Autism

Autism is a complex disorder that affects the nervous system which then affects the individuals ability to communicate and be up to date with the world they live in. this generally affects children from the very young stages of their lives. It can be found present and showing symptoms at this early age as the child begins to learn to communicate with others.

According to the statistics of the National Autistic Society within the United Kingdom it believed that at least 1 child in every 100 is diagnosed with autism. Unfortunately this has been seen to be on an increase but this could be down to scientists being able to diagnose the conditions a lot earlier and quicker than they used to be.

Some of the symptoms that a child suffering with autism may display are things like:

• Lack or poor eye contact when speaking to someone.
• Showing no awareness of the feelings of other individuals.
• Typically repeating words and sentences without putting them in to a proper order or context.
• Learning to talk later than the average age and later than their peers.
• They often get into specific routines of their own and continue with them.
• They can often be more sensitive to both light and sounds than other children.
• Children with autism can often speak with a different or some may call ‘unusual’ tone to their voice and even the rhythm of their conversations may be slightly different.
• They often repeat simple movements such as clapping, waving and even rocking more noticeable than other children.
• Some children that suffer with autism will often play alone and become very solitary.

Typically the older the child gets, the easier it is to see the extent of the autism within the child. This may become apparent because of their lack of ability to do something or may be even by their general behaviour.

There is no exact way to diagnose autism in a child and research has shown that children with this condition are typically more prone to things like tumours, learning disabilities, mental retardation, attention disorders and many more. Unfortunately people with autism need continuous help and support throughout their lives, however with care in their lives there is a chance that they may be able to live an independent life. The earlier the child is referred to a specialist the earlier the treatment that they decide upon can be started. In many cases the earlier the treatment begins the more chance the individual has of general improvement.

Unfortunately there is no cure for people with autism; however there are several different treatments that can help the sufferer with the symptoms of this condition. Some of these treatments may be things like educational therapy which may be special schooling in set environments by specialist who can teach the children behavioural and communication skills. These will enable the individual to cope with a variety of situations later on in life. Also drug therapy and behavioural therapies can be used with people with autism.