This is currently a very popular disease, so, people tend to see it in children more often than normal. Diagnosis is very complex and subjective, so, get more than one opinion before committing to treatment. When in doubt, see a doctor, of course. Autism is also known as pervasive development disorder by those people who change the names of things to keep us regular people guessing. The symptoms checklist may help you decide if you need to see a doctor about a child's behavior. For the following list, we're not talking about moodiness, but abnormal and possibly extreme behavior :
· Doesn't make eye contact or look directly at an object of interest.
· Speaks nonsense, memorized phrases or uses gestures.
· Withdrawn...can't make friends.
· Doesn't respond to facial expressions.
· Treats others as objects
· High or low senses of smell, taste, sight, sound or touch.
· High or low reaction to pain
· Rubs, licks or mouths objects
· Shows little imagination, doesn't mimic others
· Strong opposition to change
· Intense tantrums
· Very narrow interests
· Can't move off of a single object of interest
· Repetitive body movements
· Loss of language or social skills
Autism Causes :
No one actually knows, but, this being a popular disease, there are a lot of opinions being developed. Possible causes include genetics, prenatal infection, brain chemistry, diet, medicines, etc.
Autism Treatment :
All children should be tested for normal development by a medical professional. Normal development milestones are considered babbling, pointing and waving by 12 months, single words by 16 months, two-word phrases by 24 months (not mimicking). If autism is diagnosed, always consult a medical professional with experience in autism. Complete physical and neurological examinations, along with autism screening tests are required Before any conclusions are made. For a genuinely autistic child, early and intensive therapy can make a significant difference. Usually, a combination of behavioral therapies and medicines are used.
Autism Self Help :
Don't let anyone tell you your child is "disabled" just because they don't see "normal" behavior. Autism is very popular among parents and doctors. Often, we see what we expect or what we fear the most, leading to a false diagnosis. Definitely, get more than one opinion and get every test available. Find local autism resources and network to find out what treatments are available. Many parents are seeing results from using a "gluten-free diet." That's a diet with no wheat, rye or barley products.
The above information thankfully comes from the way2hope.org at the following link.