With a problem so widespread, it is important to know what it is about.
What is ASD?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental and neurological disorder that develops during the early childhood stages and can continue for the entire lifetime of a person. ASD has an impact on the communicative and behavorial abilities of a person. The symptoms of autism usually develop during the initial two years of life.
Autism is called ‘spectrum’ disorder because there is an extensive difference in respect to the kind and intensity of symptoms that people encounter.
ASD includes conditions that were formerly thought of as abstracted- autism, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, an undefined type of pervasive developmental disorder. The term, Asperger’s syndrome, is still used by some people, which is usually thought to be at the moderate end of ASD.
Usually, the symptoms are said to have developed in early stages of childhood, but a few children develop normally in initial one year and then suffer from a period of regression between 18-24 months of age when they evolve the symptoms of autism.
Symptoms of ASD:
In some children, the signs of ASD are reflected during early infancy. These symptoms can be minimal eye contact, an absence of a response when called by their name or negligence to caretakers. Some kids might grow normally for the initial few months or years but would become aggressive or withdrawn in a spur of the moment or even forget skills they have already learned. The signs and symptoms are evident by the age of 2 years.
Every child suffering from ASD has a unique pattern of behavior and degree of austerity. Some kids suffering from ASD might find it challenging learning or may be below the average intelligence level. Some kids might be a quick learner and have even higher intelligence levels, but they might find it challenging communicating properly and applying their knowledge in day-to-day life and society.
As the symptoms vary from child to child, the sternness of the disorder is hard to actuate. It is usually based on the degree of damage and how it affects the functional ability.
Mentioned below are some common symptoms of people suffering from ASD-
Social correspondence and cooperation:
A person suffering from ASD faces trouble with social communication. Expect the signs mentioned below:
- Lack of response when called by his/her name and absence of attention
- Abstaining from embracing and holding and prefer playing alone, lost in his/her own world
- Lack of proper eye contact and facial expressions
- Either absence of speech or deferred speech or forgetting the already learned skills of seeking words/sentences
- Not able to initiate a conversation or keeps repeating a single thing. Making requests continuously or labeling items
- Speech of abnormal tone/rhythm and might use a robotic tone or singsong voice
- Repeating words/sentences literatim, but lack of understanding of the usage of the same
- Inability to understand simple directions or questions
- Inability to express emotions and incognizant of other’s feelings
- Apathetic, aggressive or unsettling social behavior
- Having issues with understanding non-verbal indications, like understanding the facial expressions of people, voice tone, etc.
Behavorial patterns:
An individual affected by ASD will have restricted, the verbose pattern of behavior, interest or motion, including the below mentioned signs:
- Repetition in movements like spinning, hand waving, etc.
- Establishing a certain routine and getting disturbed even at minute changes
- Having creaky or distorted body language
- Trouble coordinating body movements and having odd motion patterns, e.g.- walking on toes, etc.
- Causing self-harm with activities like head-banging, biting, etc.
- Is strangely light-sensitive or to sound and touch as well but can be unresponsive to pain or temperature
- Doesn't be a part of make-believe play
- Getting enamored by details of an object, like clapping of a toy joker, but failing to get the ultimate purpose or utility of the object
- Obsesses on a particular object or activity with unusual ferocity or focus
- Limited food preferences, like eating selective foods or protesting foods with a specific consistency
Know when to seek doctor’s help:
Babies grow and develop at a certain pace and this might differ than the exact timelines mentioned in parenting books/websites. Children with ASD show unusual signs and delayed development prior to the age of 2.
If you doubt about your child to be affected from ASD, visit a doctor. Some developmental issues can be related to other disorders, if not ASD.
Your physician might recommend a few tests to assess whether your child has ASD. The doctor would go for various tests, if your child is showing the following signs and symptoms:
- Irresponsive to smile or happy expressions by the age of 6 months
- Unable to imitate sounds or facial expressions by the age of 9 months
- Unable to babble or murmur by 12 months
- Absence of expressions/body language, like pointing out at objects, etc., by 14 months
- Has not uttered a single word by the age of 16 months
- Is not able to be a part of pretend game or make-believe, by the age of 18 months
- Lack of the ability to say at least two-word phrases by the age of 24 months
- Fail to keep social or language skills at any age
Causes of ASD:
There is no single fixed cause of ASD. Due to the intricacy of the disorder and the way its symptoms and degree vary, there are multiple causes for this disorder. Genetics and environmental factors, both can play a crucial role in this.
Genetic factors-
Due to genetic mutations, a child can be affected by ASD. Some genetic mutations are inherited while others can occur automatically. In some children, this disorder can be related to other disorders such as Rett Syndrome. For some, genetic mutations can be the cause for ASD.
Environmental factors-
Researches are being conducted to determine whether certain environmental factors contribute to development of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is being explored that whether components like medications, viral infections, air pollutant or complications during pregnancy, are responsible for development of ASD.
What are the risk factors involved in this?
As the number of children with ASD is rising, a debate over the reason has started. It is yet to be figured out that whether due to an increase in the awareness of the disease, the number of cases being reported are increasing or the actual number of patients is really increasing.
ASD affects people irrespective of ethnicity or nationality. Mentioned below are some factors which put the child at a risk of developing ASD:
- Family history: If anyone in your family, including the parents of the child or any other blood relative has ever been diagnosed with ASD, the chances of the child being affected from the same, increase.
- Gender of the child: Boys are more likely to develop ASD as compared to the girls.
- Other disorders: Children having other form of disorders such as Rett syndrome or Fragile X syndrome, etc. are at an increased risk of developing ASD.
- Intensely pre-mature babies: Kids born 26 weeks prior to incubation might be at a higher risk of developing ASD.
Preventing Autism Spectrum Disorder:
Sadly, there is no way to prevent ASD from happening, though there are treatment options at one’s disposal. Early diagnosis and intervention can assist in improving the behavorial and language skills of the patient. Through proper sessions and treatments, the children might learn to function better.
All that the autistic children need, is your support, care and love. The families of such kids also go through a lot of mental stress and trauma. It is time for society to be more accepting and understanding of such children and extend their support to them and their families so that they can give a shot to living a near-to-normal life.
Turacoz Healthcare Solutions, a medical communications company, aims to spread awareness regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and wishes that every autistic child gets equal rights as others and full support and care from the family and society. Turacoz also appeals parents to be more attentive about their child and look for any unusual symptoms, to get an early diagnosis and get proper treatment.
Turacoz offers medical writing services such as regulatory writing, publication writing, pharmacovigilance support, medico-marketing, etc. To know more about our services and avail them, write to us at hello@turacoz.in
