About autism Custom Search Autism is a neuro-emotional disorder of developmental which manifests in infancy and early childhood (before the age of 3 years). The disease is more common in males than in females. The exact cause of the disorder is not known. Genetic factors may play a role because the concordance rate (the frequency with which both twins are affected by the same disorder) for monozygotic twins is significantly higher than that for dizygotic twins. About a quarter of families with an autistic child have other family members affected by some language related disorder. Symptoms and signs: A characteristic feature of autistic children is the lack of emotions appropriate for the age. Social smile is delayed. Normally a two month old baby makes eye to eye contact and smiles. All normal babies show attachment to primary care giver and often do not stop crying unless picked up by that person. Autistic children do not display such emotional bonding. There children are not interested in imitative play and are not interested in social interaction like playing with other children. Speech development is delayed in majority of affected children. They are often referred for suspected hearing problem because they do not react as expected to sounds. When speech begins to develop it is usually incomprehensible.
Asperger's syndrome is the name given to a condition somewhat similar to autism but is milder and these children have slightly better language development. The term autism spectrum disorder encompasses both these entities. Autistic children frequently display odd posturing (sitting or lying in uncomfortable and awkward positions) and peculiar interests-for example they may go an playing with the same toys for a long time (like building a tower with cubes) unlike normal children who get bored and want to do something different. Another common finding is stereotyped motor behavior like twirling and hand flapping. They frequently cause injuries to them selves. Many Autistic children display abnormal pattern of eating and sleeping. They also suffer from unpredictable mood changes. Majority of autistic children have subnormal Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Some autistic children develop seizure disorder in later life. Treatment: There is no cure for this disease. Parents should be made to understand that this is a lifelong disorder. Special education and training may be given to those whose IQ is not very low. Anti-epileptic drugs may be needed for those who develop epilepsy. Custom Search
Page last reviewed on 3rd February 2010
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