Autism

Autism

    * Introduction
    * Signs and symptoms
    * Causes and Risk Factors
    * Diagnosis
    * Warning signs
    * Consequences
    * Treatment
Autism is a severe neurological disorder that occurs in the first three years of life, manifested by social withdrawal and isolation and restricts the communication and networking. Children with autism may not understand the feelings of others, reason why people have difficulty expressing themselves, either by words or by gestures or facial expressions.
Autism usually starts before the age of 30 months and especially before a year. If in the first months of life is normal behavior autistic child, he gradually loses interest in the environment in which they live. Closing itself is typical for children with autism. He responds increasingly less to external stimuli and parents even this does not trigger any reaction.
Children with autism are very sensitive and can sometimes react strongly to sounds, touch, smell or image. Can I have stereotyped movements (rocking, hand twisting) can attach objects or overly oppose changes in their routine. Sometimes, autistic or aggressive behavior have automutilant.
Many children with autism shows mental retardation, while others have an IQ above average. Unlike mental retardation, characterized by a balanced level of development, children with autism have an uneven level of development, they may be deficient in some areas, especially in communication skills and relationships, but gifted in other areas ( drawing, music, math, exceptional storage capacity). For this reason, some of them are performing above average nonverbal intelligence tests.
Autism affects 34 children in 10 000, 4 times more boys than girls. Although seemingly small number of children affected, the incidence of autism has increased three times over the past 30 years in North America. Two thirds of children with autism have mental retardation.
Autism Spectrum Disorders refer to a number of diseases with some common traits: autism, PDD and Asperger's syndrome.

 
Autism spectrum disorders are:
Autism - neurological disorder characterized by learning difficulties, speech problems and difficulty with relationships, communication and social interaction.
Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) - term used to describe children who shows some features of autism but for whom communication and relationship problems are less severe.
Asperger's Syndrome - describes a group of children has some features of autism, but they are extremely gifted in some areas of knowledge.
Attention Disorders (ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder). I call a very different disorder, which in most cases has in common with autism. However, some doctors believe that the alternative treatments used for autism spectrum disorders may help children with attention deficit disorders (or hyperactivity).