Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological and developmental disorder
that affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and
learns. ASD affects the structure and function of the brain and nervous system.
Because it affects development, ASD is called a developmental disorder. ASD can last throughout a person's life. People with this
disorder have problems with:
- Communication
- Interactions with other people
(social skills)
- Restricted interests and
repetitive behaviors
The
symptoms of one person with autism can be very different from the symptoms of
another person with autism. Health care providers think of autism as a spectrum disorder - a group of disorders with a range of similar
features.
The United Nations General
Assembly unanimously declared 2 April
as World Autism Awareness Day. On the eve we present before you certain valuable information for mass awareness.
ASD includes:
·
- Autistic disorder ("classic" autism). Autistic disorder is often what people think of when they think of autism.
- Asperger syndrome. This ASD usually involves milder symptoms, mostly
related to social behaviors.
- Pervasive developmental
disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS,
or "atypical" autism). PDD-NOS includes some, but not all, of
the features of classic autism and/or Asperger syndrome.
One
person with autism may have mild symptoms, while another may have more serious
symptoms, but they both have ASD.
Despite
the range of possible symptoms, there are certain actions and behaviors that
are common in ASD and could signal that a child is on the autism spectrum.
Parents and caregivers who notice these "red flags" should
speak to their child's health care provider about autism and screening the
child for ASD.
In
general, the main signs and symptoms of ASD relate to:
- Communication
- Social behaviors
- Routines or repetitive
behaviors, sometimes called stereotyped behaviors
Red Flags for ASD
Communication
|
Note about these red flags:
Some of these red flags apply only at certain ages, so consider what's typical for other children your child's age. Some red flags are more strongly associated with autism than others. If your child shows any red flags for autism, talk to his or her health care provider right away. |
- Does
not respond to his/her name by 12 months of age
- Cannot
explain what he/she wants
- Language
skills are slow to develop or speech is delayed
- Doesn't
follow directions
- Seems
to hear sometimes, but not other times
- Doesn't
point or wave "bye-bye"
- Used
to say a few words or babble, but now does not
Social Behavior
- Doesn't
smile when smiled at
- Has
poor eye contact
- Seems
to prefer to play alone
- Gets
things for him/herself only
- Is
very independent for his/her age
- Seems
to be in his/her "own world"
- Seems
to tune people out
- Is
not interested in other children
- Doesn't
point out interesting objects by 14 months of age
- Doesn't
like to play "peek-a-boo"
- Doesn't
try to attract his/her parent's attention
Stereotyped Behavior
- Gets
"stuck" doing the same things over and over and can't move on to
other things
- Shows
unusual attachments to toys, objects, or routines (for example, always
holding a string or having to put on socks before pants)
- Spends
a lot of time lining things up or putting things in a certain order
- Repeats
words or phrases (sometimes called echolalia [pronounced ek-oh-LEY-lee-uh])
Other Behavior
- Doesn't
play "make believe" or pretend by 18 months of age
- Has
odd movement patterns
- Doesn't
know how to play with toys
- Does
things "early" compared to other children
- Walks
on his/her toes
- Doesn't
like to climb on things such as stairs
- Doesn't
imitate silly faces
- Seems
to stare at nothing or wander around with no purpose
- Throws
intense or violent tantrums
- Is
overly active, uncooperative, or resistant
- Seems
overly sensitive to noise
- Doesn't
like to be swung or bounced on his/her parent's knee, etc
Thanks for sharing
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