Autism Symptoms Checklist

                

 

Children suffering from Autism may not display all of the signs and symptoms in this Autism Symptoms Checklist, because they are all individuals. However if you suspect your child is showing any signs of Autism you should seek medical advice.Early signs of autism are usually diagnosed when the child is three years of age. However early signs can be detected. There is a great deal of research taking place at the moment into trying to diagnose Autism earlier in a child's development.the earlier signs of Autism are detected the sooner they can be treated.

CHECKLIST

1. Can I have eye to eye contact with my child. Most children with autism do not have eye to eye contact and tend to stare fixidely at one object.
2. Is my child interested in things around. A child with autism does not point at things or try to bring things to the attention of his/her parents.
3. Is my child deaf. Quite often these children will ignore people around and will not respond to their name .Thus giving the impression they are deaf.
4. Can my child communicate as well as other children the same age. An autistic child can have little or no verbal skills and does not try to overcome this by using mime or pointing at things.
5. Why does my child never smile. The autistic child does not smile or react to someone who smiles at them.
6. Why does my child scream for no reason. Another common sign of autism is when the child has wild tantrums for no apparent reason.
7. My child has no friends.There is little or no interaction with autism. The autistic child prefers to play alone.

There are many different signs and symptoms for autism. The above Autism Symptoms checklist is only a guide. Other signs and symptoms to look for are destructiveness,impulsive behaviour,mood swings,lack of attention restlessness,hyperactivity and fogetfulness.

How To Overcome Autism and Anxiety On Socialization

                

 

Children with autism are often misunderstood, especially when it comes to autism and anxiety on socialization and it?s not surprising that the most loving parents can make some mistakes.

The body of information about this condition is vast, but some of it is conflicting. This can leave even the best parents feeling confused and overwhelmed. One thing no parent wants to see is his or her child is suffering in any way. When it comes to autism and anxiety of socialization, there is some conflicting information out there about the children and what they might really want to accomplish.

For a long time it was thought that children with autism did not want to socialize. Some parents would feel bad about trying to get them to relate to other children their age, as it brought about a lot of frustration for the child. Autistics can lack many of the basic social skills needed to make and keep friends. They aren?t good with eye contact, initiating conversations, and relating to peoples emotions. Even some children who do not have this condition can have problems in these areas sometimes.

For a long time it was thought that autistic children did not seek out or did not want to develop these types of social relationships, and would rather be ?alone.? There have been many studies that have proven this theory to be false. They do want to relate, and sometimes they want this very badly, but they just don?t know how to go about it. This, as you can imagine, leads to enormous amounts of frustration for the child, and of course, for the parents. The anxiety that comes with this can be overwhelming and might cause setbacks.

People mistakenly think these children prefer to stay away from their peers because they show signs of preferring the company of adults they know, or they seem to show a preference to play by themselves. This isn?t necessarily a preference for many of them. They simply cannot handle the anxiety of trying to build and maintain relationships that they do not have the skills to hang on to.

Avoidance and withdrawal are their way of coping with the overwhelming anxiety of the situation. A child thrown into this situation without preamble or warning will suffer great anxiety and frustration. However, knowing how to proceed can be difficult for any parent. Sometimes, there are no easy answers.

Each child has to be evaluated individually. There are some great programs that help children with the basics of socialization before they are presented with actually trying it. Some children have severe problems, and the choice to put them into special educational classes does have drawbacks, but putting a low-functioning child into regular classes has huge drawbacks as well.

Though taking time to evaluate a child before making a decision will help, you can never really eliminate the effects of autism and anxiety on socialization for a child with this condition. You just have to keep up, readjust when needed, and give them all the support you can.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on http://www.essential-guide-to-autism.com/ autism and anxiety on socialization.In the newsletter you'll find out more about the signs and symptoms of autism.

Diagnosing Autism in Children

                

 

Though most children and families find out about autism before the child reaches the age of four, there are some that are diagnosed as early as age one. Some children with Asperger?s, is a higher functioning form of the condition, may not know something is different until they start school. No matter what the function level, or how impaired a child might be, diagnosing autism early is always the best way to go. However, because that is not always possible, the parents can only deal with what they see. Some may suspect autism only to find that something else is going on.

Parents are often the first to stop and think that something unusual might be going on with their child. Other times, the doctor might see signs first, and then mention that they would like to do more testing.

Parents generally notice motor problems, and a lack of communication before a doctor, but there are times when new parents aren?t aware that development is not going as smoothly as it should be.

The most common signs parents might see is an unusual response (or lack of response) to noises and other people. They might also notice that their child spends time engrossed in just one activity or toy, and they can?t seem to get their attention while they are at play. They may notice their child is prone to tantrums when faced with situations that don?t bother other children. The smallest changes in their day can cause a huge tantrum.

When it comes to diagnosing autism, many other medical conditions must be eliminated first. This usually means that child will first have a hearing test. If they have problem with hearing, it might explain the lack of response to noises and other people. It would also explain why they are not talking, or are saying very little.

A doctor might also want to do some testing to look for genetic problems that can explain the delays in development. Seizures might be mild enough to cause a problem without being obvious to parent or doctor, so testing for this is a good idea as well.

Once all of these medical issues have been ruled out, the doctor will start looking for the signs of autism. There is no medical test that can be performed for an autism diagnosis. The doctor will study communication, socialization, and how a child behaves. These are the main clues to figure out what is going. The doctor will examine the child on their own, but will rely heavily on what they parent has to tell them about milestones that are reached at a late age, or not reached at all.

Diagnosis autism comes down to pretty much eliminating everything else and then studying the child. Though this can be a long drawn out affair, the diagnosis is a good thing if that is what is going on.

Diagnosing autism as early as possible is the best outcome for the child in the long run. There are great programs and techniques a parent can use to help with the communication and socialization problems that these children tend to have. When they begin to overcome these at an early age, they can have a better quality of life on down the road. No one wants to receive this type of diagnosis but it is better to know so healing can begin, and the family can start learning to cope with what lies ahead.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll find out more about the signs and symptoms of autism.

What Is PDD Autism?

                

 

For a long time, many children with PDD (pervasive development disorders) went undiagnosed. These children were, for a time, labeled as shy, strange, or weird, when if fact they were suffering from a medical condition. PDD autism is something that has both new and old form, and some of the higher functioning children were the ones that were largely misunderstood. Thanks to new research and new information, some of these children can now go on to lead what would appear to be a ?normal? life.

The word normal is subjective, as what is normal for one child is not for another. Some with higher functioning PDD can often blend in with what is considered ?normal,? but at the same time, they believe that they are who they are because of their autism, and there are some who say they would not change that.

However, because they want to interact with those who do not have PDD, they do have to adjust. If PDD is identified early enough, there are many positive programs that can help these children to overcome some communication and socialization problems that are common with these autistic conditions.

The common characteristics of a child with PDD center around communication problems. These range in severity from not talking at all to having an extensive vocabulary. Some autistic children never speak, and prefer to use hand motions for communication. Others have problems with basic communication, but they can learn to use words to talk to the rest of the world. Those with large vocabularies may have problems because they often say the wrong things, and at times will take every word at the most literal sense, which can lead to confusion and problems with conversations.

Others PDD characteristics are to do with social settings. They want to interact with their peers, but they have many problems doing so. They are often thought to be painfully shy at first. They lack the skills to build the relationships that many of us take for granted. Some of this comes from communication barriers, and also from a lack of understanding.

They lack the ability to get and hold eye contact, and often say the wrong things. This can be very painful for them, and after a few attempts to make friends with their peers, they often show a preference to play alone. This is because the anxiety of peer relationships is too much for them, and they find more peace by being alone.

Quite often, PDD autism is noticed by age three. This is not true for all children, but holds true for a majority. Other signs are repetitive motions and play, tantrums that result from the tiniest disruption of their daily routine, occasional aggressive behavior (probably as a result of failed communication), and being too sensitive or not sensitive enough to outside stimulation. All children with PDD will have different symptoms and different levels of function. Early diagnosis is a great help, and can lead to a better quality of life on down the road for many with PDD.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll find out more about the signs and symptoms of autism.

The Debate About Mercury Contamination and Autism

                

 

Though autism has been identified since the 1940s, there has yet to be a cure discovered or a definite cause established. This leaves many wondering if it is something that is happening because of our lifestyle, or if this is a condition that has been misdiagnosed for a very long time. There are record numbers of children now being diagnosed with autism. Is this because we are now able to pinpoint the proper diagnosis, or is there something more sinister going on? Many claim the high numbers of diagnosis are due to more understanding about this condition, and that makes it easier to get the correct diagnosis. Others believe mercury contamination and autism are related.

When it comes to mercury, the culprit seems to be related to childhood vaccinations. These are vaccinations that all children get, and many cannot enter school without them. However, there are a number of parents who believe these vaccinations that are meant to protect their children have led to autism.

There is a preservative used in some vaccinations that is called Thimerosal. This is almost half mercury in content, and is used when more than one dosage of a vaccine is in one bottle. This is meant to stop any sort of contamination that might occur.

Mercury is dangerous. However, its link to autism is debated. There has been research that has found a ?biomarker? which indicates that children with autism are more prone to having serious problems when toxins are introduced into the system. Because most children with autism have autoimmune problems, this does make sense. This then, would give the mercury contamination theory validity. Though most children would not be bothered by Thimerosal, a child with this biomarker might have huge problems. Vaccinations are not the only sources of this however, as there is mercury in other places that might very well be unknowingly ingested by any person.

There have been many studies conducted that state vaccinations have no link to autism, but there are many who simply don?t buy that theory. As a result, parents are refusing to vaccinate their children completely. Though this might indeed stop the mercury from entering the system of the child, their health is then placed in jeopardy. This can be a hard decision for many parents to make, though some see it as a very cut and dry conclusion. There are now vaccines that are said to be mercury-free. However, there may still be traces of it in the vaccine.

If you are concerned, you should tell your doctor that you want mercury-free vaccines, and that you will not accept any other type for your child. Though there seems to be an ongoing debate, looking at the dangers of mercury would be enough to alarm anyone.

Most children will not have a problem with the regular vaccines, but there is no way to know if your child will or not. The increase in the numbers of children with autism might just have to do with better diagnosis and understanding, but that does not eliminate the mercury contamination and autism connection that many feel is legitimate. If you feel strongly about this, ask your doctor for the single vaccinations, and if they won?t offer them, find someone who will.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll find out more about the signs and symptoms of autism.