AUTISM

What is Autism? 

Autism is a developmental disorder that appears by 3 years of age and typically
involves problems in three major areas of development. Autism diminishes a child’s
ability to:

1. Engage in reciprocal social interactions with others; 
2. Communicate with others in a manner that is typical of the child’s age; and 
3. Engage in a range of activities and behaviors typical of the child’s age and stage of development. 

The degree to which these areas of development are affected varies significantly  among children with autism. For example, some children with autism have no verbal  language abilities, while others have language capabilities within the normal range. This variation in the severity of symptoms is often referred to as the autism spectrum.
Autism is included in the group of disorders known as the pervasive developmental  disorders. This group includes Asperger’s syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome,  and childhood disintegrative disorder. In addition, there is a closely related, but  separately labeled category of disorder called pervasive developmental disorder, not  otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

What causes autism?

Autism is a behaviourally-defined condition, but is caused by a number of different known  and unknown biologically based brain dysfunctions that affect the developing brain’s ability to  handle information. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder. There is a genetic component  in many cases. The different way of processing information, such as perceiving, processing and  interpreting information, learning new things and behaving in a well-adapted way, leads to the  behavioural deviations that can be observed

Genetics 

Autism affects approximately three times as many males and females. Taken together with studies looking at  families and twins, this suggests that autism has a  genetic component.
 It is likely that a number of genes are involved. However, the exact mechanism by which  genes are implicated in autism is unclear and is an  important focus for future research. In addition, future  studies aim to determine how genes interact with  environmental factors in autism.

Biology of the brain 

Progress in identifying brain differences between the  brains of autistic and non-autistic people has been slow  and findings are inconsistent.
Nevertheless there is  evidence suggesting that in autism:
• brains are larger and heavier and there are differences  in the cells of some brain regions;
• there is reduced activity in areas associated with the  processing of social and emotional information, and  planning and control of behaviour;
• there are differences to some signalling molecules in  the brain such as serotonin.  Cognition  Three psychological theories have been used to explain  aspects of autistic behaviour (the first two are consistent  with reduced activity in brain areas, see above):
• autistic people have difficulty in understanding the  mental states of others, for example that others can
have different beliefs, knowledge and points of view to  oneself;
• some autistic individuals have difficulties planning and  controlling behaviour;

A child or adult with an ASD might: 

• not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll)
• not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over)
• not look at objects when another person points at them
• have trouble relating to others or  not have an interest in other people at all
• avoid eye contact and want to be alone
• have trouble understanding other  people’s feelings or talking about  their own feelings
• prefer not to be held or cuddled or might cuddle only when they want to
• appear to be unaware when other people talk to them but respond to  other sounds
• be very interested in people, but not  know how to talk to, play with, or  relate to them
• repeat or echo words or phrases said  to them, or repeat words or phrases in  place of normal language (echolalia)
• have trouble expressing their needs  using typical words or motions
• repeat actions over and over again
• have trouble adapting when a routine changes
• have unusual reactions to the way  things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound
• lose skills they once had (for instance, stop saying words they were once using)

Behaviour

Children with autism often engage in a restricted range of behaviours, interests and activities
in a repetitive and stereotypic way. For example, they may concentrate intensively on an activity such as spinning the wheels on a toy car or lining up toys time and time again, but much  more seldom engage in spontaneous and varying games of pretend and role playing. Fixations on different objects are common, as well as fixations on very complicated habits and routines that must be repeated in exactly the same way each time. A departure from such a routine or  ritual can cause an outburst of despair or rage. Any sort of change, such as something being in  a different place or something being done in a different order than usual, can also be hard to  tolerate for a person with autism. Slightly older, more well-gifted children may especially have  periods of one-sided and narrow interests such as time tables, others’ birth dates, the population of all Swedish towns, etc. It is also common for children with autism to continuously wave  their hands, rock back and forth and walk on tiptoe.
In addition to the diagnosed-based behaviors in the three areas named above, other symptoms are also common with autism: over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity for certain sounds, touches, odours etc; periods of hyperactivity; sleeping and eating disorders, etc. None of these are required for a diagnosis of autism

How Many Children Have Autism? 

Children with autism are found in all cultures and all social and economic groups.
The ratio of boys to girls is 4 boys to every 1 girl diagnosed with the disorder. No  definitive study is available on the incidence of autism. Estimated prevalence rates range from a low of 21 to 31 cases of autism per 10,000 children, to a high of one case of  autism out of every 1,000 children. Some parent groups report as many as 1.5 million people with autism in the United States alone. Recent studies further suggest that the rates of autism are rising. Disagreement exists within the scientific community about whether or not this is in fact a “true” rate or just the result of greater awareness among medical professionals leading to better diagnosis. Those who believe there is a true increase in the incidence of autism disagree about the cause of this rise. This area of investigation will continue to be one of great interest to both the autism community and the scientific community,

What to Do When Your Child Has Been Diagnosed With Autism 

For most parents, the diagnosis of autism is an emotionally challenging and life changing event. You may feel shocked or overwhelmed by your child’s diagnosis. It is  natural and understandable for you to feel this way. At the same time, you need to know  that through informed action and the use of appropriate treatments and interventions, you  can enhance the quality of your child’s life. Research being conducted in the field of  autism has yielded concrete options from which you and the professionals on your child’s  team can choose to help your child. It isn't yet possible to accurately predict how much  progress your child will make, but the consensus within the medical community is that  early intervention can greatly improve the quality of life for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. This Guide will help you become a better consumer of information  about autism.