Autism-Articles

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 child...

Asperger Syndrome (AS) has recently made a very visible jump in the American public's consciousness. Recently two TV reality shows have had contestants with this high functioning form of autism. Check out the stories of Heather Kuzmich a model that was catapulted to the top ranks of American popularity on America's Next Top Model and of Zev Glassenberg a contestant on the Amazing Race. Neither Kuzmich or Glassenberg was a winner on their respective show, however the country as a whole was given a glimpse of the challenges these patients face. Asperger Syndrome is a developmental disorder that falls within the autistic spectrum affecting social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and a reluctance to accept change. If a patient has a mild case it may go undiagnosed and the patient will be labeled as odd or eccentric. Some sources indicate that many famous successful people such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci, Henry Ford and Bill Gates exhib...

We love our kids no matter how annoying and irritating they can be. But we all know that at the end of the day, they still bring us immeasurable joy. But what if your child is somewhat different? What your child displays behavior that is out of the ordinary? As a parent, it is heartbreaking to know that your child might be special. You are worried for him because he might not survive the real world when he grows up. That is why as early as possible a parent should have the child diagnosed so as to be given a proper treatment early. The parents should be observant on the way their child behaves and if there is something that seems unusual or odd about the child's behavior, they should consult with their pediatrician. This is not to say that the parents should be paranoid about anything that the child does. Being observant is different from being paranoid. One of the disorders that parents should concern themselves about is the Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndr...

Children, in one way or another, have to some extent deficiencies in their social skills and may even exhibit odd behaviors different from their playmates. While these tendencies are quite normal circumstances for some children, repetitive actions may be more likely linked to a developmental disorder. This is what medical science calls autism. Children with autism suffer from lagging development in their behavior, social skills, and communication. Almost all symptoms of autism revolve around communication difficulties. Autistic children may display developmental delays most especially in language and learning. They oftentimes show out-of-order learning sequences like being able to understand complex ideas first before understanding the simple ones. An autistic child may also have poor, social interaction. The child may become withdrawn from people, even from his own parents and siblings. The child may act as if he is in his own world, like preferring to play all ...

Has your child been diagnosed with Asperger Autism? There are many children who have this disorder and although it may be rough in the beginning it is possible to live with it from now on. Asperger autism is a developmental disorder that can make it hard for your child to interact with people including yourself. When a child is socializing, they may feel out of place and awkward, sort of like you do when you are put on the spot. This is just one of the symptoms of Asperger autism. Other symptoms include a routine that your child does not want changed and socialization skills. Asperger autism is a disorder that lasts a lifetime. When a child with Asperger becomes an adult they may have more of an understanding about what they are feeling and what they need to do in order to function in the society. They may not be able to handle crowds of people to socialize but they may be able to socialize in a small group. They will also have a better time at communication. A c...

If you feel that your child might suffer from Asperger's syndrome, there are many different ways to diagnose it. Most doctors will recommend a full battery of tests that check many different aspects of the child's development. There is no one definitive test that can tell a parent if their child suffers from Asperger's, so an entire group of tests are usually performed for diagnosing Asperger's. The first step for most kids in getting a proper Asperger's diagnosis is undergoing screening at the doctor's that measures things like cognitive development. As any mother can tell you, these screenings are completely normal and every child goes through them. It is usually at these screenings that a doctor can tell if there is a problem or not and whether a referral should be made to a specialist. The second step is actually when your child would be assessed in order to make a diagnosis. This can be carried out by more than one health professional,...

Your child may have just been diagnosed or he is showing symptoms of an autism spectrum disorders and you now wonder, What is Asperger's Syndrome? With a recent - or anticipated - diagnosis you are wondering where to turn. Perhaps you are trying to figure out what this will mean for your child and your family's future. Here you can find an overview on what Asperger's Syndrome is and what to expect in the future. First of all, Asperger's is an autism spectrum disorder. Autism is a developmental disorder than affects the way a child...or adult...interacts with, perceives and interprets the world. A spectrum means that there are many different forms of autism, ranging from very severe to very mild. Those on the more high functioning side usually get a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. Many children as well as adults may be misdiagnosed...this is unfortunately all too common. Many are initially diagnosed with ADHD or OCD or some other condition bef...

As a therapist, I often refer to High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome as "Hidden Disabilities". Many myths exist about people who have High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome. People will often refer to them as "Rain Man", or make comments to them such as, "Wow, that is so cool, can he or she count cards." This can leave parents in a place of frustration...frustration over the hidden challenges associated with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Little do people know who are not around children with High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome that there is a hidden disability associated with these two labels. Many challenges exist with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome, challenges that are "hidden" to most people on the street. Children who have High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome look like typical kids. Looking back, we can probably all identify with somebody from our sch...

Your son with Asperger's is refusing to go to school. Your sensory sensitive daughter is constantly testing your patience when it comes to mealtime. Your six year old with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is throwing tantrums like clockwork. Your four-year-old child with PDD is not responding positively to potty training. Is there anything about these scenarios that you can relate to? There are bound to be certain times for any parent when everything feels overwhelming and being the parent of a child on the Autism spectrum brings yet another set of challenges with it. On occasions such as these you may wonder how you are going to carry on and make it to the next day. If you are facing a situation that makes you feel as if you are moving through quicksand, I have three words for you - it will pass. There are times during these challenging years that may seem never ending but in retrospect, you may someday find yourself asking, "Where did all the time go?...

Though autistic disorder is often thought of as a single condition, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in fact refers to five different kinds of autism. When most people think about autism, they're only thinking about one type - the kind they saw in the movie Rainman - and don't realize that this is only a fifth of the disorders to which autism truly refers. The first type of autism is called Classic Autism . It's also known as Kanner's autism, or Kanner's disorder after a doctor who researched the condition in the 1930s through the 1940s. Classic autism is one of the lower functioning forms in the spectrum, and is identified by its high level of social and communication issues. Children with the classic autistic disorder rarely interact with the majority of people. They often suffer from poor motor skills and frequently repeat actions and motions. They are also generally reluctant to make eye contact and may display temper tantrums when they ex...

Medical professionals often use the term Autism Spectrum Disorders (or ASD for short) to explain the large variety of symptoms, signs and characteristics associated with a diagnosis of Autism. As we all know, more and more children are getting diagnosed with Autism everyday. According to the Center for Disease Control, Autism now occurs in one out of every 150 individuals. Some researchers account for the increase in Autism due to us better understanding the entire Autism spectrum. The Autism spectrum, however, is sometimes difficult for parents to understand. Some parents say things like: "My child has Autism, but he does not do that!" or they will ask "My child will interact with other kids, does he still have Autism?" The answer is simply that Autism is a spectrum, but what exactly does this mean? A spectrum means that there are children with Autism symptoms on one side, the other side, and everywhere in between. For example, let's take ...

Autistic Disorder or Autism is a developmental disability that has a crucial impact on the normal development of the brain. It affects the cognitive portions that are significant for social integration and everyday living skills. People who suffer with Autism have deficits in the areas of social interactions and communication skills. Children and adults alike who are diagnosed with Autism typically have difficulty with normal verbal or non-verbal communication such as eye-to-eye contact, facial expressions, body postures and general gestures associated with simple interactions. Basically, normal peer relationships are diminished due to the lack of social skills. People with Autism tend to migrate toward exclusive activities. Unfortunately, this disease also affects self-help daily living skills. It affects toileting, feeding, dressing and/or brushing teeth, etc. Moreover, one person with Autism may experience very different symptoms and behaviors than the n...

If you've just received a diagnosis of autism in your child, then you know that autism treatment for toddlers is of the utmost importance. You are also most likely plenty scared about what will follow, and what you can do to help your child. Don't worry, that is a natural reaction. There are plenty of therapists, doctors and other parents that will be able to help you along your journey. Sensory Integration Therapy One kind of therapy that can be very useful in the treatment of autism in toddlers is sensory integration therapy. You see, most kids with autism have sensory issues - they will scream in agony if something is too loud, tastes bad, has an unpleasant texture, or is too busy or uncomfortable visually. We use the 5 senses to take in all our information about the world. Toddlers with autism, however, receive sensory information 100 times stronger than we do. Everything is magnified for them. This is one reason that your autistic toddler can often s...

I have learned the best way in helping autistic children is to keep it simple. By keeping it simple, it creates an updated approach. How is this accomplished? I know you are probably thinking, you as a parent(s), caregiver(s), do not know how to keep it simple. How can you help your autistic child, who is different with his or her own range of the severity, that autism causes? This can be frustrating. In addition, each child who has autism, expresses unique personalities with their various symptoms that are challenging. Every family who has a child with autism makes an impact on that family. For this reason, you want an updated approach that is simple which can help your child and family. Children with autism will determine how you, your family and other siblings within your family live their lives. Back to the question. Is there an updated approach for helping autistic children, that is simple? The simple methods that I have used in helping my brother are in the follo...

Work has become tedious. The walls of your home seem to be closing in. You NEED a vacation. But the thought of traveling with your children, especially your child with autism, is less than enticing. Families need vacations: time to escape the regular chores, schedules and routines of home and family. Holidays mean a chance to break away from routine, a change of pace, new setting, food, people and activities; not exactly autism friendly! Traveling with children is always more challenging, but planning a vacation with a child with autism can seem downright daunting. There are ways to alleviate some of the stress and create a getaway that is enjoyable for every member of the family. Some simple guidelines and smart planning will make a big difference! 1. Start small Children with autism do best with small steps. If your child has never had time away from home it is wise to take a "mini vacation" for a few hours, build up to a whole day and soon after that ...

My four year old is a bundle of energy. He flits from one thing to the next without a breath. Diagnosed with Autism and also ADHD he has many of the usual difficulties faced by children with this diagnosis. When I talk about proprioception in relation to my son I am talking about some of these challenges. Proprioceptive is about knowing where we are in our space. Most of us can tell if we are standing straight or leaning, near an object or farther away. For Billy this is not always the case. Before his diagnosis and before I had any sort of understanding of his world, he drove me crazy... Don't get me wrong, I love this little boy to the extreme, however - not one night went by without he ended up not only in my bed, but trying to sleep so pressed against me that I had to hold myself from falling out. Day after day, he would run around and around our house with countless bumps and falls. His constant need to feel surfaces against him as he ran would result in ...

Autism "Epidemic" Growing Worldwide We are in the middle of an epidemic of severe autism. Twenty-five years ago, the frequency of autism was affecting just one in every 100,000. Now this has increased to 1 in every 150, yet some sources affirm that it can be even higher than this. The way that clinical medical science is driven is the clinical history. You start with the patient's story or the parent's story of what happened to the child. What was heard is normal development followed by vaccine exposure followed by regression to autism and to gastrointestinal issues at around the same time. Regression means lost of acquired skills, i.e. a child could talk then lost the ability to talk. Questions about Autism & Vaccine Ingredients Many of us have heard a lot about thimerosal, mercury components, preservatives in vaccines, and live viral vaccines as a possible culprit. Today, many groups accuse thimerosal, a preservative for vaccines is a cont...

How Do YOU know if YOUR Child has Autism? Are you worried that YOUR child may have Autism? Would you like to Learn to spot the Signs and Symptoms of Autism to look out for? My background I am a mother who has an autistic child who was diagnosed when he was just two and a half years old. So this is written from a real person with first hand practical experience of dealing with Autism. It is an article written by an experienced person not a Ghost Writer writing about Autism! Want to learn more? Here are just 22 Signs and Symptoms of Autism to look out for. Most of these signs and symptoms were displayed by my Autistic Son. The list is not exhaustive. Just a few of these symptoms will give you the knowledge to determine whether Your child may have Autism or is showing signs of Autism. 22 Signs and Symptoms of Autism 1 Difficulty in expressing needs 2 Little or no smiling 3 At 1 year: no babbling, no pointing or these have stopped 4 At 16 months: no words or words have di...

Autism Aspergers are sometimes two disorders that are often diagnosed as just plain autism. This condition that is defined as "classical autism" can be found in the ASD's known as autism spectrum disorders. The main characteristics of autism are impaired social interaction, unusual, repetitive activities that are severely limited and problems with communication both on the verbal and nonverbal levels. Other ASD's include Rett syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, Aspergers syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. Experts estimate that out of every 1,000 children, 3 to 6 will be diagnosed to have autism or aspergers to some degree. Males are much more likely to suffer with autism than females. Common Signs of Autism and Aspergers There are several sign of autism aspergers that one may likely get confused with autism. Autism is characterized by three distinctive behaviors. The autistic child has difficulty with social interaction, has ...

While in college, I was struck by a comment made by a young professor. She told our graduate group that she could find a learning disability in every one of us. This comment stayed with me when I began teaching and participated in autism testing, helping to assess autism symptoms in children. Working with children who were both identified and unidentified, I was able to recognize the complexities of invisible needs. As a Resource Specialist, I had the luxury of being able to keep my door open to any person who required help. Almost daily I sat with parents whose children were unidentified yet were struggling at school. I worked with a wide range of disability categories including mild autism in children, severe autism, and Pervasive Developmental Delay, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS symptoms), and helped to facilitate autism learning. Autism Syndrome is varied and complex. Educational placements and schedules are as varied as the needs of our students. When de...