Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a condition that affects social interaction, communication, interests and behaviour of a child. It has a wide variation of symptoms among children with autism.
According to research, ASDs affect one out of every 68 children in the U.S. and around 1 in every 100 people in the UK. They occur more often among boys than girls. While autism appears to be on the rise, it’s unclear whether the growing number of diagnoses shows a real increase or comes from improved detection.
Early diagnosis is important. That’s because early treatment can help a child with autism make significant gains in language and social skills.
There’s no cure for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but various treatment such as: speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and educational support may help lessen the symptoms.
They can find it hard to understand other people’s emotions and feelings, and have difficulty starting conversations or taking part in them properly. Language development may be delayed, and a child with autism spectrum disorders won’t compensate their lack of language or delayed language skills by using gestures (body language) or facial expressions.
Children with ASD will tend to repeat words or phrases spoken by others (either immediately or later) without formulating their own language.
In addition, some children with ASD like to stick to the same routine and little changes may trigger tantrums. Some children may flap their hand or twist or flick their fingers when they’re excited or upset. Others may engage in repetitive activity, such as turning light switches on and off, opening and closing doors, or lining things up.
Research say, about 70% of children with ASD have a non-verbal IQ below 70. Of these, 50% have a non-verbal IQ below 50. Overall, up to 50% of people with “severe learning difficulties” have ASD.
Some features of ASD may not become noticeable until a change of situation takes place, such as when the child starts nursery or school.
There are also some people with ASD that have features of the condition as a child, but enter adulthood without ever being diagnosed. However, getting a diagnosis as an adult can often help a person with ASD and their families understand the condition, and work out what type of advice and support they will need.
Image Credits: appleadbehavioralstrategies, autismsocialstories, uctautism
