Autism is a general developmental disorder, especially affecting the psyche. The cause of the disease is the combination of genetic features of neurodevelopment and the ecological factor. Signs of autism in children can be identified during the first three years of life and the sooner this happens, the sooner will therapy begin and the more likely the child will have to adapt to society. Unfortunately, signs of child autism are rather difficult to detect until three years, but still they are quite noticeable, therefore, perhaps, every parent should know how autism manifests in children, at least in general terms.
Autism in children - symptoms
The first symptoms of early childhood autism can be identified at the age of one month. Usually children by this time are already learning to fix a look at the faces of people, especially highlighting mother's. Children with autism may not look at faces at all or glance at them with indifference. These babies do not bawl with their parents, do not pull the pens, they react inappropriately to what is happening. So, for crying or screaming they can react with laughter and vice versa - crying when they hear laughter. In some cases, children generally do not react to what is happening.
It is not easy to develop relationships among small autistics with their mothers or their guardians. On mother's hands they react tense or vice versa - they "spread", mother's withdrawal can be painful, up to the development of organic diseases, and may not pay attention at all. It is interesting that the reactions can alternate - sometimes the kid does not pay attention to the parents, and sometimes does not let go of himself a single step.
Older children give out more obvious symptoms - they are becoming more detached, indifferent to others. They are not interested in peers, do not play with them, there is a feeling that they live in their own world. Sometimes the other extreme is possible - kids aggressively "flirt" with outsiders, willingly go to the hands of all adults indiscriminately. Children with autism react very painfully to changes in the situation, a violation of the established rhythm of life, are prone to perform obsessive, repetitive actions.
Often, autism in children is accompanied by delayed development of speech. In this case, the child can have high intelligence and even talent in any sphere. At the same time, sometimes it seems to the parents that the child simply does not notice them.
Of course, in all this violation manifests itself in its own way, but there are common signs that allow to answer the question of how to determine autism in a child:
- the child does not go to eye contact, looks away;
- rejects motherly caresses, does not go into arms;
- At the same time, there may be a strong dependence on the mother (or a person performing its functions);
- explicit preference for the child of one of the parents;
- absence or delay of speech;
- lack of interest in peers, difficulties in communicating with them. To adults on the contrary - sometimes there is an excessive disposition;
- inability to respond adequately to what is happening;
- dependence on the habitual way of life and its attributes;
- repeated actions, sounds, words.
Degrees of child autism
The success of therapy and the possibility of adapting a child with diagnosed autism depends on the severity of the disease. In terms of depth and degree of developmental disorders, a generalized classification of the varieties of child autism has been created:
1 classification group is characterized as the deepest form of autism. Children are completely detached from the outside world, they do not use speech, facial expressions and gestures.
2 group includes itself children of more active, but perceiving
3 group . Children who are part of it are active, but are not able to objectively assess the situation, because of what they often have conflicts with others. Thinking is broken, because of what they are not able to catch the "subtext" in the words and actions of others.
4 group - this includes children with mild autism. They are very vulnerable, they stop communicating when the slightest obstacle arises. This form of autism is assessed as a delay in development, the level of social adaptation in which is quite high.