A Look at Autism

Autism is a disorder related to brain and can lead to impaired thinking, social functioning and diminished feeling for the lifetime of an individual. Autism commonly affects the ability of an individual to show response to others, create relationships and having a normal communication with others.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism or classical autism is a group of developmental disorder, which is also known as the autism spectrum disorder. Other disorder in the same group may include Asperger syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive developmental disorder.

Who is more likely to be affected by Autism?

Boys are at much higher risk to get affected by autism in comparison to girls. Moreover, a boy will have greater chances of getting autism if his family has at least one more person with autism. Moreover, if one twin is autistic, then other twin will be autistic too. But, symptoms may vary in both children.

Autism is a Wide Spectrum Disorder

* Autism or ASD is referred to as wide-spectrum disorder, which means that no two individuals with autism will exhibit the same degree and types of autism. Some people will have very severe and some will have mild form of autistic symptoms.

* The person with autism or ASD interacts very differently with another individual as compared to normal population. The person with autism seems to be clumsy, out of sync with others and negative with their comments. In most severe cases, a person with autism may seem not be interested in other people at all.

* A person with autism is often not able to understand the feelings of other people. He is not able to empathize easily with others feelings, but they can be taught to improve empathy by frequently reminding them of this. A conversation with autistic individual seems like a one-way trip. There is no exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings when conversing with a person having autism.

* Many children with autism do not like to get touched or hugged. But, there are exceptions too and some autistic children like to hug their mother, siblings, father and other close relative.

* A large group of children with autism do not use speech to convey their thoughts. It is unpredictable that when they will start speaking. However, it is sure that there is no impairment in their physical abilities that prohibit them from speaking.

* All children with autism are different from one other, but they have numerous traits and attributes that are common. Autistic people may seem dull and straightforward, but they may be very talented in various areas of studies including technology, engineering and science and music.

The symptoms of autism are unique for each autistic person. Autism is a wide spectrum disorder and a person having autism may exhibit mild or severe form of autism symptoms. However, there are several problems that are common among autistic patients including mental retardation, seizure disorder and gastrointestinal issues.

Symptoms associated with social difficulties:

Some children with autism are not able to get along with other people easily. Some of the symptoms associated with social skills include:

* The child has poor eye contact and dislikes being hugged and cuddled.

* The child fails to respond to his name and appear not to hear and understand you at different times.

* The child seems to be unaware of other's feeling and likes to be alone. He or she prefers not to mingle with others and appear busy in their own world.

* The child may have no close friends and seems to be aloof. They have no interest in activities of other people.


Symptoms associated with communication

* The child may have delayed speech and may lack abilities to talk. In some cases, a child with autism may not speak at all.

* A child with autism face problems in initiating a conversation and have difficulties in carrying on with the conversation after it has begun.

* The child may not be able to express themselves properly and find difficulties in understanding the facial expressions and gestures of others.

* They may speak out meaningless and odd things. They may repeat your words to you several times. They are unable to use their own hands for gestures.



Symptoms associated with behavior

* A child with autism exhibits same kind of behavior that they repeat over and over again.

* They may behave unusually like flapping their hands and continuously shaking their legs.

* A child with autism create a routine for themselves and becomes upset at the simple change in their ritual.

* Some autistic children get enchanted with complex machinery, like that of a car toy. They like video games, drawing and playing with toys, but they do the same activity repeatedly.

* A child with autism may be extra sensitive to sound, touch and light, but still unaware of pain.

Some children with autism after growing as adult are able to live on their own. This also depends on the degree of intelligence and their communication skills. However, some adults with autism require a lot of help and guidance for their lifetime.

The main cause of autism is still a debatable topic and no one for sure knows what causes autism. According to some experts, autism is not caused by a single factor and is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Let us look at some theories that doctors and scientist say may be the causes of autism:

* Genetics: It may be possible that genes are the cause of autism, but no gene have been identified as causing autism. If in a family, one child is autistic, then there are 2% to 8% chances of having another child as autistic. Moreover, in the case of identical twins, if one twin is autistic, then other twin will have 75% chances of being autistic.

* Vaccination: According to some people, children who have had the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine develop the symptoms of autism. However, experts claim that there is no link between MMR vaccination and autism. But, still many parents refrain their child to have this vaccination.

* Bad parenting: Some early theories indicate that "cold" mothers of children are responsible for the cause of autism in a child. But, this interpretation is completely wrong and not justified yet.

* Diet:: According to certain studies, diet may play a role in the cause of autism in a child. A child may develop signs of autism starting from the pregnancy period. Pregnant women who eat a lot of fish, particularly tuna, can be blamed for autism in a child. Some fish are contaminated with mercury, and it is known to cause delay in the development of a child.

* Environmental factors: Some people find link of autism with environmental factors. Environmental factors like pollution, chemical, toxic material may trigger autism in a child.

* Development of the brain: Research is going on to find the difference between the typical brain and autistic brain. Several brain abnormalities are found in a child with autism.

* Serotonin levels: The level of serotonin in an autistic child can also be considered one of the cause of autism. Some autistic patients have too little or too much serotonin levels. Higher level of beta-endorphins have been reported in some autistic patients.

* Immune deficiency problem: Some studies link the cause of autism with problems related to deficiency in the immune system. Therefore, some treatments are based on boosting the immune system of the body. However, this evidence is not strong enough to be known as the main cause of autism.

* Pregnancy: Pregnant women who were given drugs to induce labor, or had a yeast infections, poor diet and hormonal imbalance during pregnancy have a greater chances of having an autistic child.

Asperger's syndrome is also known as Asperger's disorder and is defined as a group of conditions, that is characterized by delay in the development of social skills, communication skills and ability to use their imagination. Asperger's syndrome is similar to autism, but children affected with Asperger's syndrome generally have better social skills than a child with autism.

Signs and Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome

* One may notice the first symptoms of asperger's syndrome in a child, when he starts their initial schooling and begins to interact with other children.

Asperger's syndrome is a condition that goes on for a lifetime. However, the symptoms can improve and stabilized with time. An adult with asperger's syndrome has a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses than someone with autism. Gradually, they are able to understand others social cues and learn simple social skills.

The signs and symptoms of asperger's syndrome may be different for different people, but they are mainly divided into three main categories.

Problems related with social communication

* A person with asperger's syndrome finds difficulties in understanding the conversation easily. It is difficult for them to express their feelings socially and emotionally.

* It is difficult for them to understand voice tone, facial expressions and gestures. They do not know how to initiate and end the conversation. Moreover, they are clueless about topics to discuss.

* They are unable to understand sarcasm, jokes and slang language.

* Their conversation mostly revolve around themselves rather than others.

Problem related with social interaction

* People with aspergers syndrome find difficulties in tackling the situation when something gets wrong.

* Many people with aspergers syndrome have no idea how to initiate and sustain a relationship. This makes them stressed and anxious. Thus, they are unable to find their true friends and does not understand rules followed in a society.

* They are not able to understand other people and finds them confusing, and unpredictable. They mostly appear aloof and gets easily withdrawn and uninterested in other people. Their behavior is inappropriate.

Problems related with social imagination

* People with asperger's syndrome have trouble guessing what other people think. They can be imaginative, but find it hard to predict what will happen next.

* They often miss the easiest facial expression and signs of body language exhibited by other people. They are not able to understand and interpret thoughts, actions and feelings of other people.

* They have a narrow range of imagination powers, therefore, they seem to be rigid and repetitive.