Understand Autism, its causes, and treatments.
Autism
Autism is a neurological disease that affects the functioning of the brain and the immune and biological systems. It also alters the ability to recognize expressions, social and affective codes and generates emotional hypersensitivity and behavioral disorders.
However, Autism is not inevitable.
Thanks to early and appropriate care, an autistic child can develop and has every chance of integrating into society. You may be affected tomorrow! One of your children, a niece, the child of a friend, you can save the life of your loved ones with the help of
What has to be done?
- Detect early.
- Diagnose before the age of 3.
- Set up educational treatments.
- Develop research to find treatments and cure Autism.
Prevalence
The most recent studies now speak of 1 in 50 births (1/50 born with Autism), 44 births of autistic children per day, 16,000 births per year. These figures bring the number of autistic people to 1,300,000.
This prevalence could increase further because the diagnostic criteria are not adapted to girls
Symptoms
Autism (ASD) is characterized primarily by poor social interaction. Parents are usually the first to spot symptoms of Autism in their children.
Already in the infant stage, a baby with Autism may not react to the requests of others or focus very attentively on a center of interest to the exclusion of what surrounds him and, this, for very long periods.
In other cases, a child with Autism may appear to develop normally only to fall back and become indifferent to any social contact. Many children with Autism also display reduced sensitivity to pain while being unusually sensitive to sensory perceptions such as sound, touch, or other stimulation types.
These unusual sensitivities can result in behavioral symptoms such as hypersensitivity to tactile stimulation, resistance to being cuddled or hugged.
The Diagnosis
Autism is no longer considered a psychological condition, and it corresponds to a real neuro-developmental pathology linked to the central nervous system’s developmental abnormalities.
Diagnosis is made based on characteristics of behavior and development. The notion of a spectrum of autistic disorders incorporates both well-characterized clinical pictures and more atypical pictures, due, on the one hand, to the variability of symptoms in their severity or the age of their onset, and ” on the other hand, association with other disorders (intellectual development delay or epilepsy for example)
The manifestations of Autism can therefore vary from one child to another and in the same child over time. Recent research shows that many people with autistic behavior have related but distinct disorders.
Autism often goes unnoticed in early childhood. It is generally with the entry into a society that the manifestations are flagrant because of social interaction difficulties, verbal communication problems and not verbal, repetitive behaviors or restricted interests, even obsessive. These behaviors have repercussions that range from the benign stage to the disabling stage.
Treatments
ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorders) cannot be cured. For several children, symptoms improve with treatment and age. As they grow older, some children with Autism go on to lead normal or near-normal lives.
Behavioral therapies and interventions can target specific symptoms and lead to dramatic improvements. Contrary to what happened twenty years ago, when many autistic people were placed in institutions, there are now more flexible solutions. Usually, only the maximum severely affected individuals live in institutions.
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