Ask Denny Strecker

Ann Hentze asked:


When it comes to Autism Treatment, you will often find that professionals cannot determine an exact or generic solution, as it depends on the kind of step that the teenager or adult has, therefore, each patient has to be analyzed individually resulting o a case-by-case approach.

Autism treatment can be held in many varieties, for instance, it may involve some combination of intensive behavioral, speech and language therapy and special education in public schools. There is no cure for autism; nonetheless, with appropriate treatment and education, many children with the disorder can learn and develop. Early intervention is recommended as it reduces challenges associated with the disorder, lessen disruptive behavior, and provide some degree of independence.

Early diagnosis is now being given to children as young as 8 months, improves the chances of treatment success, in other words, the faster the treatment starts, the better. Autism is in most of the cases a disorder presented in male patients, making cases in females rare to find. New approaches on autism treatment consist on forms of play based behavioral therapies and alternative methods involving vitamins and dietary restrictions, although many autism treatment experts vigorously disagree over whether these offer benefit, there has not been any concluding study that determines neither the benefits nor the counter indications on such treatments.

Risk factors

Autism affects children of all races and nationalities, but certain factors are known to increase a child’s risk. They include: Family history. Families who have one child with autism have an increased risk of having another child with the disorder. Other disorders. Children with certain medical conditions have a higher than normal risk of having autism. These conditions include fragile X syndrome; epilepsy; Tourette syndrome; and tuberous sclerosis. Paternal age. Research increasingly suggests that having an older father may increase a child’s risk of autism. One large study showed that children born to men 40 years or older were almost six times more likely to have autism spectrum disorder than were children born to men younger than 30 years. Therefore autism treatment has to consider many variables when establishing a treatment plan.

Diagnosis

Your child’s doctor will look for signs of developmental delays at regular checkups. If your child shows some signs of autism, you may be referred to a specialist in treating children with autism. This specialist, working with a team of professionals, can perform a formal evaluation for the disorder to start the autism treatment.

Occupational therapy and physical therapy are sometimes used to treat autism. Occupational therapy helps improve independent function and teaches basic skills (e.g., buttoning a shirt, bathing, even walking on surfaces that the kid does not feel comfortable walking over). Physical therapy involves using exercise and other physical measures (e.g., massage, heat) to help patients control body movements. As seen above, autism treatment involves a holistic approach.

Behavior modification

There are several methods of behavior modification that are used to treat inappropriate, repetitive, and aggressive behavior and to provide autistic patients with skills necessary to function in their environment. Most types of behavior modification are based on the theory that rewarded behavior is more likely to be repeated than behavior that is ignored. This theory for autism treatment is called applied behavior analysis (ABA).

Behavior modification often involves highly structured, skill-oriented activities that are based on the patient’s needs and interests to provide an effective autism treatment. It usually requires intense, one-on-one training with a therapist and extensive caregiver involvement. Such activities include:

Sensory integration therapy: it focuses on helping autistic patients cope with sensory stimulation.

Play therapy: is a type of behavior modification that is used to improve emotional development, which in turn, improves social skills and learning.

Social stories: can also be used to improve undeveloped social skills.

Communication therapy: is used to treat autistic patients who are unable to communicate verbally, or to initiate language development in young children with the disorder.

Speech therapy: is used to help patients gain the ability to speak.

Picture exchange communication systems: (PECS) enables autistic patients to communicate using pictures that represent ideas, activities, or items.

For more information o autism kids and autism treatment you can log on to: http://www.atcoftexas.com/



Sebastian

peterhutch asked:


 

Autism is a lifelong disorder. It interferes with a person’s ability to understand what he or she sees, hears, and touches. For this reason, a person with autism has very difficult problems knowing how to behave properly and how to interact with other people. The person has to be taught behaviors that develop normally in most people. Autism varies in its degree of severity among individuals.

Autism is the common term for a range of disabilities medically classified as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Autism/PDD is characterized by qualitative differences in the development of cognitive, language, social or motor skills, and these are usually apparent before age three. Research evidence suggests that autism may result from an underlying difficulty with expressive movement and its regulation, severely challenging the individual to keep body movements, including sensory responses, in control.

There is no known single cause, but it is generally accepted that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in autistic children vs. non-autistic children. Studies of twins and siblings suggest that there may be a genetic component. In addition, an increased frequency of occurrence is noted in people with genetic conditions such as fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis.

Autism is a spectrum disorder. The symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, but children and adults can exhibit any combination of the behaviors in any degree of severity. Two children with autism can act very differently from one another and have varying skills. The list of symptoms and behaviors associated with autism is long, and each affected person expresses his or her own combination of these behaviors.

Autism is a disorder that appears in early childhood, causing delays in many basic areas of development such as learning to talk and interact with others. The symptoms of autism vary widely, as does the impact of the disorder: some autistic children have only mild impairments, while others have more obstacles to overcome.

Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me.” Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.

Communication is usually severely impaired in autistic persons. What the individual understands (receptive language) as well as what is actually spoken by the individual (expressive language) is significantly delayed or nonexistent. Deficits in language comprehension include the inability to understand simple directions, questions, or commands.

People with a form of autism, called savantism, have exceptional skills in specific areas such as music, art, and numbers. People with savantism are able to perform these skills without lessons or practice.



Tristan

Jonathan Sullivan asked:


Many parents hope that in finding a source of autism, this disorder can be cured or prevented. Unfortunately, scientists have yet to find one single reason why children develop autism. It is possible that someday autism will be linked to a specific gene abnormality, but the more likely source is not one thing, but a number of factors in a child’s world. Autism cannot be prevented or cured, so the best we can do to help autistic children and adults is be understanding and willing to compromise to make the world comfortable for them and ourselves.

First off, there are certain things that do not cause autism, and these myths should be laid to rest immediately. Most importantly, bad parenting does not cause autism. In the past, mothers were blamed for traumatizing their children with cold parenting techniques, which was thought to lead to autism. This is simple not true. Autism is also not caused by malnutrition, although food allergies occur in my autistic children and some autistic children do benefit from taking daily vitamins.

There are many links between autism and the brain. Most people with autism have larger brains and they are “wired” differently than a typical brain. Differences occur in many parts of the brain, so it cannot be targeted to one specific brain malfunction overall, but rather a brain malfunction in general. Autistic children also show signs of an immune deficiency. Evidence in this study is not yet strong, but research is still being done. Many autistic individuals have other health problems related to immune deficiencies. Overall, these things all seem to point to genetics. Although autism is not the parents’ fault, it is most likely that autism was found elsewhere on your family tree, and it is not uncommon for parents to raise more than one autistic child. Autism may also be linked to vaccinations, although this is still being highly studied. The benefits of vaccinations greatly outweigh the risks of them causing autism, so you should not deprive your child simply because you are fearful. Talk to you doctor if you have concerns about vaccinations. 

Nobody knows what causes autism. Therefore, we can do nothing to prevent and cure it, but rather we can simply treat the autistic people in our lives with the best of our ability. Becoming educated in autism is the key-the more you know about the disorder, the better you can help individuals who suffer from it. Autism is a complex problem, and as researchers develop new understandings of the way it affects the body, better treatment options will become available, with the hope that someday we will be able to cure this disease.



Alexander

Deepa Prem asked:


AUTISM

Autism starts before a child turns to three years. It is a disorder in the brain development which weakens the social interaction and communication. Autism causes restricted and repetitive behavior. Autism is a hereditary disorder even though the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear which genes are responsible. Autism is associated with agents which cause birth defects in rare cases. Other possible causes of autism are childhood vaccines which are controversial and the vaccine hypotheses lack convincing scientific evidence. According to the experts out of 1000 children 3-6 children will have autism. Male are four times more to have autism than females.

Symptoms

The occurrence of autism is not known and it affects many parts of the brain. In the first two years of the child’s life, parents usually notice the signs of autism. Autism is characterized by three distinctive behaviors. The autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and non verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. There is a reduced sensitivity of pain, but are more sensitive to sound, touch or other sensory stimulation. These reactions may contribute to the behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged. There is no cure for autism but treatment can help. The early behavioral and cognitive interference can help them to develop self-care, social and communication. An infant with autism may be non responsive to people or focus intently on one item by excluding others for a long period of time. With this disorder few children live independently after reaching adulthood and some of them become successful. Some people believe that autism is a condition than a disorder.

Autism children have speech problems, they might not look in to the eyes when talk to them. Before they can pay attention they may have to line up their pencils, these children will say the same sentence again and again. To tell that they are happy they flap their arms or they might hurt themselves if they are not. Some people never learn to talk. They lack empathy. The autistic children cannot interpret the thoughts and feelings of others and also cannot understand the tone of voice and facial expressions. The autistic people have different symptoms and because this it is known as spectrum disorder. The milder version of this disorder is Asperger syndrome. The disorder lasts throughout a person’s life time. Autism shares numerous signs with Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. Asperger’s syndrome does not have any delay in the language development. Autistic children are at a higher risk for some co-existing conditions such as fragile X syndrome which causes mental retardation, tuberous sclerosis in which the tumors grow on the brain, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, disabilities in learning and attention deficit disorder. By the time autistic children reach adulthood about 20 to 30% of children develop epilepsy for the reasons unknown. Also schizophrenic people may show some autistic-like behavior but the symptoms do not appear until the late teens or early adulthood. The Schizophrenic people also have hallucinations and delusions which are not found in autism.

Diagnose

Based on the IQ autism is sometimes divided in to the low, medium and high functioning autism. The child affected by autism will show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others less often and very rarely respond to their own name. The severity and symptoms of autism may go unrecognized mainly in mildly affected children or when it is covered by more weakening handicaps. Doctors depend on a group of behaviors for diagnosing autism. These behaviors are:

(1) Unable to make friends with peers

(2) Unable to initiate or to continue a conversation with others.

(3) Absence of imaginative and social play.

(4) Unusual, typecast, repetitive use of language.

(5) Preoccupation with certain subjects or objects.

(6) Rigid devotion to certain routines or rituals.

With help of a questionnaire or any other screening instrument doctors assemble information about the child’s development and behavior. Some screening depends on the parent observations and some others on a combination of parent and doctor observations. If there is an indication or possibility of autism, the doctors will ask for more comprehensive evaluation. As autism is a complex disorder a combined evaluation is needed with a multidisciplinary team including psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist and other expert in diagnosing the children with ASDs. Girls with autism may be suffering from Rett syndrome, a sex-linked genetic disorder described by social withdrawal, deteriorated language skills and hand wringing.

Treatment

Autism cannot be cured. But according to the experts the earlier intervention can make them to cope up with the day-to-day life. Structured and skill oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills. Counseling for parents and siblings of autistic children can help the families to cope with the challenges of living with an autistic child. To handle symptoms of anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive disorder doctors often prescribe anti depressant medications. To treat severe behavioral problems anti-psychotic medicines are used. With one or more of the anti-convulsant drugs seizures can be treated. To reduce impulsiveness and hyperactivity stimulant drugs are some times used effectively. There are several therapies which are controversial and parents should be aware of that before taking in to consideration any of these treatments.





Mackenzie

peterhutch asked:


a disorder that is usually first diagnosed in early childhood. Children with autism might have problems talking with you, or they might not look you in the eye when you talk to them. They may have to line up their pencils before they can pay attention, or they may say the same sentence again and again to calm themselves down. They may flap their arms to tell you they are happy, or they might hurt themselves to tell you they are not. Some people with autism never learn how to talk.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.

What Causes Autism?

The bottom line is, no one really knows for sure what causes autism. Most experts will say that autism is probably caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Even those experts, though, do not have a definite answer. For many people, this uncertainty is terribly frustrating. On the plus side, interest in and funding for autism research is on the rise, so new and better information should be forthcoming in the next months and years.

Autism Symptoms

Autism is a condition surrounded by myth and generalizations about people with autism that are rarely appropriate. The common beliefs that people with autism never express emotion, never smile or laugh, never make eye contact, never talk, and never display affection are simply that—myths. Just as every person is unique, with his or her own personality and characteristics, every person with autism manifests the disorder in his or her unique way.

Other signs of the disorder in infants include the following:

Appears indifferent to surroundings

Appears content to be alone, happier to play alone

Displays lack of interest in toys

Displays lack of response to others

Call Your Doctor If:

Your infant or child resists cuddling and doesn’t respond to his or her environment or to other people.

By about the age of 1 year, your child is not pointing to objects, bringing items to you or engaging in simple interactions such as “peek-a-boo.”

How is autism diagnosed?

There is no lab test that can detect autism. Autism is often diagnosed when a baby or toddler doesn’t behave as expected for his or her age. If your doctor thinks your child has autism, he or she will probably suggest that your child see a child psychiatrist or other specialist. The specialist will probably test your child to see if he or she shows signs of autism.

What’s the treatment?

There is no specific cure or particular medical treatment for autism, but much can be done to maximise a child’s potential and this is key to managing the condition. Appropriate specialist education, speech, language and behavioural therapy are all important. There are many different approaches, some of which are based around theories about possible causes of autistic spectrum disorders (for example, the Son-Rise programme).



Kayla

Bertil Hjert asked:


Autism can be defined as a brain development disorder. The disorder tends to impair social interaction & communication of the individual. It also causes restricted & repetitive behavior. Unfortunately, the disorder traits starts even before the child is three years old.

The disease can be categorized in to two parts namely Autism & Asperger syndrome (milder spectrum disorder). Experts feel that Autism is transmitted as a hereditary disease.

Here are some of the most common problems faced by children with Autism:

a) Difficulty in using a language socially

Children with Autism find it really difficult to use a language socially. They take everything literally & cannot deal with slang & jokes.

b) Trouble in social understanding

A child suffering from classical autism is unable to grasp any kind of social interaction & often try to stay aloof. They also suffer from withdrawal symptoms. The child tries his best to understand. However, most of the time, their “social naiveté” results in some misunderstandings & they tend to become unpopular among their peers.

c) Difficulty in creating imaginations

Everywhere tries to see the world through imagination. Children with autism find it really difficult to imagine. They struggle hard to make out what can happen next. They are also unable to cope with novel situations by considering their experiences in the past. They are dependant on routines that may get elevated to rituals & requires to be followed with smallest detail.

Living with Autism can involve a lot of stress for the individual as well as the family members. There is no cure for this disorder. The treatment provided varies from one person to another. One requires to practice a lot of patience & consistency in order to live with autism & enjoy life.

You would require a professional & well trained health care team that includes either a psychiatrist or a developmental pediatrician & a school implemented Individualized Education Program (IEP) & ITP (Individualized Transition Plan) to live with Autism.

Here are some important steps to follow when living with Autism:

Step 1

You need to address the stress that can most probably occur when providing care for a child with Autism. Make sure that you share responsibility & let everyone in the house gets time for themselves.

Step 2

Explore and exploit all resources that can help you to provide care to an autistic individual. Visit a professional, hit websites & talk to people who have been dealing with this disorder.

Step 3

Pay a good amount of attention to keep safety in & around the home. You need to take some extra precautions if you have toddlers at home. Put childproof locks on doors & cabinets, place gates in front of staircases & cover electric outlets.

Step 4

Teach the siblings not to feel frustrated or embarrassed about their autistic sibling.

Step 5

It is important to plan for the future of the child with autism. You need to enroll him in an IEP. This program will help him receive behavioral & occupation therapy that will prepare him for his future. Thereafter you would require to put him through an ITP.

It is more easy to live with Autism if you understand the disorder & cope up with the child.

You may also keep a daily journal to reduce stress.



Olivia

Groshan Fabiola asked:


To children with autism difficulties or delays appear.These are reported by parents before the child is two years of age. If the child is not four years of age or older the diagnosis cannot be made. The improvement outcome for children with autism is the placement in early intervention programmes before four years of age. If the diagnosis of autism is made after four years of age those children may be missing the opportunity for early intervention.

The early characterizes of autism in infants and preschool children are described by recently studies. These studies are based on the parents interview for establish the initially problems which cause them the concern, and by the observation of children in controlled play and assessment situations.

To children with autism appear early features in social life like: poor social interaction, lack of interest in other children, lack of seeking to share own enjoyment, failure to develop peer relations and to join in activities of others and to direct adult’s attention to own activity, does not show affection, seek or offer comfort, dislikes social touch and being held, lack of social responsiveness, ignores people, lack of social play, being in own world, prefers being alone, indifferent with others, no social smile, lack of eye contact, of gesture or of facial expression, no greeting behaviors.

The children with autism have problem with communication like: lack of verbal communication, no social chat, lack or limited range of facial expression, loss of previously acquired words, problems with language comprehension, does not express emotion, poor imitation, use of other’s body as a tool, lack of infant babble, echolalia, no gaze monitoring, no pointing to express interest, no use or understanding of gestures. In the emergence of autism appear the following symptoms: stereotyped and repetitive routines, behaviors, interests; verbal rituals, hand and finger mannerisms, unusual preoccupations, unusual attachment to objects; play and sensory, lack of spontaneous play, lack of imitative play, no pretend play, sensitivity to noise, insensitivity to pain/cold.

Others symptoms are unusual sensory interests, deafness suspected, mouthing of objects, unusual looking at objects, distractibility, behavioral variability, sleep problems, self-injury, food fads, unusual fears, lack of curiosity, lack of response to name; running away, overly quiet, indifferent to animals, having an intelligent looking face. In young children with developmental delay some of the features listed above are also present. Studies that have compared the behavior of young children with autism with those who have developmental delay without autism provide the best information on the features and symptoms of autism in infants and preschool children. In very young children the absence of stereotyped and repetitive behavior does exclude the possibility of autism.

The obsessional behavior may be dependent upon more advanced language and cognitive skills and emerge later as the child makes developmental gains. In the first two years of life in young children with autism differences between speech delay and developmental delay may occur. Delayed speech is often reported by parents of young children with autism. Speech delay is not specific to autism because delayed speech is also present in young children with global developmental delay caused by intellectual disability and those with severe to profound hearing loss. The children with speech delay or hearing loss compensate for their lack of speech by the use of non-verbal communication skills such as using gestures, eye contact and facial expression to get their message across.

The children with autism can also respond to praise, can empathize, imitate engage in make believe play. The child with autism continues to have ongoing problems with delayed and disorder language, social and communication skills, empathy and pretend play skills regardless of developmental level. Sameness, distress over change in routines, adherence to rituals and routines, abnormal comfort seeking and unusual attachment to objects that are present in child with autism. Other problems present in older children are impaired conversational skills and problems with speech production. Standard diagnostic criteria should be modified from children under two to take into account the presentation of autism in infants and preschoolers. The access to early intervention programs may be useful in an early identification of autism.

In cases of children with autism the following aspects must be regarded: lack of social smile, lack of appropriate facial expression, poor attention, aversion to being touched, not responsive to name, unusual looking of objects, ignoring people, preference for aloneness, lack of or impaired eye contact, lack of gesture, lack of emotional expression and lack of age appropriately with toys.

Children with autism should not be avoided by the others and they must be treated like normal people.

More informations about autism causes or about autism symptoms can be found by visiting http://www.autism-info-center.com/



Sydney

Groshan Fabiola asked:


Autism is considered to be a serious neurological disorder, causing dramatic changes in behavior and affecting social interactions, communication skills and adaptability. The first signs of autism can either be spotted at birth or later in childhood. Child autism is characterized by refusal of social interactions, inability of anticipating movement, poor eye contact, lack of interest towards mothers or caretakers, inability of engaging in imitational acts, preference for repetitive, stereotype activities.

Child autism is different from one child to another. Although autistic children have common behavioral features, every child with autism develops in a different, unique way. Child autism affects the perception of persons and objects and some autistic children may engage in behaviors that lead to self-injury (some autistic children unwillingly bang their heads against their crib). Child autism is also characterized by low adaptation skills and strong resistance to changes in their activities or behaviors. Autism occurs to persons regardless of their IQ. Autistic children sometimes have good skills with numbers, excelling in areas like mathematics. However, it is a fact that all children diagnosed with autism have reduced emotional intelligence.

Child autism can determine either hyper-active or hypo-active behaviors. While some children are very impulsive and difficult to calm down, other children are very still and passive. The most relevant signs of child autism are: avoidance of social interactions and low responsiveness to smile, voice or gestures (many autistic children avoid making any kind of eye contact and sometimes ignore the presence of their parents or caretakers), poor “baby talk”, difficulties in oral speech, (autistic children rarely “initiate” dialogue), predisposition towards repetitive gestures and activities (clapping their hands, waving their heads back and forth, excessive swinging). Autistic children also focus their attention on some particular toys, ignoring everything else around them (unlike normal children that are easily distracted, autistic children ignore external stimuli when concentrating upon a certain activity).

Child autism is also revealed by the inability to play imaginative, “pretend” games. While normal children often pretend to be someone else when playing, or imagine new ways of playing with their toys, autistic children are usually unable to do the same thing. Also, child autism is characterized by the inability to distinguish danger; children with autism seem to be unafraid of dangerous, threatening situations. Emphatic skills are also poor in case of autistic children; they don’t seem to care about other people in distress, feeling no compassion for them.

The causes of child autism and many other Autism Spectrum Disorders are still unknown. Scientists believe that there are certain genetic factors responsible for the development of autism, but the genes that cause autism haven’t yet been identified. Autism has a pronounced hereditary character. Parents with an autistic child in the family are most likely to have another child with the same disorder. An interesting aspect of child autism is the larger numbers of boys affected by the disorder, compared to the numbers of girls with autism.

The signs of child autism must be spotted in time, in order to minimize the risks of further behavioral, cognitive and physical damage. It is vital to correctly diagnose autism at an early age, thus facilitating the process of recovery and preventing severe behavioral deterioration. Also, children with autism need a lot of care and attention, as they tend to engage in self-injurious activities.



Kimberly

Rachel Evans asked:


Autism understanding begins when a person realizes that autism is a disorder that affects people differently. Although autism affects the normal functioning of a person’s perception, attention and thoughts, autism is not characterized by one type of perception, attention and thought. Instead, it covers a broad spectrum of disorders that may be mild or severe. Due to the fact that autism is such a complex disorder, medical research is still in the process of understanding how it develops and why it affects certain individuals.

One particular medical project with the aim to find better autism understanding by identifying the gene that causes autism, is the 5 year Autism Genome Project (AGP). So far, phase I of the AGP has identified a gene and parts of a chromosome to be linked with the occurrence of autism. The findings of this particular autism study was published online in the Nature Genetics February 18, 2007 issue.

The Autism Genome Project is a global research consortium that is funded by Autism Speaks and the National Institute of Health. Autism Speaks is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to raising the awareness of autism and raising funds to help research it.

The AGP involves more than 120 scientists from 50 institutions in 19 countries around the world. The researchers who have collaborated on the project combined their autism expertise, and shared all of the data and samples they had to help identify autism-related genes.

As was mentioned, phase I of this project began 5 years ago in 2002, and it allowed the team of medical experts to gain autism understanding by identifying a single specific gene known as neurexil 1, and part of chromosome 11 which could likely be the cause of autism in children. These findings are based on the largest autism genome scan that has ever been done.

Scientists have known for many years that autism is a genetic disorder, but only until the AGP have they been able to use special “gene chip” technology to search for genetic similarities in autistics. Genetic similarities were found in practically all of the autistic individuals within each of the twelve hundred families that that were made part of the project. The scientists also checked the DNA of each family to look for copy number variations that are believed might be connected to autism and similar disorders.

What the researches discovered in their study was that one particular gene known as neurexin 1 plays a significant role with glutamate; a neurotransmitter that has been formerly linked to autism. Researchers also uncovered an area of chromosome 11 that is suspected to contain a gene that may be involved in the occurrence of autism. However, this particular gene in chromosome 11 has yet to be identified which is required for further autism understanding.

Based on previous research, and the research that has been uncovered by the study so far, scientists speculate that there may be as many as 6 main genes and 30 additional genes linked to autism. However, these numbers are only theories, as scientists point out that the actual number of genes could exceed their theory. Nevertheless, despite the number of genes that may be involved, researchers admit that it is still far too early to dictate how these genes may be responsible for autism.

Currently, phase II of the Autism Genome Project has been announced. The promising discoveries found in phase I makes scientists hopeful that discovering the genes that cause autism will provide new steps toward autism understanding. With greater understanding, more effective methods of diagnosis, preventing and treating the disorder can be taken.



Steven

Jonathan Sullivan asked:


With the incidents of autism up 172% since the 1990s, parents are anxious to find out if their baby has a chance to acquire autism. Seven out of every ten thousand infants will develop autism within the first three years of life. The sad thing about the diagnosis of autism is that the symptoms are subtle to about one and half years of age and most doctors and even parents are hard pressed to find what symptoms they should worry about and what symptoms they should ignore. Since the baby is developing so fast, the symptoms do not usually manifest themselves until you see the baby regressing from the speech and social skills they have learned so far.

Remember that not one single behavior will point to autism, though a single symptom should not be ignored. The diagnosis of autism is still largely undefined because the autistic child can acquire various degrees of the disorder. The first thing a parent should be aware of is loss of some speech or behavior that has been learned and is now not demonstrated. For example is the words Daddy or Mommy was in the vocabulary and for some reason they are used less and less, the child may be loosing the brain function for memory and communication. If the words are dropped from the vocabulary all together and no new words replace, it is time for concern.

Another subtle symptom that could or could not be autism is the formation of two sentence words by the second year of age. If a child cannot for simple sentences like ‘Daddy go’ or ‘Mommy love’ it come be that your child is suffering from the onslaught of autism. This is not always the case though. Your child may have another disability that deals with speech and language or a learning disability and autism should not be considered the object of the speech process, but is something to look at if you have concerns that your infant has the ability to obtain autism.

At an even younger age, around the first year, if your child does not say any words or even babble, then your concerns might be warranted for autism. Remember there are other disorders out there that manifest themselves in the same way, but the autistic aware parent should count this as one of the major symptoms and should be concerned. If your child displays one or any of these characteristics, than you should take them to a medical professional. Remember from the previous articless that doctors who are unfamiliar with autism will be hesitant to diagnose the disorder. If you are not happy with the diagnoses of your doctor, take your child to a few more so you will have a clear conscious and a satisfied mind.

Another thing is to watch your baby’s body language and expression of emotion. If you are warm and cuddly with your baby and your baby does not react the way you have seen other babies, this could be a red flag for autism. Observe other reactions such as severe stress over loud noises or sudden moves. If you are talking to your baby and you get no response or you wave your hands in front of your baby and there is no eye contact or reaction, there is probably something wrong. Even if it is just a feeling that you have, you need to seek medical attention so you can find out if your baby has autism or another disorder. There is no cure for autism, but an early diagnosis can not only add to the base of knowledge about autism but at the same time can help get your baby treatment as soon as possible. An early detection can also set the parents up with consoling that they need to learn how to raise an autistic child.



Aiden