Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Overview

Different people with autism can have very different symptoms. Health care providers think of autism as a “spectrum” disorder, a group of disorders with similar features. One person may have mild symptoms, while another may have serious symptoms. But they both have an autism spectrum disorder.

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Overview

Currently, the autism spectrum disorder category includes:

-- Autistic disorder (also called “classic” autism)

-- Asperger syndrome

-- Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (or atypical autism)

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Overview

In some cases, health care providers use a broader term, pervasive developmental disorder, to describe autism. This category includes the autism spectrum disorders above, plus Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Rett syndrome.

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Autism

Autism is a disorder that is usually first diagnosed in early childhood. The main signs and symptoms of autism involve communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors.

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Autism

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.

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Autism

Because people with autism can have very different features or symptoms, health care providers think of autism as a "spectrum" disorder. Asperger syndrome is a milder version of the disorder.

The cause of autism is not known. Autism lasts throughout a person's lifetime. There is no cure, but treatment can help. Treatments include behavior and communication therapies and medicines to control symptoms.

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Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's syndrome (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder. It is milder than autism but shares some of its symptoms. It is more common in boys than girls.

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Asperger's Syndrome

An obsessive interest in a single subject is a major symptom of AS. Some children with AS have become experts on dinosaurs, makes and models of cars, even objects as seemingly odd as vacuum cleaners. Their expertise, high level of vocabulary and formal speech patterns make them seem like little professors.

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Asperger's Syndrome

Children with AS have trouble reading social cues and recognizing other people's feelings. They may have strange movements or mannerisms. All of these make it difficult for them to make friends. Problems with motor skills are also common in children with AS. They may be late learning to ride a bike or catch a ball, for example. Treatment focuses on the three main symptoms: poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness.

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PDD

The diagnostic category of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills.

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PDD

Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is before 3 years of age. Symptoms may include problems with using and understanding language; difficulty relating to people, objects, and events; unusual play with toys and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings, and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns.

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PDD

Children with PDD vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors. Some children do not speak at all, others speak in limited phrases or conversations, and some have relatively normal language development. Repetitive play skills and limited social skills are generally evident. Unusual responses to sensory information, such as loud noises and lights, are also common.

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Symptoms

The main signs and symptoms of autism involve problems in the following areas:

-- Communication - both verbal (spoken) and non-verbal (unspoken, such as pointing, eye contact, and smiling)

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Symptoms

-- Social - such as sharing emotions, understanding how others think and feel, and holding a conversation

-- Routines

or repetitive behaviors (also called stereotyped behaviors) - such as

repeating words or actions, obsessively following routines or schedules,

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Symptoms

and playing in repetitive ways

The symptoms of autism can usually be observed by 18 months of age.

There

are many possible red flags for autism - behaviors that may be signs or

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Symptoms

symptoms of autism. Some features may mean a delay in one or more

areas of development, while others may be more typical of autism

spectrum disorders. If you think your child shows red flags for autism,

talk to your health care provider.

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Treatment

There is no cure for autism, nor is there one single treatment for autism spectrum disorders. But there are ways to help minimize the symptoms of autism and to maximize learning.

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Treatment**Behavioral therapy and other therapeutic

options:**-- Behavior management therapy helps to reinforce wanted behaviors, and reduce unwanted behaviors. It is often based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

-- Speech-language therapists can help people with autism improve their ability to communicate and interact with others.

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Treatment**Behavioral therapy and other therapeutic

options:**-- Occupational therapists can help people find ways to adjust tasks to match their needs and abilities.

-- Physical therapists design activities and exercise to build motor control and improve posture and balance.

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Treatment**Educational and/or school-based options:**

-- Public schools are required to provide free, appropriate public education from age 3 through high school or age 21, whichever comes first.

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Treatment**Educational and/or school-based options:**

-- Typically, a team of people, including the parents, teachers, caregivers, school psychologists, and other child development specialists work together to design an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help guide the child’s school experiences.

**Medication options:**

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Treatment**Educational and/or school-based options:**

-- Currently there are no medications that can cure autism spectrum disorders or all of the symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any medications specifically for the treatment of autism, but in many cases medication can treat some of the symptoms associated with autism.

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Treatment**Educational and/or school-based options:**

-- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclics, psychoactive/anti-psychotics, stimulants, and anti-anxiety drugs are among the medications that a health care provider might use to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorders.

-- Secretin—a hormone that helps digestion—is not recommended as a treatment for autism.

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Resources

-- A Parent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders

-- Autism and Genes

-- CDC: Autism and Vaccines