Small children have soft bodies. In such a situation, it is the duty of every parent to keep them safe, but some babies may have a congenital problem, which needs proper treatment. One such problem is autism. Autism is a disorder involving the brain. If your child has any such problem, then this article can prove to be useful for them. Along with this, we are telling some such things for pregnant women, with the help of which they can keep their baby safe from autism.
Autism spectrum disorder is a type of brain disorder that can start at an early age. It can affect the social behaviour of children. Children with this problem have problems communicating with others or explaining their point of view. Due to this disorder, their behaviour and interests can also change
Types of Autism
There are mainly 3 types of autism –
- Autistic disorder- This type of autism is also known as classic autism. Children with this disorder may have stuttering, problems with social communication and behavior. Many children with autistic disorders do not have the right state of mind.
- Asperger’s syndrome – children with Asperger’s syndrome may show some of the symptoms of autistic disorder. They do not have any particular problem with speech or mental. Just they may have some problem in behaving normally in the society.
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder- This is also a type of autism, also known as atypical autism. Children with this problem show fewer symptoms than those with autistic disorder. Such children may have only social and communication problems.
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Major symptoms of autism
Some of these symptoms may be seen in children affected by autism.
- Stuttering (stuttering).
- Using only certain gestures (hand gestures, clapping, hand gestures) for a few years after birth.
- Don’t react to calling their name.
- Refrain from making eye contact.
- Showing no interest in being with other children.
- Movement of your hand, finger, and body in an unusual way.
- Attachment to things that are not used.
- Don’t imitate others like normal kids.
- Repeating things over and over.
- Do not look at something even after repeatedly pointing at it.
Causes of Autism
Although there is no complete scientific evidence yet about the exact causes of autism, it is believed that the following causes can lead to autism
Genetic: Autism can be genetic in many children. If this problem has happened to any member of the family, then there may be a possibility of it happening to someone else in the coming generation. Genetic factors can also lead to chromosomal abnormalities and nervous system (neurological) problems.
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Environmental factors: Many people believe that the environment can also cause autism spectrum disorder. These can include viral infections, pregnancy complications, and air pollution.
Sporadic: If the child does not suffer from autism before, it is called sporadic autism.
Keep reading this article to learn how to diagnose autism.
Diagnosis of Autism
Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not easy, as no blood tests or other medical tests are done for this problem. To diagnose autism, doctors look at a child’s behaviour and development. In some cases, its symptoms start appearing in an 18-month-old child.
There are two main ways to test for autism:
Developmental Screening – This is a kind of test for children. From this, it is found out whether the child is developing mentally or not. During this test, the doctor may ask the child’s parents some questions or play with them for some time. This can make it easier for the doctor to understand the condition of the children. Therefore, a medical checkup of the baby must be done between the 9th month, 18th month, and 24 to 30th month.
If the doctor sees some signs of autism during the developmental screening, then they do the investigation for the next step.
Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation – This is the second step in the diagnosis of autism. Autism can be assessed in this. In this stage, the child’s behaviour, development as well as interaction with the parents are discussed. In this test, hearing, vision, genetic, neurological and other medical tests of the child can be done.
Treatment for Autism
Early treatment of children with autism can prove beneficial. This treatment is according to the stage of the child, such as – Behavior Therapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and medicine can also be given if needed. This can lead to the following types of improvement in children.
Be able to speak and explain your point of view.
- It helps to play with other children and learn something from them.
- The habit of saying or doing one thing over and over again begins to improve.
- learning ability begins to improve
- Start learning to take care of yourself.
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Complications of autism
Autism can cause many other problems, which are as follows
- Autism can lead to obesity and metabolic disorders
- Children suffering from this problem may have emotional problems. Due to this, they may feel bad about the family or anyone else.
- Children with autism may have to face problems like stress and anxiety
- Many times autism patients may also be at risk of seizures.
- In this important part of the article, we are telling some special things to protect the child from autism.
Can Autism Be Prevented
Keeping some things in mind, then problems like autism in children can be prevented from flourishing. You just need to pay attention to these things.
- Do not take any kind of extra chemical-rich medicine during pregnancy. Sometimes the side effects of the medicine can be on the unborn baby.
- Stay away from alcohol and other intoxicants during pregnancy.
- Get your baby vaccinated regularly during pregnancy and after delivery.
- Regular health check-up of the baby was done.
- Neural tube defects in the fetus can be detected by performing nuchal translucency (NT) and triple marker scans during pregnancy. This allows proper treatment to prevent the problem before it develops.
Things to keep in mind for parents of children with autism
If someone’s child has a problem with autism, then they must keep some things in mind, which are as follows:
- Allow the child to spend more time with other children or friends in the family.
- Recognize the strengths of the child and take care of his needs. Also, promote their talent.
- Keep writing important information related to the child in the notebook.
- Teach him to shake hands with other children and to do a task with a group.
- Ask him to make decisions for himself.
- Teach him that if he does not understand the work, then he must ask others about it.
- Talk to the child on various issues at regular intervals. Don’t focus too much on other historical matters.
- Try to be as friendly with him as possible.
Of course, autism is a serious problem, but it is extremely easy to avoid. At the same time, if a child is suffering from autism, then he can be helped to a great extent in recovering from this problem.
