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If your child has been diagnosed with autism [AW-tiz-uhm] spectrum disorder (ASD), you may wonder, “What is autism?” It’s a brain disorder that makes it hard to interact with others or communicate well.
In Utah, autism is diagnosed in 1 out of every 80 males, and it is diagnosed 6 times more often in boys than in girls. It is sometimes not diagnosed until a person is an adult. It usually shows up during a child’s first 3 years of life, and it can be seen in some babies.
Symptoms tend to fall into a few main areas:
These symptoms happen on a spectrum, which is like a range or scale. They may be present in different combinations and with different degrees of severity in each child.
If your child has autism, they will have the condition for their whole life. With treatment, they might have fewer symptoms. With the right help, they can learn skills that will help them to live fulfilling, happy lives.
Prior to 2013, doctors thought of Asperger’s syndrome as a separate condition from autism. Asperger’s, autism, and similar diseases were all part of a category called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). When a child’s symptoms didn’t quite fit either autism or Asperger’s, doctors would use a diagnosis of PDD-NOS (not otherwise specified).
In 2013, doctors changed the way they put these disorders into categories. Today, doctors think Asperger’s is a kind of high-functioning autism, and they’re more likely to diagnose autism, Asperger’s, and PDD-NOS as ASDs.
If your child has autism, they will have at least 1 of the following symptoms in each of these areas:
Sometimes it is more difficult to see signs in high-functioning children with autism. Like children with more severe symptoms, they can:
When some cases of autism were diagnosed as Asperger’s syndrome, a main symptom was an intense focus on a single subject. They might become an expert on that subject with an obsession for every detail.
Children with autism can and do give affection. But because their brains process things in a different way, they have different ways of giving and accepting love. You need to be patient in learning how to be affectionate on your child’s terms.
People with autism have a wide range of IQ scores. Only 10 percent of them have special skills in a narrow area.
If you have concerns, be sure to share them with your child’s doctor. An autism spectrum disorder can be diagnosed as early as 12 to 18 months, and early treatment is one of the best ways to manage the symptoms of autism. Your child’s doctor should check your child’s development at their well-baby checkups, including looking for signs of autism. Before age 2, they look for signs of NO:
Autism was first identified in 1943. Doctors still don’t know what causes it, but they do know that ASD is not caused by the way a parent raises their child. Because people are either born with it or with a tendency to develop it, scientists study both:
There is no single test that can be used to diagnose ASD, so doctors will use several different approaches to decide whether your child has this disorder, such as:
Your doctor might also look at other conditions that could be causing the same symptoms. Your child might have these conditions in addition to or instead of autism:
Treatment for your child’s autism should be:
Studies show that early, individualized, and intensive treatment has the most positive impact on the abilities of a person with autism. Therapy for specific problems might even begin before a formal diagnosis is complete.
An intensive approach means your child is engaged in meaningful activities for several hours per week. Ask your child’s doctor for how many hours would be right for your child. These hours can be spent with a treatment provider, family members, caregivers, or teachers.
Your child’s treatment should include 3 parts:
The medical plan may include both therapy and medicine, and you might also consider counseling. Behavioral and communication training aims to change autism behaviors and improve communication skills. This training can use several approaches, including:
Other treatments that might help your child include:
Be careful with alternative therapies, including vitamin therapy, special diets, and others. Most alternative therapies have not been tested in scientific studies, and some can be dangerous, such as chelation [kee-LEY-shun] (the use of chemicals to remove metals from the body). Other therapies are expensive and ineffective, such as treatment with the hormone secretin.