Autism

Recognizing and caring for children with autism

If the average person was asked which two significant disorders affect younger children and may extend into their adult years, their likely response would be ADHD and autism. Of those two, autism is probably the more complicated one; that is, it can be difficult to assess and diagnose, so it is important to know what autism is and how to recognize autism symptoms.

What Is Autism?

It has been estimated that autism affects 1 out of every 150 children. It is not known what causes autism, but it can be said that autism is a nervous system disorder. There appears to be a disconnect between nerve cells in the body and neurons in the brain. Subsequently, this affects a child's ability to communicate, express their emotions and engage their senses.

Recognizing Autism Symptoms

An autistic child demonstrates certain symptoms that are in keeping with this neurological disorder. Children with autism tend to keep to themselves, because they have trouble expressing themselves and have a significant inability to communicate with others. Additionally, because the basic five senses are somewhat compromised, children autism symptoms can include a child who does not enjoy being touched, and they may also soften the sounds they hear by covering their ears.

The disconnect also manifests in what the child hears and what is being communicated, so a common symptom in autistic children is their inability to match words with the meanings of those words. Consequently, an autistic child becomes extremely frustrated if the words cannot be found to convey their own thoughts or to understand what another person is trying to say to them.

There is no cure for autism, but in response to autism symptoms, there are a number of therapeutic autism treatment methods that can be prescribed. Some of those treatment methods include the use of a therapist to help the individual's communication skills as well as helping them develop social skills. A collaborative therapeutic effort is vital in helping an autistic child, and this effort includes the family and the educational system.