“Everyone Has a Mountain to Climb” – Autism Shouldn’t Be Your Childs’ Mountain
The hope of every mother is to bring out a kid who will live a long, healthy life. One of the most important things you can do as a parent or caretaker is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of potentially debilitating conditions like autism. In an ordinary circumstance, your child should be reaching the typical developmental milestones. The social and linguistic development of infants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often delayed. It’s easy to miss subtle delays in their progress toward typical milestones like sitting up, crawling, and walking when they’re already doing those things.
The term “spectrum” is used to describe ASD because children with the syndrome may have a broad variety of symptoms, cognitive capacities, language skills, and behavioral patterns. Pediatricians and medical specialists affiliated with Sirwiss provide important information for parents in this article, such as how the spectrum’s wide range makes diagnosis difficult, information on the unique challenges that children with autism face, such as problems processing sensory information, and information on the various treatments that have been shown to work.
What Exactly Is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects how a child grows and develops. Autism starts in the womb, but a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might not be diagnosed until he or she is in preschool or school, or even older. The signs of the disorder become more evident by this stage. Children with ASD have a mix of two kinds of behaviors: they have trouble communicating and getting along with other people, and they do things in a limited or repetitive way. It’s called a spectrum because people with the disorder can have a wide range of symptoms, cognitive abilities, language skills, and behaviors.
Inadequate communication and social skills may appear in a number of ways in autism spectrum disorders. When autism first shows itself, it may do so at any age and in varying degrees of severity. In the first several months of life some newborns may show symptoms. Some children don’t show symptoms until they’re 2 or 3, and when they do, it might be any combination of the following:
By 6 months
1. There were hardly any genuine displays of warmth, excitement, or interest.
2. Disengaged or little eye contact
By 9 months
1. There is little or no exchange of voice, smiles, or other facial emotions.
By 12 months
1. There is little or no babbling.
2. There is little or no back-and-forth mobility, such as pointing, reaching, or waving.
3. There is little or no reaction to the name.
By 16 months
1. Very few or no words
By 24 months
1. There are very few or no meaningful two-word sentences
At any age
1. Speech, babbling, or social skills that were previously acquired are lost.
2. Avoiding eye contact
3. Consistent desire for isolation
4. Difficulty comprehending the emotions of others.
5. Language development is being delayed.
6. Words or phrases that are repeated continuously (echolalia)
7. Intolerance to slight changes in routine or environment
8. Interests that are restricted
9. Repetitive actions (flapping, rocking, spinning, etc.)
10. Reactions to noises, scents, tastes, textures, sights, and/or colors that are unusual and powerful
Terminology: “Autistic,” “With Autism” and “Asperger’s”
When discussing autism, individuals use a wide variety of terms. When referring to a child, some individuals prefer to use the phrase “a child with autism” since it highlights the youngster as more than just a diagnosis and it is often suggested as a respectful way to talk about disabilities and other health issues. Others, however, seem more comfortable using the word “autistic.” This kind of language is called “identity-first.”. Autistic individuals who advocate for themselves often state that their autism is an integral part of their identity, just like their Catholicism, their intelligence, or anything else. According to some people, using the phrase “with autism” implies that having autism is a disability rather than a character trait. A lot of parents will say their kid has “Asperger’s condition.” While Asperger’s is no longer considered a valid diagnosis, it is often used to characterize children with autism who do not have significant language or intellectual delays.
How Is Autism Diagnosis Performed
Autism spectrum disorder can be hard to correctly diagnose because it can look different from person to person. Sometimes, children with ASD are given the wrong diagnosis, like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), or they are told that nothing is wrong. Sometimes kids are given the autism label when they are not actually on the spectrum.
Before starting a formal evaluation, a pediatrician or other medical professional might use a screening tool to find out if a child might have autism. Some of the tests are questionnaires that parents fill out, and others are tests that clinicians do.
If a screener shows that a child might have autism spectrum disorder, the child should get a full evaluation from someone who knows how to diagnose autism. This evaluation should evaluate a child’s behavior in different settings and in the context of his or her overall development. It should also include both clinician observation and interviews with the child’s parents or caregivers.
The above involves the use of measures such as:
1. Third Edition Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-3). This is a parent interview designed to collect information on a child’s day-to-day functioning in areas such as communication, sociability, and everyday living capabilities.
2. Mullen Scales of Early Learning or Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (DAS-II) (MSEL). These may be used to assess cognitive, linguistic, and motor abilities.
Even with these techniques, dealing with a mental health professional who has expertise diagnosing those on the autism spectrum is essential.
Why Diagnoses of Autism are Often Delayed
The sooner children on the autism spectrum get specialist help, the better the result they are expected to have. Such early intervention may begin as early as toddlerhood. However, for a variety of reasons, youngsters may miss out on that critical intervention.
Many children with autism have been misdiagnosed with speech-language difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or sensory disorders until they began to experience increasing social and intellectual difficulties in school around the ages of 5 or 6. These alternative diagnoses are not always incorrect. It is believed that 30 to 40% of children on the autism spectrum also have ADHD, and sensory problems are so widespread in children with autism that they are considered a sign of the syndrome.
However, all too frequently, after a diagnosis is made, parents and professionals stop paying close attention to symptoms that might potentially suggest autism, which would substantially alter therapy. While these youngsters are receiving treatment for ADHD or sensory difficulties, they are losing out on therapy that might have a much greater influence on their life.
Treatments for Autism Based on Observed Behavior
Behavioral interventions have been developed to assist children on the autism spectrum in developing abilities that do not develop naturally and in decreasing behaviors that interfere with learning and communication.
Applied Behavior Analysis
What it is: Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has been found to assist autistic children learn necessary skills and reduce inappropriate behavior such as self-injury, and it has been shown to be effective for children throughout the autism spectrum. Numerous of research support up its effectiveness.
How it works: ABA is an evidence-based behavioral treatment that may take various forms, but they all follow the same fundamental principle: rewarded behaviors will rise, while non-reinforced behaviors will decrease and finally vanish.
Functional Communication Training
What it is: FCT is the method of teaching an individual a reliable manner of communicating their desires and needs using words, signs, or visuals. It’s dubbed “functional” because it concentrates on using words or signals to achieve something required or wanted, for example, a snack, a toy, an activity, a trip to the restroom, a break from anything — rather than merely teaching youngsters to name an object. FCT employs positive reinforcement to educate children how to properly interact with others in order to meet their needs and eliminate undesirable behavior.
How it works: At first, the therapist instructs the kid to use the word, sign, or image in order to get the reward. This supportive communication is continued, with each repetition resulting in the earned reward, until the kid is able to accomplish with less and less therapist prompting. While children can consistently use the functional communication for that object when it is there, the next stage is for them to “generalize,” or use it outside of the specific environment in which it was taught, such as interacting with individuals other than the therapist.
The Verbal Behavior Approach (VB)
What it is: Based on ABA, the verbal behavior approach focuses on teaching children language and other skills in a child-centered learning setting.
How it works: VB therapist teach children language in a manner that connects language to its many purposes or functions. Initially, therapists utilizing a VB approach concentrate on matching the learning environment with activities and products that a youngster loves, so that the learning environment becomes a place where the child wants to remain. This might include the therapist providing a youngster with complimentary toys or refreshments. The therapist next teaches the children to request these objects. Once youngsters are able to request items on their own, the therapist will progressively introduce further language and skill objectives (such as labeling and responding to questions).
Facing Your Fears (FYF)
What it is: Facing Your Fears is a group-based cognitive behavioral therapy for ASD kids who also experience anxiety symptoms.
How it works: Facing Your Fears teaches children how to recognize their fears and build healthy coping mechanisms that they may use when they are anxious. Children are also given the chance to put these new techniques into practice within their group. There is a separate group for parents to learn how to assist their kid with ASD and co-occurring anxiety.
Autism Medication for Children
There is no medicine to treat the symptoms of autism. However, children on the autism spectrum may be prescribed medication to help them control their aggressiveness or other troublesome or harmful behaviors. Furthermore, children on the autism spectrum may be prescribed medicine for additional diseases such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD. Any doctor who prescribes medicine should do so with caution, but this is especially critical for children who may have multiple diagnoses