Autism Spectrum Disorder? What are the signs?

Question

What is the diference between ASD vs ASC? How to detect it in child's behaviour?

I have a three year old and she is currently lined up for a series of evaluation appointments but the waiting period is 8 n- 14 mnths for pretty much all of them. Our GP mentioned ASD but she would not diagnose because she is not sure, but I am very concern. What are the signs I should look for?

Answer 1

you should look at the dsm-IV

Answer 2

Here are a couple of websites that may help:

Autism Society of America:

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageS...

This one is really good:

http://www.firstsigns.org/concerns/flags...

With our son, we noticed at 11 months that he had no words, would not point and didn't play gesture games ("How big is baby? - so big!", "Itsy bitsy spider", etc).  At 2 years old he was non-verbal, acted like he didn't hear you, was obsessed with the TV and had repetitive compulsive behaviors such as throwing himself on the floor over and over.

Can your GP refer you to someone who can diagnose?  8-14 months is absolutely awful to make you wait!  What state are your in?

Answer 3

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention programs.

Answer 4

There are two major types of autism, of which you have probably heard, they are autism and Asperger’s syndrome.  First let’s look at classical autism, how would we recognise it?  Well, autism was first recognised in the mid 1940’s by a psychiatrist called Leo Kanner.  He described a group of children, whom he was treating, who presented with some very unusual symptoms such as; - atypical social development, irregular development of communication and language, and recurring / repetitive and obsessional behaviour with aversion to novelty and refusal to accept change.  His first thoughts were that they were suffering some sort of childhood psychiatric disorder.

At around the same time that Kanner was grappling with the problems of these children, a German scientist, Hans Asperger was caring for a group of children whose behaviour also seemed irregular.  Asperger suggested that these children were suffering from what he termed ‘autistic psychopathy.’ These children experienced remarkably similar symptoms to the children described by Kanner, with a single exception. – Their language development was normal!  There is still an ongoing debate as to whether autism and Asperger’s syndrome are separable conditions, or whether Asperger’s syndrome is merely a mild form of autism

What is the cause of autism?

In the 1960s and 1970s there arose a theory that autism was caused by abnormal family relationships.  This led on to the ‘refrigerator mother’ theory, which claimed that autism in the child was caused by cold, emotionless mothers! (Bettleheim, 1967).  However the weight of evidence quickly put this theory to bed as evidence was found to support the idea that the real cause was to be found in abnormalities in the brain.  This evidence was quickly followed by findings, which clearly demonstrated that the EEGs of autistic children were, in many cases, atypical and the fact that a large proportion of autistic children also suffered from epilepsy.

From this time, autism has been looked upon as a disorder, which develops as a consequence of abnormal brain development.  Recently, evidence has shown that in some cases, the abnormal brain development may be caused by specific genes.

However, we should not forget that genes can only express themselves if the appropriate environmental conditions exist for them to do so and so, we should not rule out additional, environmental causes for autism.  We should not forget that autism can also be caused by brain-injury, that an insult to the brain can produce the same effects as can abnormal development of the brain, which may have been caused by genetic and other environmental factors.   I have seen too many children who have suffered oxygen starvation at birth, who have gone on to display symptoms of autism or Asperger’s syndrome. So, it is my view that autism can also be caused by brain-injury.

  I believe therefore, that the cause of autism therefore needs no complicated definition, whether it is produced by genes, environmental causes, such as alcohol abuse or abuse of other drugs, infection, jaundice, malnutrition, or one of many other causes, - or by oxygen starvation.  It is simple and easy to understand.  The cause of autism is brain–injury.  I believe it is that simple!  The important and simple thing to remember is that autism is caused by brain–injury, in the same way that cerebral palsy is caused by brain-injury.  In fact, autism is an expression of brain–injury, again in the same way that cerebral palsy is an expression of brain-injury.

Difficulty in socialisation is an area, which characterises the entire concept of autism. To many parents the lack of willingness on the part of their autistic child to share in normal social action is of paramount concern.  One parent described her child as having social amnesia.

The social impairments, which typify autism are exact, that is, the child’s social conduct is not atypical universally.  It is incorrect to declare that children, who are autistic, have a deficiency in their level of curiosity in other people.  What they are deficient in is the proficiency for conveying or exploiting that interest.  Uninjured babies are focused on faces and voices, whereas autistic children do not seem to be!  They do not turn automatically to the sound of a voice, or fix their eyes on a parent’s face, and may actively avoid meeting their vision.  In many cases, this is due to sensory impairments, which can block the development of these social skills.

The importance of play

One of the first signs that a toddler or preschooler has autism is their atypical play.  Even the brightest youngsters with autism display highly unusual patterns of play.  Classically, children with autism over-focus their attention on visual aspects of specific toys, or noises, which their toys make.  Many researchers see this as a lack of imagination in autistic individuals and it is true to say that children with autism do lack imagination and spontaneity within their behaviour, preferring to stick rigidly to routines with which they feel comfortable and safe.  What I claim though, is that many times, these problems are created as a result of the sensory distortions, which they suffer.  

Hope this helps.

http://www.snowdrop.cc

Answer 5

Early intervention is KEY here....read the already mentioned sites. Also google search autism spectrum disorders amd read only sites that are medically oriented. Autismspeaks.org is a good site, try OASIS too.  Contact the local board of MRDD and ask for guidance, though without the diagnosis they may not want to step in. Contact the local health department nursing staff and see if they have a help me grow unit that can help, or bureau for children with medical handicaps which might help pay for the cost of the exam to rule out the disorder (it may rule it in, but will cost you less initially). Do NOT stop asking for help, you will hear no a lot don't give up! Youwill be your child's advocate always and have to be more educted than the professionals working with your child!  Many school districts will evaluate a child for services preschool age if a disability is suspected, it will help in the meanwhile to get started on searching.  Signs: lack of eye contact, no babbling, no imaginative play, tippy toe walking or odd gait, fine motor delays are common (child has no interest in writng on walls or coloring for instance). Speech delays, tantrums that are over the top, extreme responses to small things---noises or tags in clothing for is\nstance. Inability to converse or a lack of desire to be social. Imitates speech patterns word for word from television, does not play with toys but rather studies them as they move (my son did this). Some children on the spectrum learn to read very young and read everything they can, some don't....but if yours is doing this at three it might not be a sign of an early reader but a sign of hyperlexia which is sometimes associated with autism. Stimming--watching spinning things, fasicination with light switches, osessions with trains or shiny objects or round things...constant need to have something in their hands and collect things that may not make sense (like bottle tops)....all can be signs.  Lots of great resources online...look in yahoogroups and see if anything in your area for support, parents that are there are always willing to help. Waiting is hard...I know, been there done that. There are things you can do in the meantime, connect with others and find guidance...and above all be honest when you talk to that doctor later...hiding things you think are irrelevant can hurt the diagnostic process...Tony Atwood has a good book about aspergers, I found great info in there when we were first starting out...and there are other resources in the back too.