Autism In Children Explained
When these fundamental features are found, it is likely that the child exhibits the disorder known as autism.
Nature of the disorder
Being a developmental disorder, autism by nature is focused mainly on the nervous system and the brain. It appears during childhood, most likely when the child reaches his third year. Many children with autism develops normally until this age. The process is called regression. This is the tendency of a child to completely not use many of the faculties he had before.
Autism in a child will of course make him a bit less normal than other kinds. They are hindered from basic interaction with people, which eventually affects their social and behavioral performances as well as their ability to complete themselves.
Up to date, scientist and medical researchers haven’t still found out what are the causes of this disorder. Many agree though that there is some wiring in the brain that makes it less efficient, thus deprived from functioning well. Many suggest that the disorder is brought about by biological and environmental facts which are further aggravated by complications in the genetic make-up, exposure to infections prior to birth and problematic immune system. However these are still theories that are subject to changes.
The intensity and severity of this disease is hard to assess due to inconsistent variables. What we know though is that autism in children ranges from mild to severe. Many children with autism have below average IQ. However, there are those who do well in school, have normal or high intelligence register and may even be gifted with special abilities that are not developed in normal humans.
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that we may associate with autism. But due to their inconsistency and variability, many of them are not documented properly and are associated with other disorders and mental diseases.
Symptoms include the inability to properly communicate, uneasiness and inability to maintain focus, they also avoid eye contact and may even refuse to be cuddled. Other symptoms include the nature of speaking in peculiar languages, rhymed speech, observance of meaningless and repetitive routines and extreme changes in moods.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis may start one to two years after birth. However, symptoms are more prominent during the third year of the child, which then confirm whatever symptoms he has displayed before.
Because of this late development, children with autism may grow normally prior to the onset of the disease.
Many data find link between autism and the genes. Thus many have the tendency to study the causes that are related with those displayed by members of the family to which the child belongs.
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