What is Autism? That question needs an answer. In this article by Autism Speaks, ithighlighst what it is all about. It is also called Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and it is a serious condition that affects the development of a child. It affects and even distorts a child’s ability to interact with others and communicate with them. It goes right to the nervous system and tampers with the center for communication, thus inflicting a life-long condition on an innocent child. Therapy for Autism is required to help the child adapt to challenges and daily living as he or she grows up.
Because this condition does not yet have a cure, it is classed as one of the most chronic conditions that can ever happen to a child during his/her formative years. Such a child will encounter major challenges in social skills, verbal and non-verbal interaction, and can in some cases be prone to repetitive behaviors. Read more here.
The following article by WebMD discusses some symptoms of this condition.
What Are the Symptoms?
There is a wide range of symptoms which can all be evident in different severity. You can read more here where you can find out more about the symptoms of this condition.
Truth be told, the symptoms of this chronic medical condition can be grouped into three aspects:
Behavioral Symptoms
You may start noticing the following symptoms. An almost negative body language might be noticed, gestures and facial expressions might also look inappropriate. They might talk but avoid every form of eye contact. Even the expression on their face will not match whatever they are saying. Other behavioral changes include a lack of interest in people or in personal achievements.
They might not be happy even if they get good grades in school. They may be unlikely to approach others with their personal lives and issues they face. It will be hard to understand the feelings and emotions of other people. They may be irritated at the thought of being touched and interacted with. Read more here.
Developmental Symptoms
The physical bodies may be developed as with other kids, but when it comes to other forms of development, those are always slower, even delayed in some cases. Ordinarily, they may take some time to start uttering words as infants. It may take more than two years before they ever will be able to speak at all.
They are prone to stuttering, repeating the same words over and over again before going on to utter the next. They find it hard starting a conversation and may even ask the same question over and over again before they get the sense of such questions.
This next article by the researchautism team discusses some cognitive symptoms of Autism.
Cognitive symptoms
They also show some signs of cognitive symptoms especially at school. Learning mathematics and other figure based problems peculiar to their age group are almost impossible. Learning how to read too is another issue for them as words, syllables and syntax are almost foreign to them.
Psychological symptoms
The constant feeling that others are better affects their confidence. This makes them depressed all the more and almost every time. They also find it hard to understand how others feel. They also get anxious more and are super irritated by the sound. Read more here.