Understanding the Autism Spectrum

The terminology that is oftentimes used in order to describe and diagnose disorders that are classified as pervasive developmental disorders is referred to as the Autism Spectrum. Pervasive developmental disorders include Autism, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and Rett Syndrome. They are typically characterized by cognitive delays, communication difficulties, repetitive or stereotyped behaviors and interests and social deficits.

Despite the fact that these diagnoses have some features in common, the individuals who are afflicted with these disorders are considered as being "on the Autism Spectrum" because of the differences in severity exhibited from one individual to the next.

As we mentioned above, there are five categories of pervasive developmental disorders and are broken down as follows:

Autism - characterized by abnormal functioning or delays prior to age 3 in one or more of the following areas communication, repetitive, restrictive, and stereotyped patterns of activity, behavior, or interest and poor social interaction.

These deficits are all characterized by specific aspects and elements that are unique to each of those three areas.

Most of the developmental delays are distinguished in each child by the deviance of or lack of delays in early language development. Additionally, those individuals who have been diagnosed with autism typically do not exhibit any cognitive delays.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder - unlike the aforementioned two areas, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is usually characterized by the loss of functioning or significant regression after the first two years of development. The child afflicted with this might lose their communication skills, motor functioning, nonverbal behaviors, and certain skills that have been learned already.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified - a "sub-threshold" form of Autism because of the fact that it is characterized by milder Autism symptoms or those symptoms that exist in a single domain such as social difficulties.

Rett Syndrome - is characterized by numerous deficits that follow a period where functions appear normal after birth while only occurring in females. It is characterized by a loss of acquired language and social engagement skills, loss of expressive or meaningful hand skills, decelerated growth of the children's head and poor physical coordination

The risk of comorbidity tends to increase as the individual ages and may make things difficult for the younger adults. This makes intervention or treatment extremely challenging. Furthermore, distinguishing between Autism Spectrum disorders and other diagnoses is a challenge in itself because they will sometimes overlap the symptoms that characterize other disorders.

So, characteristics of current Autism Spectrum disorders make it difficult for the more standard types of diagnostic procedures to be done accurately. In spite of this, comorbid disorders tend to fall into the following six categories where they can be easily identified as anxiety disorders, behavior-related disorders, intellectual disabilities, medical conditions, mood disorders and sensory processing disorders.

You want to remember that the more you know regarding the Autism Spectrum, the easier it will be for you to learn how to manage your child's symptoms.

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

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Understanding Asperger Autism

By medical definition, Asperger Autism is a disorder of the Autism "spectrum" which is characterized by repetitive and restrictive behavior and interest patterns as well as significant difficulties with the ability to interact socially. According to Wikipedia, "it differs from other Autism spectrum disorders by [virtue of] its relative preservation of cognitive and linguistic development." The atypical use of language and physical clumsiness are oftentimes reported as characteristics although they are not required for diagnosis.

A child may display numerous symptoms of Asperger Autism, or they may only exhibit a few. Additionally, the severity of these symptoms may range from mild to extremely severe in nature. However, the key characteristic of this form of Autism is that the child will have a significant amount of difficulty when it comes to interacting with others in social situations. As a result of this unpredictable variance, no two children who are suffering with Asperger Autism are ever alike.

Childhood symptoms

Typically, a parent will first notice the following signs of Asperger Autism when the child first enters preschool and starts interacting with other children:

- changes in their routines appear to upset them

- lights, loud noises, or strong tastes and textures tend to over-stimulate them due to a heightened sensitivities

- preoccupation with only a single or a limited number of interests but they have considerable knowledge of the subject(s)

- the ability to pick up on certain social clues inborn social skills are lacking

- the inability to distinguish minor or subtle differences in others' accent, pitch, and tone of speech which can alter its meaning

- their motor development is oftentimes delayed

- their style of speech is well advanced for their age

- they display unusual body posture or facial expressions

- they lack the ability to be empathetic

- they sometimes avoid eye contact while at other times stare endlessly at others

- they will hold one-sided conversations, talk a lot about a favorite subject, or verbalize their most internal thoughts

Despite the above and the numerous similarities to Autism, Asperger syndrome is normally characterized intellectual development and normal language.

Adolescent and teen year's symptoms

The symptoms of Asperger Autism typically linger well into the child's teen years they may begin learning those social skills they are lacking in. However, the ability to communicate effectively remains difficult. Additionally, the difficulty encountered with reading the behavior patterns of others remains a significant issue as well. Teens suffering with the disorder want to make friends but they may feel intimidated or shy when approaching other teens because they feel "different" from other individuals.

Symptoms evident during adulthood

The adult with the disorder typically has a much better realization and understanding of their personal flaws including their strengths and weaknesses. They are more capable of learning social skills and reading the social cues of those around them. In fact, many individuals with Asperger Autism get married and eventually have children. Despite the fact that improvements are occasionally seen and the disorder tends to stabilize over time, Asperger Autism is a condition that lasts a lifetime.

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

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