Autism Spectrum Disorder

By Sanam Marjan

What is Autism (ASD)?

It is an umbrella term used for developmental disorders that originate neurologically.

Which causes behavioural difficulties along with impaired social interaction, this is the third most common development disorder. It is characterized by the presence of repetitive behavior or restrictive interests, difficulties in communication and may also cause over-sensitivity to factors such as light, sound, etc.

Types of Autism:

1. Autistic disorder: a child diagnosed with all autism who has all signs of ASD

2. Asperger’s syndrome: this is related to high functioning autism there are significant problems with social interactions and obsessive focus on specific topics. There isn't any speech or cognitive delay in this case.

3. Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD): a child showing few symptoms of autism is diagnosed with PDD. For instance, a child with speech delay with certain repetitive behavior would most likely fall under this category.

4. Rett syndrome: it is a rare and severe case caused by defects in the X chromosome and hence mostly affects girls where after development a period of slow regression of loss of communication skills and hand movement is seen.

5. Childhood disintegrative disorder: it is a rare case where the regression takes place after normal development. Loss of skills across all social, language, behavioral and motor development areas.

Symptoms of ASD:

• Difficulty in social interactions

• Difficulty in communications

• Social imagination: unusual repetitive behaviors and problems with the development of motor skills

Unique strengths of children with ASD:

1. Specialist knowledge in certain fields of knowledge

2. Good visuals and memory

3. The ability to understand abstract concepts

4. Organized and strategical

5. Logical

Causes of ASD:

The exact cause of autism is still being researched but all the research indicates a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors.

Source:

https://www.whiteswanfoundation.org/disorders/neurodevelopmental-disorders/autism-spectrum-disorder?gclid=Cj0KCQjwv5uKBhD6ARIsAGv9a-wfgF2hxhq2eOFNH3PvPa8zc_PrSYHYZk30j3R7o9AnnArLp2dRLfEaAvnJEALw_wcB