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Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders) |
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Autism From MayoClinic.com
Autism is one of five
conditions referred to as autism spectrum disorders or pervasive
developmental disorders (PDD). These five conditions have different
signs:
Autism.
Children with autism exhibit a wide range of problems with varying
degrees of severity. In general, they have problems in three crucial
areas of development social skills, language and behavior. The
most severe cases of autism are marked by repetitive and unusual
behaviors, sometimes including self-injurious and aggressive
behaviors. Children with autism may require lifelong care and
supervision, depending on the severity of their condition.
Asperger's
syndrome.
People with Asperger's syndrome usually have average intelligence
and normal language development, but impaired social skills and
awkward movements. Others often see them as odd or eccentric.
Childhood
disintegrative disorder (CDD).
Children with this rare condition develop normally during their
early years before losing many of their language and social skills
after age 3. Children with CDD may also show other signs of autistic
behavior.
Rett syndrome.
This very rare genetic disorder affects only girls. It causes them
to develop autism-like behaviors after seemingly normal early
development.
Pervasive
developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
This term applies to children with some signs of autism, but not
enough to be diagnosed with the classic form of the disorder.
Two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have
strikingly different skills. If your child has any of these autism
spectrum disorders, he or she may develop normally for the first few
months or years of life, then become less responsive to other
people, including you. You may recognize the following signs in the
areas of social skills, language and behavior:
Social skills
Fails to respond
to his or her name
Has poor eye
contact
Appears not to
hear you at times
Resists cuddling
and holding screams to be let down
Appears unaware of
others' feelings
Seems to prefer
playing alone retreats into his or her "own world"
Language
Starts speaking
later than other children
Loses previous
ability to say words or sentences
Speaks with an
abnormal tone or rhythm may use a singsong voice or robot-like
speech
Can't start a
conversation or keep one going
May repeat words
or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them
Behavior
Performs
repetitive movements, such as rocking or hand-twisting
Develops specific
routines or rituals
Becomes disturbed
at the slightest change in routines or rituals, such as if you move
objects that your child has lined up
Hyperactive
May be fascinated
by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car
May be sensitive
to sensory stimulation, such as light, sound and touch
Children with autism also show signs of poor joint attention or shared
attention at a young age. Joint attention is an early-developing
social skill in which two people usually a young child and an adult
share the experience of looking at an object or observing an event. It
includes the ability to point at objects and follow another person's
gaze. This skill is crucial to later language and social development.
In some children with autism, problems improve as they mature. Some
people, usually those with the least severe impairments, eventually may
lead normal or near-normal lives. For other people, however, there's
little improvement in language or social skills, and the adolescent
years can mean a worsening of behavior problems.
The majority of children with autism also have mental retardation, which
means they're slow to acquire new knowledge or skills. However, some
children with autism have normal to high intelligence. These children
learn quickly yet have trouble communicating, applying what they know in
everyday life, and adjusting in social situations. An extremely small
number of children with autism are "autistic savants," which means they
have exceptional skills in a specific area, such as art or math.
Causes
Autism has no single, identifiable cause. The disorder seems to be
caused by abnormalities in several regions of the brain. Neurons in
these regions appear to be smaller than normal and have stunted
connections to other areas of the brain, but researchers don't know why. A
number of genetic factors may be behind these abnormalities. Autism also
seems to occur more frequently in children who have other medical
conditions, including fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, untreated
phenylketonuria and congenital rubella syndrome. Researchers are
investigating a number of theories about the cause of autism.
In recent years, some news reports have raised concerns about a
connection between autism and vaccines. These reports have targeted the
measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR), as well as vaccines containing
thimerosal, a preservative that contains a very small amount of mercury.
However, extensive reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the
Institute of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention conclude that there's no scientifically proven link between
these vaccines and autism.
When to seek medical advice
Babies develop at their own pace, and many don't stick to the exact
timelines found in parenting books. But children with autism usually
show some signs of delayed development by 18 months. If you suspect that
your child may have autism, talk to your doctor.
Your doctor may recommend further evaluation if your child:
Doesn't babble or
coo by 12 months
Doesn't gesture
such as point or wave by 12 months
Doesn't say single
words by 16 months
Doesn't say
two-word phrases by 24 months
Has any loss of
language or social skills at any age
Related Site: Treatments Treatments Programs:
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