Autism is usually diagnosed around the age of three when an abnormal development of the child is noticed. An early diagnose is essential for the future medical care as well as for the outcome of the parents. An initial diagnose of autism includes a physical evaluation and a neurological examination completed with a registry of the medical history of the child since birth and a medical history of the family. Clinical testing may also be helpful to classify the condition and rule out other assembling diseases.
Specialty physicians must carefully evaluate the mental and physical development of the child as well its communication and language skills. He must know if the patient has babbled, waved or grasp objects before the age of one year and other major signs during his development. Frequent office visits are necessary for the doctor to determine eventual response to treatment and one potential progress of the condition.
Similar conditions to autism are Rett disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger disorder, pervasive development disorder, hearing loss and metabolic disorders. Autism is most common encountered in males sometimes connected to the fragile X syndrome that causes mental retardation. A series of testing can be performed to rule out conditions with similar symptoms:
Blood tests are made to determine eventual disorders in the blood lipids or amino-acids and other metabolism-linked conditions. Genetic diseases are ruled out by DNA and chromosomal analyses. Hearing tests are used to rule out possible connections between language difficulties and deafness. An electroencephalogram would detect potential brain damages and a magnetic resonance imaging would detect eventual brain disorder.
The Asperger disorder assembling autism only appears in boys and develops progressive neurological damages after the first three years of life. Symptoms of Rett disorder are extraordinary memory and musical skills, the inability to interact with others, primitive language skills, lack of facial expressions and inability to express emotions.
Patients with the disintegrative disorder are characterized by the lack of bowel and bladder control and no language, motor or communication skills.
The Rett disorder produces microcephaly, inability to express feelings, lack of motor skills and is mostly encountered in girls. It develops during the first 18 months of life. Children suffering from the Rett disorder require medical treatment as they may experience weakness, cognitive regression, constipations and breathing problems.
Pervasive development disorder occurs between 2 and 12 years of age and produces a delay of social and communication skills.
For greater resources on Autism or especially about autism causes please click this link http://www.autism-info-center.com/autism-causes.htm
Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/diagnosing-autism-97611.html
December 29th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Is diagnosing your child with somthign like Autism, just an excuse for their behavior?
Kids attitudes and behaviors have gotten worse over the last 10 years. And teh rate of behavioral problems, condtions, etc, such as Autism has gone up too. It diagnosing a child with something like Autism just an excuse for the way they act?
December 30th, 2009 at 4:21 am
No, it’s just that awareness of (and incidences of) autism has gone up, and children who previously were diagnosed with "behavioral problems" are shown to indeed have autism.
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:23 am
I think that in mild cases there could be an argument for your scenario.. However, as a father of an autistic son… no it is not just an excuse. When properly diagnosed, it is possible for children to be treated and actually get better. My wife and I have worked with our son non stop so that he will begin talking. He is 8 years old, and does talk some now, but he still has a ways to go. When we go to new places, he is afraid of big crowds, it makes him nervous and he hides behind a mask and sunglasses. As he is in the area for a while, he does take off the mask, but it is only after he feels safe and gets an understanding of what is going on around him that he removes the mask.
ADHD would be a better example of a diagnoses that allows for excuses… Ask a parent of an ADHD child if their child can play a video game for more than 2 hours non stop. If the answer is no, then they probably have an ADHD child… otherwise it is selective attention deficit.
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:25 am
Considering that the vast majority of kids do not communicate, I believe your line of thinking is way off.
Please do NOT insult parents or professionals anymore by not understanding the disability before making an accusation!
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Special ed teacher since the 90s
December 30th, 2009 at 4:27 am
First of all, doctors diagnose children, not the parents. Secondly, Autism is characterized by "impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests." What does this have to do with the way a child behaves? It is a disability that should be treated as such. Now, if you were asking about A.D.D./A.D.H.D. many people would probably agree with you.
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Teacher
December 30th, 2009 at 4:29 am
Autism is a real affliction…and has varying degrees of severity. From Asperger’s Syndrome, which is autism that allows the child to be high-functioning to severe autism, which limits functionality to a very high degree. There are many symptoms ranging from learning disabilites to tactile and vision abnormalities, sensory confusion, and physical symptoms like walking "high"..on the tips of the toes…..Autism in the last 20 years is now being recognized and diagnosed because earlier many, many children were just hospitalized and left to suffer. in their own "little worlds". Many, now can attend public schools (sometimes with the supervision of an aide or without) attend college and later on go on to lead productive lives. The mystery still prevails as to whether autism is triggered by vaccinations in the early years……Autism is no excuse for bad behaviour…by any means!
Teacher’ assistant for High School Special Education Dept
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:31 am
no
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:33 am
No As a matter of fact autism is very hard to get diagnosed with and the people with it ccan be taught to behave at least the ones on the milder side of the spectrum.
I have a kid with autism and he as a whole is a well behaved child. Most people must keep the rules consistant and the disapline consistant if they want their kids to behave even the ones with special needs. I hate to say that it is easier for most to give into their kids then to take the hard road of tough love.
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:35 am
With that question, it is obvious you do not work with children with this disorder. I agree that some of the over diagnosing of ADD/ADHD is due to parents lack of control of their children, but true diagnosis’ of ADHD or autism, emotional disturbance or other behavior disorders are innate; something that is not caused by lack of parenting skills or children’s bratty attitudes. Diagnosis for autism has gone up in recent years due to a better understanding of the red flags, more public awareness, and better detection methods by doctors. More children are getting help from Mental Health at earlier ages as well, with the First 5 initiative, so while behaviors and disorders are connected, diagnosing one is not necessarily the cause of the other.
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special education preschool teacher
December 30th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Keep in mind that autism is a spectrum disorder. Those dianosed can range anywhere from having severe autism, PPD or asperger’s syndrome. When a child suffers from something like asperger’s syndrome, they may seem perfectly normal at first. But please don’t be fooled, these children are coping with severe social and communicative deficits. Research is being done to investigate the growing prevalance of the disorder, but at this time the cause is still unknown. Thus far research has indicated that the "connections" that take place in the brain are not functioning the same way.
A dianosis is NOT an excuse. This condition is largely out of the child (and the parent’s) control. However, with therapy and in the right environment vast improvements can be made.
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Speech-language pathology student
December 30th, 2009 at 4:39 am
ADHD, and ADD, I think are overdiagnosed, and sometimes misused. Autism, however, is near impossible to diagnosis (or at least to get the diagnosis on paper). Both of my children are on the spectrum. My son has had "autistic characteristics" for some time, along with a severe speech delay (which impairs behavior because of the lack of communication), I’ve been told he may have a little OCD, sensory issues, but I still can’t get an offical diagnosis. My daughter has aspergers, and no it is NOT an excuse for the way she acts. It DOES explain why she acts the way she does, it does explain why she needs to touch other peoples hair (even strangers), it explains why I can’t take her to the mall, and also explains what is going on for her. People are so quick to assume that the child throwing a tantrum in the grocery store is just brat. Years ago children with Autism were mislabeled and locked up.
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Single mom of 2 special needs children
December 30th, 2009 at 4:41 am
There are some good informative answers here. I just want to add, as a special education behavioral teacher most kids with Autism do not have behavior problems. Their issues are more social , developmental, neurological possible dependeing on the severity. Some could have behavioral issues just as people with MR or even regualr kids with no disabilities but usually id they do it is in relation to another diagnosis that they just happen to have with Autism. I would suggest reading up more on the various diagnosis that are related to behavior issues. You will find that Autsim is not one of them…
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:43 am
No! Several issues here:
1) Children’s’ attitudes & behaviors have become worse, recently. Partly, that’s a result of the 60′s, when the adults of today rebelled against blind authoritarian parenting, so they wanted to raise their children more liberally. Partly, it’s because of the poor economy, with two-working parents & latchkey kids, often unsupervised, or poverty, with discouraged & some weak parents. Partially, it’s a result of drug & alcohol-ingesting parents, too, who parent poorly.
2) Some conditions, like ADHD and Autism, are gene-related. They also may be related to each other, genetically. If parents have ADD, they tend to have children YOUNGER, so they have MORE CHILDREN in the long run. That leads to bigger families, over the years, with more ADD genes, with more children, etc. So, the number of kids with ADHD is RISING.
3) If ADHD has ANY genetic relationship to Autism Spectrum Disorders, then there will consequently be more of the kids with those disorders, as well!
4) SOME, but VERY FEW, parents, use ADHD as an excuse, as a way to get SSI for themselves. I have NEVER seen a parent use Autism as a way to get SSI, or in any way as a type of excuse. The disability is just too debilitating, to play games like that!
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Years of experience in the public schools with children & with parents: parents who make excuses & parents who don’t; children with behavior problems from poor parenting & children with real disabilities no one could help.
December 30th, 2009 at 4:45 am
NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!Tell your kids what the can do!
I just want to say that there are alot of Ignorant peple out here!My son is Autistic and that claming him as Autistic to excuse the way he acts is appauling to hear.My son is Autistic and would’nt ask GOD to send me another son even though I have set backs to do things I need to do.I will be alright though.
I don’t believe that GENE BS either.
You raise your kids like your mother or you raise your kids the way you want to.Maybe your mother abused you ,so you abuse your kids.Maybe there is not two parents in the home.That has a impact on a childs life.Alot of stuff does.
The law telling us we can’t woop our kids that we gave birth to.
We suppose to let them do what they want so,eventually they will end up in juvy or jail.That’s for parents with kids who do not have diagnoses of Autism,ADHD,Bipolar disorder ect….
I’m not going to say normal kids.Who says that they are normal?
It’s not easy raising a Autistic child.He can’t talk so is he deaf? Duh!No, he is not !We may think that the way he acts is wrong
**** he may think something is wrong with the way we act! Who’s right ? Who wrong?
One more thing that $623.00 SSI payment is not worth the struggle to lye.I appreciate it but special school for autistic children cost about $60,000 a year BOO BOO!
a year
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:47 am
You have got to be kidding me!
Become a little more educated about autism and you will learn that autism spectrum disorders are way more complex and involved than just having "behavior" difficulties.
To be diagnosed by a PROFESSIONAL, individuals must meet several criteria from the DSM manual…most of the identifying characteristics have been around for decades. Many individuals with autism also have other difficulties like obsessive compulsive disorder (about 30% co-existence), anxiety disorders, depression, major sensory difficulties, social difficulties and isolation, mental retardation, limited or no verbal communication, and so on.
There are many beliefs why the condition/diagnosis is up (1 in 150 births), and I will not get into that debate, however one thing is for sure…educators, doctors, and others in the field are better trained and able to recognize early characteristics more than ever before.
I don’t think that you meant to be controversial, but your question is very offensive to those that work with, care for and love, are parents to, relatives or friends of individuals on the spectrum. These individuals are highly unique and in many ways "see" the world in a way that we can not even imagine.
Ask any parent who has had a child diagnosed…it is the most painful thing they will probably ever go through. All your ideas about how a child should be are out the window…
To have an excuse for behaviors, I think not! Did you know:
According to one recent study only 3% of Aspergers/HFA individuals will lead fully independent lives, only 10% could manage daily living without assistance, only 2% on the low end of the spectrum and about 12% on the high end work full-time, paid jobs, 31% have no social involvement outside of their families, divorce rates of parents to children with autism are higher, and so on. The cost to treat a child with autism is astronomical! The ABA method of treatment costs over $40,000 out of pocket and requires a large part of your home to be fully dedicated to treating an individual.
Get educated on autism…change your ridiculous thinking!
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Special education teacher + autism consultant
December 30th, 2009 at 4:49 am
When a student is diagnosed with a spectrum disorder it is due to the results of a battery of test that is given. Psychiatrists are the professionals that usually diagnose individuals with this type of disorder. Autism has a various of levels from high functioning to non-verbal and low functioning. You may want to surf a web-site that will assist you with many resources available. When surfing you will go to Autism, blog, parents and, on line shopping. I wish you well.
good luck
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http://www.whatdoyouhearwhatdoyousay.com
December 30th, 2009 at 4:51 am
No it is not. Autism is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Not every person with autism has a behavioral problem..my son don’t. Think about for a minute..years ago if you had a child with a behavioral problem such as autism..they were taken from their parents and put into a home/mental facility. My son has autism..if this was years ago and I knew he would of been taken away from me..I would never mention it to a soul that I thought anything was wrong with him. I think one of the reasons why we have seen such an increase over the years is because we have a better understanding as to what autism is. How to get the proper care and treatment for them instead of locking them up some place and hiding them from society. Many people with autism can lead normal lives and a lot excel in areas such as math, music, and art. I would love for my son not to have autism, but is something I have accepted and he’ll have for the rest of his life. All we can do is love, support and help him in anyway we can. And his diagnosis of autism wasn’t something that came easy..he was evaluated for a month before he was diagnosed with it. The sad thing about autism is it affects more people than diabetes does and yet so many know so little about it. I would suggest reading up more on the subject.
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mother of autisic 3 year old.
http://www.autism-society.org
December 30th, 2009 at 4:53 am
Your question is insulting, at best. Obviously you do not know anyone with autism. I assure you, (as the Center for Disease Control, Congress, and the US as a whole will), it is only a matter of time and you will. Until such a time, I suggest you educate yourself about autism.
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Autism Parent Consultant and mother of an Autist
December 30th, 2009 at 4:55 am
Two things to address. The first is that adults have been complaining about the youth behaving worse than they did for thousands of years, Shakespeare himself wrote about it over and over, as did several Greek philosophers. It’s a matter of perspective, and I for one know that for the most part children are just as loving and well behaved as always. Perspective has changed of what’s acceptable….I mean, 400 years ago it was okay to swaddle your newborn and hang them on the wall all day. Obviously they appear to be much less trouble that way!
The second is the claim that an autism diagnosis is an excuse for the way children act. Children with autism do not CHOOSE behavior, their behavior is a response to their inability to cope with sensory issues or inability to communicate. Those are the two primary deficits, and the two primary causes of nonfunctional behavior. If anything, it reflects on the acceptance of people around them, and the assistance that the child has in short-term coping skills and long term behavior modification. People who have children with autism do not use that dx as an excuse for behavior, but it does allow others to know that the family is working on the behaviors and that it is not conceivable to expect this child to act within certain preconceived notions.
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:57 am
No. If you read up on brainmapping, research is finding a tendency for the brain to wire somewhat differently for different conditions.My son is ADHD and his brain map does not show electricity patterns like a normal brain.
You wouldn’t say that a person with Alzheimer just wants some one to take care of them, so they become "forgetfull"
We know that it is more than that.
Yes, there are parents and doctors and teachers who mis diagnose kids and often the kids live years believing there is something wrong with them when there isn’t. Just as there are tons of kids who NEED intervention but their doctor/parent/teacher believe they are just fine!
The writer above explains that there is more sensitivity to diagnosing these conditions. There is also more of a push w/in the schools as we try to close the gap on drop outs and keep kids in school. I remember as a kid there were "dropouts" who worked their family business or just worked on the farm. That’s not "OK" now a days- we expect kids to stay in school and for the school to educate them.
Teachers/parents/doctors aren’t tryong to "get more money" rather help kids reach their potential no matter what their condition.
We will see many more handicapping conditions as 75 years ago babies with some special needs died in infancy. Now we have the ability to keep tiny, preterm babies alive where we couldn’t before, with a good life expectency. Some may have conditions which require extensie intervention so they can be as independent as possible as adults. Kids 75 years ago with Autism were often institutionalized or called retarded. People kept them inside because they were embarassed!
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