absolute inability to communicate or establish reciprocal relationships with other people.

 

Most children develop symptoms of autism in infancy, while other children may emerge and develop quite normally during the first months or years of life, but suddenly become withdrawn, hostile, or lose the language skills they had previously acquired. then.

 

Although each child has symptoms of autism and shows their own temperament and patterns, the following symptoms are the most common for this type of disorder:

 

  • 1. Disorders of social skills

Symptoms appear in the patient as follows:

 

Does not respond to being called by name.

No more direct eye contact.

He can't seem to hear it.

Will not embrace or therapists in on himself.

He does not seem to be aware of the feelings and feelings of others.

It seems that he likes to play alone, waiting for his own person in his world.

  • 2. Problems with language skills

The following are the main symptoms of language skills difficulties:

 

Starts to speak at an older age compared to other children.

He loses the ability to say certain words or sentences with which he was previously familiar.

He visually connects when he needs something.

He speaks with a strange voice or with different tones and rhythms, or speaks with a singing voice, or with a voice similar to that of a robot.

Cannot start a conversation or continue an existing conversation.

He can repeat words, phrases, or terms, but he doesn't know how to use them.

  • 3. Behavioral problems

The following are the main symptoms of behavior problems in autistic patients:

 

Perform repetitive motions, such as rocking, spinning, or waving your hands.

Develop habits and rituals that you repeat all the time.

Lose your cool when there is any change, even the slightest or smallest, in these customs or rituals.

be in constant motion.

Being dazed and fascinated by certain parts of objects, such as: a spinning wheel on a toy car.

Being overly sensitive to light, sound, or touch, but unable to feel pain.

Young children have a hard time when asked to share their experiences with others.

Causes and risk factors of autism

There is no single factor known as the definitive cause of autism.

 

However, given the complexity of the disease, the extent of autistic disorders, and the fact that two autistic states do not coincide, that is, between two autistic children, it is likely that there are many factors that cause autism.

 

Causes of autism

 

Among the most important causes that can lead to autism:

 

1. Hereditary disorders

 

Researchers have discovered several genes that may play a role in causing autism, some of which make a child more susceptible to the disorder, while others affect brain growth and development and the way brain cells they communicate with each other.

 

Any genetic defect in and of itself may be responsible for a number of autism cases, but in a holistic view it appears that genes in general have a very central or even decisive influence on autism, and some genetic disorders can be transmitted genetically, while others may appear spontaneously (spontaneously.

 

2. Environmental factors

A large part of health problems are the result of genetic and environmental factors combined, and this may be true in the case of autism.

 

Recently, researchers are examining the possibility that a viral infection or environmental contamination could be a motivating factor for the development of autism.

 

3. Other factors

There are other factors that are being investigated and studied recently, among them: problems during childbirth and the role of the immune system in everything related to autism.

 

Some researchers believe that damage to the amygdala, a part of the brain that acts as a hazard detector, is a triggering factor for autism.

 

Risk factors for autism

 

Autism can occur in any child of any origin or nationality, but there are known risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing autism, and these factors include:

 

1. Gender of the baby

Research has shown that boys are three times more likely to develop autism than girls.

 

2. Family history

Families who have a child with autism have a greater chance of giving birth to another child with the disease, and it is known and common that parents or relatives who have a child with autism themselves suffer from certain disorders in some developmental skills, or development, or even of certain autistic behaviors.

 

3. Other disorders

Children with certain medical problems are more likely to develop autism. These medical problems include:

 

Fragile X syndrome, an inherited syndrome that leads to mental disorders.

Tuberous sclerosis, which leads to the formation and development of tumors in the brain.

A neurological disorder is known as Tourette syndrome.

Epilepsy causing seizures.

4. Age of parents

Researchers tend to believe that parenting later in life can increase the likelihood of developing autism.

 

Comprehensive research has shown that children born to men over 40 are 6 times more likely to develop autism than children born to parents under 30, and research shows that the mother's age has a marginal effect on the likelihood of autism.

 

Complications of autism

Complications of autism include:

 

Inability to succeed in studies.

Social isolation.

Inability to live independently.

Stress.

Abuse and violent treatment with them.

 

The treating pediatrician performs regular growth and development checks to detect a delay in the child's development.

 

If your child has symptoms of autism, you can see a doctor who specializes in the treatment of autism, who, in cooperation with a team of other specialists, will conduct an accurate assessment of the disorder.

 

Since autism varies from so many degrees of severity and severity of symptoms, diagnosing autism can be a complex and complex task, as there is no specific medical test to detect existing autism.

 

disease diagnosis

 

The formal evaluation of autism includes the following:

 

Consultation of the child's specialist doctor.

Discussion with parents about the child's social skills, language skills, and behavior, and how and to what extent these factors change and develop over time.

Subject the child to various examinations and tests to assess his speech and language skills and examine some psychological aspects.

Although the initial symptoms of autism appear before 18 months, the final diagnosis is sometimes made only when the child reaches two or three years, when there is a developmental defect, a delay in the acquisition of language skills, or a defect in interpersonal social relationships.

 

Early diagnosis is very important, because early intervention, especially before the child reaches three years of age, is a very important element to achieve the best possibilities and opportunities for improvement of the situation.

 

Autism treatment

 

To this day, there is no single treatment available to everyone with the same amount, and indeed the range of treatments available to autistic patients that can be taken at home or school is surprisingly very diverse.

 

Treatment of autism includes:

 

  1. Behavior therapy.
  2. Speech and language pathology therapies.
  3. Didactic and educational therapy.
  4. drug therapy.

Autism prevention

There is no way to prevent autism, but an early diagnosis can improve the behavior of a person with autism.

 

Alternative therapies

Since autism is a very difficult and incurable condition that has no curative treatment, many parents turn to alternative medicine solutions.

 

Although some families have reported positive results after treating autism with a special diet and other alternative therapies, researchers cannot confirm or deny the efficacy of these various treatments in autistic patients.

 

Some very popular alternative treatments include:

 

  • New creative treatments.
  • Follow your diet.

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