Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a wide range of conditions and is a social development disorder that affects a person’s brain and behavior.
Autism has many subtypes, with a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, everyone with autism has a different set of strengths and challenges. The ways people with autism learn, think and solve problems are individual. Some people with ASD may need significant support in their daily lives, while others may live in a completely independent manner.
Some factors can affect the development of autism and it is often accompanied by sensory sensitivity and medical problems such as gastrointestinal disorders, seizures or sleep disorders, as well as mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and attention problems.
Signs of autism usually appear between the ages of 2 – 3. Some related developmental diseases may appear earlier and patients may be diagnosed before the second year. A number of studies have shown that early intervention can lead to positive results in the lives of people with autism at a later stage. As with much of the diagnosis of mental disorders, multidimensional and multimodal diagnosis is needed. The semi-standardized Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule are used as standard tools for diagnosing autism. The main tool for diagnosing autism is genomic sequencing to look for mutations in the exonic regions of autism-associated genes.
What are the signs of autism?
Not all children with autism show all the signs. Many children who do not have autism may show some of the symptoms. For this reason, professional evaluation is mandatory and crucial.
The most common markers of autism at any age are:
- Violation of social relationships. This includes the inability to manage social contacts through smiles, facial expressions or eye contact. Patients usually have no interest in their peers or making friends with them. They do not show emotional reactions and do not share interests or feelings with others.
- Impaired language and speech. Speech in most cases is incomprehensible to others or completely absent. There is a lack of speech compensation with facial expressions, gestures or imitations.
- Recurring unusual actions. People with autism tend to perform stereotypical, unusual repetitive actions, such as rocking a chair, twisting their fingers, jumping, and fixating on certain odors and touches.
Indicators of childhood autism can be:
- Age: up to 6 months, Indicators: Few or no big smiles or other warm, joyful and engaging expressions. No eye contact or limited.
- Age: up to 9 months, Indicators: Little or no noise, no smiles or other facial expressions.
- Age: up to 12 months, Indicators: Limited or complete absence of speech. No gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or removing. Little or no answer when calling by name.
- Age: up to 16 months, Indicators: No words.
- Age: up to 24 months, Indicators: Very few or no meaningful two-word phrases. No repetition or imitation.
The incidence of autism is about 40 per 10,000 children.
Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
About 30% of children with ASD have intellectual disabilities (IQ <70), 25% are in the limit range (IQ 71-85), and 44% have IQ scores in the middle to above average range (ie. .IQ> 85).
Autism affects all ethnic and socio-economic groups. Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less frequently. There is no pre-existing medical detection of autism.
What causes autism?
- Studies show that genetics is involved in most cases.
- Children born to older parents are at higher risk of autism. Parents who have a child with ASD have a 2% to 18% chance of having a second child who will also be affected.
Extensive research over the past two decades has raised the question of whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this study are clear: vaccines do not cause autism. Half of the children diagnosed with autism show mental retardation, and not a small part develop epilepsy, which confirms the suspicion that the cause of autism is organic or genetic.
Studies show that nearly two-thirds of children with autism between the ages of 6 and 15 have been bullied. Many have a self-injurious behaviour. Hitting the head, biting the hands and scratching the skin are among the most common.
Drowning remains the leading cause of death in children with autism and accounts for approximately 90% of deaths with loss or imprisonment.
Many adults with autism do not receive any health care for years after they stop seeing a pediatrician. More than half of young adults with autism remain unemployed and without higher education after high school.
What is atypical autism?
Atypical autism appears as a term in a mental health handbook to cover many children who have had some, but not all, of the symptoms of autism (mentioned above in the article).
What can we do to prevent childhood autism?
As already mentioned, doctors do not know for sure what causes autism, but they believe that genes play the biggest role in whether a child is born with it. In rare cases, it is also said that a baby can be born with birth defects if the mother was exposed to certain chemicals while she was pregnant. But doctors can’t tell if your baby will have autism during your pregnancy.
Although you cannot prevent the birth of a child with autism, you can increase your chances of having a healthy baby by making the following lifestyle changes:
- Live healthy. Go to regular check-ups, eat a well-balanced diet and exercise. Make sure you have good prenatal care and take all the recommended vitamins and supplements.
- Do not take medication during pregnancy. Ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine.
- Avoid alcohol. Say no to this glass of wine – and any type of alcoholic beverage – while you are pregnant.
- Seek treatment for existing health problems. If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease or PKU, follow your doctor’s advice to keep them under control.
- Get vaccinated. Make sure you have been vaccinated against measles (rubella) before you become pregnant. It can prevent rubella-related autism.