Autism is a mental condition wherein social and communication skills of the child are underdeveloped. It is not a disease but rather a Pervasive Developmental Disorder or PPD. However, pinpointing signs of autism is crucial so you need to make sure that the child receives the proper care that he or she deserves.
There are signs of autism that should look out for early on in the child's development. If the child does not babble nor gesture by 12 months of age, he or she should immediately be evaluated and diagnosed for autism. Another one of the immediate signs of autism is when the child still does not talk by 16 months of age. Another sign is when the child does not say two-word phrases without the aid of adults by 24 months of age. When you notice these signs, you should definitely go pay a visit to the doctor to receive proper medical advice.
In addition, there are signs of autism that are not sure indicators, but should still be looked out for. These signs include impaired social interaction, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, obsessions, and sensory symptoms. Impaired social interaction includes lack of imaginative or social play, unwillingness to make friends, and lacks stranger or separation anxiety. Impaired verbal and nonverbal communication includes repetitive language and refusal to listen. Obsessions include repetitive movements, fixations on specific objects, and adherence to highly specific routines and rituals. Sensory symptoms include hypersensitivity and its opposite, hyposensitivity which leads to self injury.
These signs of autism start to manifest clearly once the child has reached roughly 18 months of age. Studies also show that 20 percent of children experienced a regression. This means that they were developing normally, but at a certain age, starting losing social or communication skills. As a parent, you should not deny these signs of autism. It is difficult to accept that your child has a medical condition, but not doing so would only make life harder for your child. Without proper care from the parents, the child would have a difficult time being integrated into the community.
Once you see signs of autism, whether they are sure indicators or possible signs, consult your doctor immediately. Treatment for autism is mostly focused on therapy, with the occasional medication to suppress any harmful actions such as self injury. The earlier that the child receives such treatment upon confirmation of the signs of autism, the easier it would be for the child and the parents to accept autism as a condition. For more tips GO HERE.
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