Knowledge About Early Signs of Autism

Whether you're new parents that have just had their first child or you have recently added one more sibling to the family group, at some point in time, being concerned about Autism may have crossed your mind. Roughly one out of every 150 infants that are born today is autistic, so it is imperative that the disorder be detected early in order to treat it properly. If you are unfamiliar with the disorder, it is important to educate yourself about it and learn about the early signs of Autism.

First and foremost, Autism is a neural development disorder that is characterized by the impairment of communication, language skills, and social interaction as well as repetitive or restricted behavior patterns. In most cases, these different characteristics appear by the time the child has reached three years of age. Autism affects how the brain processes information by altering the way that the nerve cells connect with and organize the synapses.

It is one of three different types of Autism disorders found on what is referred to as the Autism spectrum. The other two are Asperger's Syndrome where cognitive development and language skills are lacking and PDD-NOS or Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. This disorder is usually diagnosed should the criteria involved in the diagnosis for either Autism or Asperger's Syndrome not be met.

What to look for

What you want to remember above everything else when you are concerned about the possibility of your infant being autistic is that recognizing the early signs of Autism may be the difference between diagnosing the disorder properly and missing it completely. The earlier the disorder is diagnosed, the sooner you can start treatment and increase your chances of having a better outcome for both you and your child.

Early detection of Autism is critical so the sooner you educate yourself about the warning signs, the better. Here are some basic suggestions for recognizing the early signs of the disorder based on what the child should have accomplished by a certain time in their early development:

o By the time your child is 6 months old, they should be smiling whenever they are delighted or feel joy for one reason or another.

o Mimicking facial expressions, vocal intonations, and words should be evident by the time your child is 10 months old.

o Once the child has reached two years of age, they should be talking and should have at least several words in their ever-growing vocabulary.

Remember that the child may only exhibit one of the early signs of Autism. Even if all the symptoms are not being exhibited, your child may still be diagnosed as autistic. One way or the other, you should take your child to their pediatrician to determine if further testing for the disorder may be necessary. Diagnosing the disorder as early as possible in the child's development is critical and could mean treating it sooner that you can prevent complications and avoid more additional negative consequences.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on Autism please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

Original article

Identifying Early Signs of Autism

Autism symptoms are considered to begin to present themselves at the age of six months. This does not mean that it is not present before this. Autism is a developmental disorder that children are born with. It affects the development and growth of the brain. Unfortunately, it really isn't noticed until around six months of age because this is when the signs are most noticeable. At this age a child should begin to interact more outward to his/her environment. He will begin to smile and react to stimuli in around the area. A lack of this interaction is one of the first early signs of autism.

By the age of nine months a child should begin to proactively interact with his/her parents. He/she will babble at them, point at things, and return their smiles. The lack of this interaction with the parents is another early sign of autism. At one year of age a child should be crawling, pulling himself up on things and working towards walking unheeded if he/she is not already. The child should be saying a word or two and be able to somewhat communicate with his/her parents about what they want or need.

Definitive signs of autism will have set in by two to three years of age. This means by the age of one, if autism is the cause of your child's developmental delays you will be noticing a great difference in his/her emotional and cognitive patterns. The young child may appear not affectionate, slow, and inattentive. He/she can seem stubborn and willful; mostly this is caused because of their need to stick to a strict schedule, one that they feel comfortable with. By the time your child reaches the age of one, you will probably already be fully aware of his/her developmental disorder. In fact, a doctor should already have been consulted and a treatment method discussed.

Your child's pediatrician will ask specific questions about his/her development at the regular checkups throughout their infancy and toddler years. The doctor will be able to detect early signs of autism and let you know what you should be aware of. Treatment should not be thought of as a cure. A child, who has autism or any of the disorders falling in that spectrum, is faced with dealing with them for a lifetime. Treatment is focused on developing within the child the necessary skills he/she will need to live a comfortable life, at least as normal as possible. Depending on the severity of the child's symptoms he/she may or may not need supervision and care for the rest of their life. This is something your doctor will discuss with you as well. The sooner you set up a plan of action the easier it will be to fall into that routine for everyone.

Just because your child is developing at a slower rate than his/her peers does not necessarily mean he/she has autism. Be aware of the early signs of autism if your child's development is a concern for you. But don't overstress yourself about it. Simply keep an eye on how your son/daughter is developing and consult with his/her pediatrician if any concerns arise.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on Autism please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

Original article

Musicophilia Meets: Early Hyperacusis' Contribution To Autism

In Musicophilia Dr. Sacks offers the concept that removal of normal auditory input might result in a hypersensitivity of the auditory cortex causing heightened powers of musical imagery -- and sometimes auditory hallucinatory process.

Dr. Sacks' focus is with music and how it is utilized and occupied in the brain of neurotypical persons, many of whom developed their non typical and more fascinating response to music later in life.

What is not lost where autism is concerned is the fact that many times sight perception, auditory perception, and other sense perception translates to unique and non typical understanding of life experience for many within the spectrum.

My autistic daughter's auditory sense is profoundly unique in how it is processed, and certain sounds affect her physical well being. This means that she most probably has not learned in the usual manner even from her earliest years.

If one is dealing with a confused non typical auditory process, a process that might even have ramifications with regard to feeling physically well or not, their complete focus would not be upon a normal assimilation of all that is going on around them. Learning about life in typical context -- the abstract, the concrete, emotions and so on -- would hardly be doable.

Perhaps because of the above my own daughter's ability to discern life in context -- to understand the abstract, the vague, pretend, real, rote meaning, and meaning in context -- has either been delayed or lost in varying degrees. Indeed, she has more easily understood things that are rote in nature, or mathematical; and these have been a strength for her. Perhaps the abstract, vague, pretend, real, concrete, rote meaning, meaning in context, have equal relevancy in her mind and are not neurologically tucked away where each type of memory belongs.

Her understanding of all thought and life experience might very well be that concrete is abstract and abstract is concrete -- there is no difference. There seems an absence of pecking order with regard to types of thought, and thought's assimilation in her brain. Thus her intellectual complexity creates a repertoire process that is similar in concept to musical imaging that Dr. Sacks describes -- but hers is a process that is intensified and includes more than processing of music.

The autistics' neural underpinnings might not always possess development of separate identity types for different types of thought (Short-Term, Long-Term, Explicit, Episodic, Semantic, Implicit, Priming, Procedural); those underpinnings might be hard pressed to develop typically since, for those with hyperacustic hearing, ability to focus typically to the stimuli is absent.

Not just my own daughter, but all within the autism spectrum, most likely possess an unique intellectual complexity that is amazing, hardly understandable to the masses. Understood only by those who have in some significant way witnessed an autism affected person's life experiences.

I suppose that due to the offensive way my daughter has heard all along, her neural connections might have never developed the proper pathways with regard to directing typical comprehensions during differing types of thought scenarios. Her neural connections have taken unique non typical paths, therefore her thought is utilized and occupied in a vastly different way than normal.

The autistic mind, every one, has potential for extreme brilliance that is housed in such a way that we might only be lucky to be able to test it or tap into it. The methods by which IQ is tested, cannot identify the kind of smarts that many in the autism spectrum have.

My daughter's worsening autism -- psychosis nos -- seems to represent the "filling in" that Dr. Sacks describes with regard to musical imagery. His book describes how some persons' brains actually function as if they are hearing music, when they are not exposed to the auditory input of music playing. The way such was determined was to play familiar songs quietly as subjects listened, but have gaps where the music wasn't playing (while performing the brain imaging).

In truth, my daughter's "filling in" is not about music, it is about her whole life experience. She seems to lack the thought filters that are standard in most human models. Her neural stimulation seems a hodgepodge that is simply invoked by even the most novel of thought associations. It has made life for the rest of us most interesting and many times for my daughter, most exhausting.

*****

About our journey with autism... At the very beginning I figured we would get our daughter normalized in no time and pretty soon she would be asking for the car keys. It didn't quite work out that way and as my entire family and I continued to work through the ebb and flow of her unique walk, we fell madly in love with her in all her glory. This articles are just an outreach.

For a real life look at one case of severe autism, just Google "Hello, Dr. Wells". It is a sixteen year account of autism that turned to schizophrenic like psychosis.

Original article

Importance of Early Detection of Autism Signs

Autism signs manifest themselves by the ages of two and three. A significant degree of awkwardness in certain developmental stages is the first signs that a child may be suffering from a developmental disorder within the autism spectrum. The child may seem not affectionate, antisocial, stubborn, and obsessive-compulsive. Usually the child suffering from autism sees the world in a different way. This disorder, like others, affects brain growth and development. It affects it from the time of birth and onwards. There is no cure for this disorder, in fact some people see it as more a difference than a disease of any sort. There are, of course treatment and therapy options that will allow the child to build the necessary skills for coping with the life they will be facing.

Signs of autism include the inability to effectively communicate with other people. This includes parents, teachers and peers. The reason being is that a child with symptoms of autism does not react or understand otherwise intuitive cues from environmental, emotional, and social stimuli. These children see the world in black and white. They are very literal in their understanding of things. Unfortunately, with all of the nuances and gray areas of communication and feeling this will often lead to misunderstandings and confusion. Overstress such as these can cause an autistic child to seem irritable, willful, and stubborn. They may throw tantrums and otherwise act unmanageable. This simply stems from their fear and confusion over something. Thus, this factor and their need to have a stable routine that is unhindered with change.

High functioning autistic experience the same symptoms but to a lesser degree. These individuals can pretty much live their lives as normally as possible with only the need and guidance from outside sources in some cases. Individuals with high functioning autism often only seem a little different and can fit in well amongst the crowds. The more severe the symptoms of autism, the harder it will be for a child or even an adult to live a normal life. This is why detecting signs of autism early is so important. The sooner we know about a child's problem the sooner we can begin helping them to cope and live with it.

Treatment is available for people with autism and other disorders in that spectrum. There is not a cure, but therapy and special education classes can help a child learn skills and coping methods to handle his/her disorder throughout life. Acceptance of a child's difference, patience and understanding with his difficulties, and an open mind at his/her view on life is essential for helping these children feel comfortable with the world around them. Feeling safe and comfortable with who they are and confident in how they can interact with other people is one of the most important aspects of dealing with these developmental disorders. And because autism signs present themselves early, it means that someone with this disorder will have quite a long time to develop these skills. Living with autism is difficult for everyone involved, but it is manageable.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on Autism please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

Original article

Recognizing the Early Signs of Autism

Autism is growing more and more common throughout the US. In a recent study conducted by the CDC, it was estimated that 1 out of every 100 child in the country is autistic. Although many younger married couples and parents are more concerned about over population than they were during the Baby Boomer generation, Autism has now become a concern for many of the ones who want to have a family.

What's important is that you should always be monitoring your child's behavior to see if any of the early signs of Autism are present. Even the youngest of children can be diagnosed at an early age. Research has proven that the earlier the child is diagnosed and a treatment is prescribed, the better the long-range outcome will be. So what exactly do you need to watch for? Here are some of the warning signs that you should be looking for, according to the National Institute of Mental Health:

- The child does not speak a single word by the time they reach 16 months of age.
- The child is not babbling, not making any meaningful or noticeable gestures, and not pointing by the time they are 12 months old.
- They begin to lose both language and social skills.
- They do not interact with others or smile
- They do not start putting two words together by the time they are two years old.
- They don't respond to their names.
- They don't seem to know how to play with their toys.
- They focus more on lining up objects and their toys rather than other, more important issues.
- They focus obsessively on only one object or toy
- They maintain poor eye contact if any at all.
- They occasionally appear to be hearing-impaired

Although there be other Autism warning signs to be aware of, the ones above are the primary indicators of an Autism Spectrum Disorder. What's important to remember is that there are numerous explanations for the majority of these warning signs listed above.

For instance, the fact that the child is attached to one particular object or toy in itself (see point #9 above), is not a definitive sign of Autism. Conversely, a child with excellent communication, language, and reading skills can still be diagnosed as being Autistic. As an example, there are numerous children today who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, another form of Autism, that have exception skills in these key areas. Even children who display exceptional language skills have been diagnosed with Autism.

The diagnosis of Autism is based on a process of interviewing the parents while at the same time observing the child. This is done in order to make the right diagnosis and prescribe the proper course of treatment. Additionally, sufficient research has also revealed that in many cases of Autism, certain correlations have been found between Autism and specific physical issues. What is important is that you acquire all the knowledge that you possibly can regarding Autism so that you will be better equipped to deal with the situation.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on ADHD children please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

Original article