Autism is diagnosed more today than ever before in history. Perhaps it’s because the physicians are better trained to recognize Autism, or it may be that there are better methods available to understand this disorder. Regardless of the reasons, it seems to be more prevalent, and more noticeable now than ever before. Autistic children typically have a disorder that impairs the central nervous system and the brain from fully developing. It affections their emotions, their memory, their learning abilities, and becomes more obvious as the child ages – and becoming more obvious before the child is three years old. It affects how the brain processes information and how the synapses of the nerves communicate. There is a lot of research going on around the world regarding this disorder, treatment, and even potentially cures.
Types of Autism
Autism is extremely complex, and with all the autistic children across the globe, there have been five types of Autism identified:
- Classic – This is the most common and the most severe. Most children with this type of Autism develop language skills much later than “normal” development cycles, and they generally are lacking in affection and emotions. They do much better with consistent routines, rarely speak (and often with abnormalities), but they often have elevated skills in Visio-spatial abilities.
- Asperger – These autistic children have great difficulties in social skills and find change almost excruciating, and the range is from mild to intense. They have a lot of hardship in understanding body language, and often have a minimal sensitivity to pain and high sensitivity to loud sounds and brighter lights. Many of these children have special skills and abilities in only specific areas (such as math) and are above average in intelligence.
- Childhood Disintegrative Disorder – These children generally have severe lacking in social skills, motor skills, and communication skills. They tend to appear perfectly normal until they reach between two and four years of age, when they cease to play or make friends, forget any bodily function skills they have learned such as using the potty or using utensils for eating, and they stop socializing.
- Rett Syndrome – This form of Autism normally appears in girls and has a range of symptoms from diminished muscle tone, little to no eye contact, and skills such as crawling or walking are inhibited. They tend to have little to no hand to eye coordination and minimal hand movement, and minimal movement of the body.
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified – This is somewhat of the inclusive disorders of Autism these children demonstrate some of all of the symptoms of the other types, but don’t exhibit the full range of the disorders.
Causes of Autism
There’s a great debate continuing on exactly what causes autistic children, yet there is no definitive answer at this time. Some believe it to be a genetic disorder; however, some families have one autistic child, but the other children are all normal. Which leads other researchers to believe it’s caused by vaccines or the environment. There have been some studies that show the vaccine for Mumps/Measles/Rubella cause problems in the intestines which in turn cause autism to develop, while others believe that the thimerosal, or mercury preservative, used in the vaccines are the root cause. Still others site deformities in the brain, food allergies, immune disorders, and some even go so far as to say bad parenting is the cause. At this point, none have been proven definitively, but research is on-going.
Treatment of Autism
Once the autistic children have been diagnosed, there are some options available that have shown some promise to help in the behavioral aspects of the child that includes:
- Being clear with any information or instructions to the child
- Rewarding right behavior immediately
- Slow increase in complex skills, and reinforcement of successful completion
- Clear punishment when bad behavior continues and rewards for good behavior
- Specific differences of when and where behavior are and are not allowed
Parents of autistic children have to pay much closer attention to the actions and behavior of these children. There are a number of support groups and counseling groups that can help parents become more involved and educated in helping their children grow and learn.
Understanding the Disorder
When parents find they have autistic children, there is so much more to learn and understand in order to allow the child to have somewhat of a normal life. There is no known cure at this time because researchers don’t yet know what causes this anomaly to occur in some children and not others. Pay attention, be involved, and above all, be calm and patient.
