Originally posted on August 8, 2017-8:22 a.m. by A-G @ SoulTranslations.com
These are notes I have taken from sources about topics that interest me, and/or that have tremendously helped me along This Beautiful Journey called LIFE!!! … Many people ask me about all these things, and I decided to create a section where I post all this information. Hope you will also find it interesting and helpful… Please scroll down and click on the reference(s) for the complete information on this topic.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- spectrum= wide variation
- neurological and developmental disorder
- many types
Causes
- no known single cause
- many causes (combination of genetic and environmental factors)
Characteristics
- range of conditions
- affects individuals differently and to varying degrees
- medical and mental health issues may accompany autism: intellectual disabilities, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, seizures, sleep disturbances, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and phobias
- unique strengths and differences
Signs
- most evident signs appear around 2-3 years old, but many times the signs appear much more early in life
- lasts throughout a person’s life
- challenges with: social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication
- delayed learning of language
- difficulty making eye contact
- difficulty holding a conversation
- difficulty with executive functioning (reasoning and planning)
- narrow, intense, restricted interests
- repetitive behaviors
- poor motor skills’
- sensory sensitivities
- lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
- persistent fixation on parts of objects
Treatment
- it is treatable-improvements are achievable
- there is no one standard treatment
- common treatments: behavior and communication therapies, skills training, and medicines to control symptoms
- there are many ways to increase a child’s ability to grow and learn new skills
- the earlier one starts the interventions, the more chances of success
References
- Autism Society: What Is Autism?
- MedlinePlus: Autism Spectrum Disorder