Autism
Autism is a very serious medical issue which can affect a child at some point during his childhood and can lead to permanent medical conditions as well. It may start to develop from birth but it is possible to begin development as late as thirty months after birth. While a child suffering from autism may be able to seem to be completely normal, they tend to occupy themselves with somewhat questionable behavior which is not usual for children.
Autism usually includes a variety of behavioral and/or social problems for the affected child and this can develop into much more serious problems over time but can also become less severe as well. In the past people considered autism as an untreatable medical condition but there have been various treatment methods discovered which can help treat the disorder.
How Rare Is Autism?
Comparing now to fifty years ago the numbers of those affected by the disorder has definitely increased tremendously. Just in the last twenty years alone the amount of children that suffer from autism has went up from 5/10,00 to 60/10,000.
There have also been studies which suggest that the amount of children affected by autism may be as much as one of every one hundred and fifty children which is definitely a major increase compared to just a short time ago. Also, four times more men than women are affected by autism.
While the amount of people being affected by autism is definitely on the rise it is still important to look at the different severeness of autism. There are a few different types of autism that your child may be diagnosed with. Some other common forms of autism include rett syndrome, pervasive development disorder, and asperger syndrome. The severity of the disorder will vary depending on the type and specific situation for your child but there should be a treatment option no matter what.
Diagnosing Autism
Since it is very important to be able to diagnose your child properly if he does have autism, it would be helpful to know what to watch out for. Well, there are two different aspects of autism which have various signs that could hint at the possibility of the child being autistic. This includes both the social problems and behavior problems.
If your child has autism then there is a possibility that he or she has various social issues. Some signs of this could include little to no direct eye contact, unable to recognize and respond to his or her given name, prefers to be alone, and cannot differentiate a person’s feelings based on facial expressions or gestures.
There are also some signs related to behavioral problems that could suggest that your child has autism. This includes your child obsessing with a certain object, getting upset if a certain routine is not followed, and over reacting to a change of sound or light. It is also possible that the child is either too active or not active enough and may randomly cry or laugh with no reason for doing so at all. The behavioral problems could easily worsen once your child reaches his or her teenage years.
Treating Autism
There is definitely no reason to lose hope. If you have a child that is diagnosed with any form of autism then you will definitely want to try a treatment method to see how it affects your child for the better. While there are some methods that may not work for your child there are still quite a few options that have been reported to have great results and have minimized the negative effects that the disorder has on children.
The main way to help treat the disorder is to catch it at the earliest age possible. The quicker your child is diagnosed as autistic and is treated the better the results can possibly be. Children suffering from autism can now live a perfectly normal life as long as the disorder is treated properly. Many autistic people attend public school and go to normal classes and are also capable of being semi-independent in the every day world.
Even though there are treatment methods for autism and they can show some very positive results it is still not the sole answer to the disorder. Even with extensive treatment you will not be able to completely remove the disorder from their every day life.
For instance, even with regular treatment most individuals with autism will continue to have social problems for the rest of their life. This is definitely one of the worst affects that autism has on anyone and there has not been a great treatment to the social affect of the disorder yet.
If your child has been diagnosed with autism then you will definitely want to look into your treatment options to help care for him or her. If you believe that your child may have autism then you will definitely want to get a proper diagnosis from your family doctor as it is a serious issue and discovering it immediately is absolutely essential in order to treat it properly. Either way, it is important to stay motivated and not give up as there is hope with the treatment methods that have been discovered in recent years.
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