Causes of childhood autism. Signs of autism in children

Autism is a diagnosis that terrifies every parent after talking with a child psychiatrist. The problem of autistic disorders has been studied for a very long time, while remaining one of the most mysterious pathologies of the psyche. Autism is especially pronounced at an early age (early childhood autism - RDA), isolating the child from society and his own family.

What is autism?

Autism is a general developmental disorder with a maximum deficit in the sphere of communication and emotions. In the very name of the disease lies its essence: within oneself. A person with autism never directs his energy, speech, gestures outward. Everything he does has no social meaning. Most often, the diagnosis is made before 3-5 years, receiving the name RDA. Only mild cases of autism are first detected in adolescents and adults.

Causes of Autism

In most cases, children with early childhood autism are physically healthy, they have no visible external defects. Pregnancy in mothers proceeds without features. The structure of the brain of sick babies practically does not differ from the average statistical norm. Many even note the special attractiveness of the face of an autistic child. But in some cases, the connection of the disease with other signs is still present:

• maternal rubella infection during pregnancy
• tuberous sclerosis
• fat metabolism disorders - obese women have a higher risk of having a child with autism
• chromosomal abnormalities

All these conditions adversely affect the brain and can lead to autistic manifestations. There is evidence that genetic predisposition plays a role: the risk of developing the disease in the presence of autism in the family is slightly higher. But the true causes of autism are still not clear.

How does an autistic child perceive the world?

It is believed that an autistic person cannot combine details into a single image. That is, he sees a person as unconnected ears, nose, hands and other parts of the body. A sick child practically does not distinguish inanimate objects from animated ones. In addition, all external influences (sounds, colors, light, touch) cause discomfort. The kid is trying to get away from the world around him.

Autism Symptoms

There are 4 main signs of autism in children, which manifest themselves in varying degrees.

• Violation of social behavior
• Communication breakdown
• stereotypical behavior
• Early signs of autism (before 3-5 years)

Social Interaction Disorders

No or severely impaired eye-to-eye contact

An autistic child does not perceive the image of the interlocutor as a whole, therefore he often looks “through” the person.

Poor facial expressions, often not adequate to the situation

Sick children rarely smile when trying to cheer them up. But often they can laugh for their own reasons, no one around them understands. The face of an autistic person is usually mask-like, with occasional grimaces.

Gestures are used only to indicate needs

Inability to understand the emotions of others

The brain of a healthy person is arranged in such a way that when looking at the interlocutor, one can easily determine his mood (joy, sadness, fear, surprise, anger). An autist does not have such abilities.

Lack of interest in peers

Children with autism do not take part in peer games. They sit side by side and immerse themselves in their own world. Even in a crowd of kids, you can quickly find an autistic child - he is surrounded by an "aura" of extreme loneliness. If an autist pays attention to children, he perceives them as inanimate objects.

Difficulties in imaginative play and knowledge of social roles

A healthy baby quickly learns to roll a car, cradle a doll, treat a plush hare. The autistic child does not understand social roles in play. Moreover, the autistic person does not perceive the toy as an object as a whole. He can find a wheel by the car and spin it for several hours in a row.

No response to communication and expression of emotions by parents

It used to be thought that autistic people were generally incapable of emotional connection with their families. But it is now known that the departure of the mother causes anxiety in sick children. In the presence of family members, the child is more contact, less obsessed with his studies. The difference is only in the reaction to the absence of parents. A healthy baby gets upset, cries, calls his mother if he has left his field of vision for a long time. The autist becomes anxious, but takes no action to get his parents back. And there is no way to accurately determine the feelings that arise in him during separation.

Communication breakdown

Severe speech delay or lack thereof (mutism)

Children with severe autism do not acquire language. They use several words for needs, using them in one form (drink, eat, sleep). If speech does appear, then it is incoherent, not aimed at understanding by other people. Children can repeat the same phrase for hours, often devoid of semantic load. Autistic people talk about themselves in the second and third person (Kolya is thirsty.)

Abnormal speech patterns (repetitions, echolalia)

When answering a question, a sick child repeats the whole phrase or part of it.

Adult asks: Are you thirsty?
Child replies: Are you thirsty?

• Too loud or soft speech, wrong intonation
• No reaction to own name
• The “Age of Questions” Is Not Coming or Lagging

Autistic children, unlike ordinary children, do not pester their parents with hundreds of questions about the world around them. If this period does come, then the questions are very monotonous and have no practical significance.

stereotypical behavior

Obsession with a particular activity with the inability to switch

A child can spend hours building towers or sorting cubes by color. Pulling him out of this state can be very difficult.

Performing daily rituals

Autistic people feel comfortable only in the environment they are used to. If you change the daily routine, the route of the walk or the arrangement of things in the room, you can achieve withdrawal into yourself or an aggressive reaction of a sick baby.

Multiple repetitions of movements devoid of semantic load

Autistic children are characterized by episodes of self-stimulation. These are stereotypical repetitive movements that the baby uses in a frightening or unfamiliar environment.

• clapping
• snapping fingers
• head shaking
• other monotonous movements

Characteristic obsessions, fears. In frightening situations, attacks of aggression and self-aggression are possible.

Early manifestations of autism in children

Most often, the disease makes itself felt quite early. Already by the age of one, you can notice the lack of a smile, a reaction to the name and unusual behavior of the baby. It is believed that already in the first three months of life, children with autism are less mobile, have poor facial expressions and inadequate reactions to external stimuli.

Reminder for parents

If you see a strong tantrum in someone else's child, it may be a child with autism or another mental disorder, so you should behave as tactfully as possible.

IQ in autism

Most children with autism have mild to moderate mental retardation. This is due to brain defects and learning difficulties. If the disease is combined with epilepsy and chromosomal abnormalities, then the level of intelligence corresponds to profound mental retardation. With mild forms of the disease and the dynamic development of speech, intelligence can be normal or even above average.

The main feature of autism is selective intelligence. That is, children can be strong in mathematics, music, drawing, but at the same time lag far behind their peers in other parameters. The phenomenon of an autistic person being extremely gifted in any area is called savantism. Savants can play a tune after hearing it just once. Or draw a picture seen once, accurate to halftones. Or keep columns of numbers in your head, performing the most complex computational operations without additional funds.

Asperger's Syndrome

There is a special kind of autistic disorder called Asperger's Syndrome. It is thought to be a mild form of classic autism that appears later in life.

• Asperger's syndrome appears after 7-10 years
• IQ is normal or above average
• speech skills within the normal range
• may have problems with intonation and volume of speech
• obsession with one lesson or study of one phenomenon (a person with Asperger's syndrome can spend hours telling interlocutors a story that is of no interest to anyone, not paying attention to their reaction)
• impaired coordination of movements: awkward walking, strange postures
• self-centeredness, inability to negotiate and seek compromises

Most of those suffering from Asperger's syndrome successfully study at schools, institutes, find jobs, create families with the right upbringing and support.

Rett syndrome

A severe disease of the nervous system associated with a violation in the X chromosome occurs only in girls. With similar violations, male fetuses are not viable and die in utero. The frequency of the disease is approximately 1:10,000 girls. In addition to deep autism, which completely isolates the child from the outside world, this syndrome is characterized by the following features:

• relatively normal development in the first 6-18 months of life
• head growth retardation after 6-18 months
• loss of skills and purposeful hand movements
• stereotyped hand movements like washing or shaking hands
• poor coordination and low motor activity
• loss of speech skills

In contrast to classical autism, Rett syndrome is often characterized by underdevelopment of the brain and epileptic activity, the prognosis for this disease is unfavorable. Correction of autism and movement disorders is difficult.

Autism Diagnosis

The first symptoms of autism seen by parents. It is the relatives who are the first to pay attention to the strange behavior of the child. This happens especially early if the family already has small children and there is someone to compare with. The sooner parents begin to sound the alarm and resort to the help of specialists, the more chances an autist has to socialize and lead a normal life.

Testing with special questionnaires. In childhood autism, diagnosis is carried out by interviewing parents and studying the behavior of the child in his usual environment.

• Autism Diagnostic Inventory (ADI-R)
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS)
• Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)
• Autism Behavioral Questionnaire (ABC)
• Autism Evaluation Checklist (ATEC)
• Autism in Young Children Questionnaire (CHAT)

Instrumental Methods:

• Ultrasound of the brain (to exclude brain damage that causes characteristic symptoms)
• EEG - to detect epileptic seizures (autism is sometimes accompanied by epilepsy)
• Hearing test by an audiologist - to rule out speech delay due to

Parents and others may not correctly perceive the behavior of a child with autism (see the table-memo explaining the child's behavior).

Autism treatment

The answer to the main question: is autism treated? -Not. There is no cure for this disease. There is no such pill, after drinking which an autistic child will get out of his "shell" and socialize. The only way to adjust an autistic person to life in society is through persistent daily activities and the creation of a supportive environment. This is a great work of parents and teachers, which almost always bears fruit.

Principles for raising an autistic child:

• Understand that autism is a way of being. A child with this condition sees, hears, thinks and feels differently from most people.
• Create a favorable environment for the life, development and education of the child. A frightening environment and an unstable daily routine inhibit the skills of an autistic person and force them to go deeper into themselves.
• Connect a psychologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist and other specialists, if necessary, to work with the child.

Stages of treatment for autism

• Developing the skills necessary for learning - if the child does not establish contact - it is necessary to establish it. If there is no speech, it is necessary to develop at least its rudiments.
• Elimination of non-constructive forms of behavior:
  aggression and self-aggression
  self-care and obsession
  fears and obsessions
• Learning to imitate and observe
• Teaching social roles and games (feed the doll, roll the car, play doctor)
• Emotional contact training

Behavioral Therapy for Autism

The most common therapy for childhood autism syndrome is based on the principles of behaviorism (behavioral psychology). One of the subtypes of such treatment is ABA therapy.

It is based on the observation of the behavior and reactions of the child. After studying all the features of a particular baby, incentives are selected. For some, this is a favorite food, for someone - music, sounds or the touch of fabric. Then all the desired responses are reinforced by such encouragement. Simply put: did the right thing - got a candy. Thus, contact with the child appears, the necessary skills are fixed and destructive behavior in the form of tantrums and self-aggression disappears.

speech therapy classes

Almost all autistic people have some form of speech problem that prevents them from communicating with those around them. Regular classes with speech therapists allow you to adjust intonation, correct pronunciation and prepare your child for school.

Develop social and self-care skills

The main problem of autistic children is the lack of motivation for everyday activities and games. It is difficult to captivate them, it is difficult to accustom them to the daily routine, maintaining hygiene. To consolidate useful skills, special cards are used. The sequence of actions is written or drawn on them in detail. For example, getting out of bed, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, and so on.

Medical therapy

Treatment of autism with drugs is used only in crisis situations, when destructive behavior prevents the baby from developing. But we must not forget that tantrums, crying, stereotyped actions are still a way to communicate with the world. It is much worse if a calm kid with autism sits in a room all day long and tears paper without making contact. Therefore, the use of all sedatives and psychotropic drugs should be strictly according to indications.

There is an opinion that it contributes to the rapid recovery of an autist (see). But so far there is no reliable scientific data on such miraculous healings.

Unfortunately, quack methods of stem cell treatment, micropolarization and the use of nootropics (etc.) remain popular. These methods are not only useless, but can also be hazardous to health. And given the special vulnerability of autistic children, the harm of such a “treatment” can be enormous.

Conditions that mimic autism

ADHD

Often mistaken for autistic manifestations attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is believed that every third child has certain signs of this syndrome. The main symptoms of attention deficit: restlessness, difficulty in learning the school curriculum. Children cannot concentrate on one lesson for a long time, they behave too mobilely. There are also echoes of ADHD in adults who find it difficult to make mature decisions, remember dates and events. Such a syndrome should be identified as early as possible and treatment should begin: psychostimulants and sedatives, in conjunction with classes with a psychologist, will help to correct behavior.

Hearing loss - hearing impairment of varying degrees

Hearing-impaired children have a speech delay of varying degrees: from mutism to the incorrect pronunciation of certain sounds. They respond poorly to the name, do not comply with requests and seem naughty. All this is very similar to autistic traits, so parents in the first place rush to a psychiatrist. A competent specialist will refer the child to an examination of auditory function. After correction with hearing aids, the development of the child returns to normal.

Schizophrenia

For a long time, autism was considered one of the manifestations of childhood schizophrenia. Currently, it is known that these are two completely different diseases, not related to each other.

Schizophrenia, unlike autism, begins later in life. Before 5-7 years, it practically does not occur. Symptoms develop gradually. Parents note oddities in the child's behavior: fears, obsessions, withdrawal into oneself, talking to oneself. Later, delusions and hallucinations join. During the course of the disease, small remissions are observed with subsequent deterioration. The treatment of schizophrenia is medication, it is prescribed by a psychiatrist.

Autism in a child is not a sentence. Nobody knows why this disease occurs. Few people can explain what an autistic child feels when in contact with the outside world. But one thing is certain: with proper care, early autism correction, activities and support from parents and teachers, children can lead a normal life, study, work and be happy.

Thanks

The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Expert advice is required!

What is autism?

autism statistics

Today in the United States of America, this pathology is diagnosed in every 88 children. If we compare the situation in America with the one that was in 2000, then the number of autistic people has increased by 78 percent.

There are no reliable data on the prevalence of this disease in the Russian Federation. According to existing information in Russia, one child out of 200,000 children suffers from autism, and it is obvious that this statistic is far from reality. The lack of objective information about patients with this disorder suggests that there is a large percentage of children in whom it is not diagnosed.

Representatives of the World Health Organization declare that autism is a disease, the prevalence of which does not depend on gender, race, social status and material well-being. Despite this, according to existing data in the Russian Federation, about 80 percent of autistic people live in families with a low level of income. This is explained by the fact that the treatment and support of a child with autism requires large financial costs. Also, raising such a family member requires a lot of free time, so most often one of the parents is forced to give up work, which negatively affects the level of income.

Many patients with autistic disorder are brought up in broken families. Large expenditures of money and physical effort, emotional distress and anxiety - all these factors cause a large number of divorces in families where a child with autism is brought up.

Reasons for the development of autism

Theories for the development of autism are:

• biological;
• genetic;
• post-vaccination;
• theory of metabolism;
• opioid;
• neurochemical.

Biological theory of autism

Functional features of the brain
Brain dysfunction is confirmed by an electroencephalogram (a test that records the electrical activity of the brain).

Features of the electrical activity of the brain in autistic children are:

• a decrease in the convulsive threshold, and sometimes foci of epileptiform activity in the associative regions of the brain;
• intensification of slow-wave forms of activity (mainly theta rhythm), which is a characteristic of the depletion of the cortical system;
• increase in the functional activity of the underlying structures;
• delayed maturation of the EEG pattern;
• weak expression of the alpha rhythm;
• the presence of residual organic centers, most often in the right hemisphere.

Morphofunctional changes in the brain in autism are:

• decreased metabolism in the temporal and parietal lobes of the brain;
• increased metabolism in the left frontal lobe and left hippocampus (brain structures).

Genetic theory of autism

Close relatives of a child with autism were also subjected to the study. So, the concordance in the brothers and sisters of the patient is from 2 to 3 percent. This means that the sibling of an autistic child is 50 times more likely to develop the disease than other children. All of these studies are supported by another study by Lakson in 1986. It included 122 children with autism spectrum disorder who were subjected to genetic analysis. It turned out that 19 percent of the children examined were carriers of the fragile X chromosome. Fragile (or fragile) X syndrome is a genetic anomaly in which one end of the chromosome is narrowed. This is due to the expansion of some single nucleotides, which, in turn, leads to a deficiency of the FMR1 protein. Since this protein is necessary for the full development of the nervous system, its deficiency is accompanied by various pathologies of mental development.

The hypothesis that the development of autism is due to a genetic anomaly was also confirmed by a multicenter international study in 2012. It included 400 children with autism spectrum disorder who underwent DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) genotyping. The study revealed a high frequency of mutations and a high degree of gene polymorphism in children. Thus, numerous chromosomal aberrations were found - deletions, duplications and translocations.

Post-vaccination theory of autism

At the same time, despite the fact that all previous studies deny the relationship between vaccines and autism, parents of sick children note that the first signs of the disease are observed after vaccination. Perhaps the reason for this is the age of the child when the vaccination is given. The MMR vaccine is administered at one year, which coincides with the appearance of the first signs of autism. This suggests that vaccination in this case acts as a stress factor that triggers pathological development.

Theory of metabolism

The Opioid Theory of Autism

Neurochemical theory of autism

Autism Research

Not only does the vaccine relieve symptoms (which affect more than 90 percent of children with autism), the researchers say it can also control the progression of the disease. The vaccine has been tested in the laboratory, and according to Canadian scientists, it stimulates the production of specific antibodies. The same scientists published a report on the impact of various toxins on the intestinal mucosa. Canadian scientists have concluded that the high prevalence of autism in recent decades is due to the effect of bacterial toxins on the gastrointestinal tract. Also, the toxins and metabolites of these bacteria can determine the severity of autism symptoms and control its development.

Another interesting study was carried out jointly by American and Swiss scientists. This study concerns the likelihood of developing autism in both sexes. According to statistics, the number of boys with autism is 4 times higher than the number of girls suffering from this disease. This fact was the basis of the theory of gender injustice in relation to autism. The researchers concluded that the female body has a more reliable defense system against light mutations. Therefore, men are 50 percent more likely to develop intellectual and mental disabilities than women.

Development of autism

Options for the development of autism are:

• Malignant development of autism- characterized by the fact that symptoms appear in early childhood. The clinical picture is characterized by rapid and early disintegration of mental functions. The degree of social disintegration increases with age, and some autism spectrum disorders can turn into schizophrenia.
• The undulating course of autism- characterized by periodic exacerbations, which are often seasonal. The severity of these exacerbations can be different each time.
• Regressive course of autism characterized by a gradual improvement in symptoms. Despite the rapid onset of the disease, the symptoms of autism gradually regress. However, signs of mental dysontogenesis persist.

Factors affecting the course of autism are:

• the development of speech up to 6 years is a sign of a favorable course of autism;
• visiting special educational institutions is a favorable factor and plays an important role in the adaptation of the child;
• mastering a “craft” allows you to realize yourself professionally in the future - according to research, every fifth child with autism is able to master a profession, but does not do it;
• visiting speech therapy classes or kindergartens with a speech therapy profile has a positive effect on the further development of the child, because according to statistics, half of adults with autism do not speak.

Autism Symptoms

The symptoms of autism are:

• speech pathology;
• features of the development of intelligence;

• pathology of behavior;
• hyperactive syndrome;
• emotional disorders.

Speech in autism

Very often the child stops talking after speech has been formed. Although a child's vocabulary may increase with age, speech is rarely used for communication. Children can conduct dialogues, monologues, declare poems, but do not use words for communication.

Characteristics of speech in autistic children are:

• echolalia - repetitions;
• whispering or, conversely, loud speech;
• metaphorical language;
• play on words;
• neologisms;
• unusual intonation;
• permutation of pronouns;
• violation of mimic expression;
• lack of response to the speech of others.

The core disorder in autism is the problem of understanding addressed speech. Even with preserved intelligence, children hardly react to the speech addressed to them.
In addition to problems with understanding speech and the difficulty in using it, autistic children often have speech defects. It can be dysarthria, dyslalia and other speech development disorders. Children often draw out words, put stress on the last syllables, while maintaining a babbling intonation. Therefore, speech therapy classes are a very important point in the rehabilitation of such children.

Intelligence in autism

The ability to abstract is also limited. The decline in school performance is largely due to behavioral anomalies. Children have difficulty concentrating and often exhibit hyperactive behavior. It is especially difficult where spatial concepts and flexibility of thinking are necessary. At the same time, 3-5 percent of children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate one or two "special skills". It can be exceptional mathematical abilities, recreating complex geometric shapes, virtuoso playing a musical instrument. Also, children may have an exceptional memory for numbers, dates, names. Such children are also called "autistic geniuses." Despite the presence of one or two of these abilities, all other signs of autism persist. First of all, dominated by social isolation, disruption of communication, difficulties in adaptation. An example of such a case is the film "Rain Man", which tells about an already adult autistic genius.

The degree of intellectual delay depends on the type of autism. So, with Asperger's syndrome, intelligence is preserved, which is a favorable factor for social integration. Children in this case are able to finish school and get an education.
However, in more than half of cases, autism is accompanied by a decrease in intelligence. The level of reduction can be different - from a deep to a slight delay. More often (60 percent) there are moderate forms of lag, in 20 percent - mild, in 17 percent - intelligence is normal, and in 3 percent of cases - intelligence is above average.

Behavior in autism

Characteristics of the behavior of children with autism are:

• autoaggression and heteroaggression;
• commitment to constancy;
• stereotypes - motor, sensory, vocal;
• rituals.

The greatest difficulty in raising an autistic child is going to a public place. Even if the child does not show any signs of autistic behavior at home, then “coming out to people” is a stress factor that provokes inappropriate behavior. At the same time, children can perform inappropriate actions - throw themselves on the floor, beat and bite themselves, squeal. It is extremely rare (almost exceptional cases) for autistic children to respond calmly to change. Therefore, before going to a new place, parents are advised to familiarize their child with the upcoming route. Any change of scenery should be carried out in stages. This primarily concerns integration into a kindergarten or school. First, the child must familiarize himself with the route, then with the place where he will spend time. Adaptation in the kindergarten is carried out starting from two hours a day, gradually increasing the hours.

Rituals in the behavior of autistic children
This commitment to constancy applies not only to the environment, but also to other aspects - food, clothing, play. Changing meals can be stressful. So, if a child is used to eating porridge for breakfast, then an omelet served suddenly can provoke an attack of aggression. Eating, putting on things, playing and any other activity is often accompanied by peculiar rituals. The ritual may consist in a certain order of serving dishes, washing hands, getting up from the table. Rituals can be completely incomprehensible and inexplicable. For example, touch the stove before sitting at the table, jump before going to bed, go to the porch of the store while walking, and so on.

Stereotypes in the behavior of autistic children
The behavior of autistic children, regardless of the form of the disease, is stereotyped. There are motor stereotypes in the form of swaying, circling around its axis, jumping, nodding, finger movements. Most autistic people are characterized by athetosis-like movements of the fingers in the form of fingering, flexion and extension, folding. No less characteristic are such movements as shaking, bouncing starting from the fingertips, walking on tiptoe. Most motor stereotypes resolve with age and are rarely seen in adolescents. Voice stereotypes are manifested in the repetition of words in response to a question (echolalia), in the declaration of poems. There is a stereotypical account.

Hyperactivity syndrome in autism

Emotional disorders in autism

The lack of an emotional response is largely due to the social isolation of the child. Since it is impossible to experience emotional experience in life, it is impossible for a child to further comprehend these emotions.
Disorders of the emotional sphere are also expressed in the lack of perception of the surrounding world. So, it is difficult for a child to imagine his room, even knowing by heart all the objects that are in it. Having no idea about his own room, the child also cannot imagine the inner world of another person.

Features of the development of children with autism

Also, the assimilation of gestures is delayed - there is practically no pointing gesture, difficulties in greeting-farewell, affirmation-denial. The facial expressions of children with autism are distinguished by inactivity and poverty. Often there are serious faces, with traced features (“the face of a prince” according to Kanner).

Disability in autism

Benefits for children with autism with a disability include:

• free visits to specialized educational institutions;
• registration in a speech therapy garden or in a speech therapy group;
• tax deductions for medical treatment;
• benefits for sanatorium treatment;
• the opportunity to study according to an individual program;
• assistance in psychological, social and professional rehabilitation.

Types of autism

• early childhood autism;
• atypical autism;
• Rett syndrome;
• Asperger's Syndrome.

early childhood autism

Signs of early childhood autism can begin to appear from the first days of a baby's life. In such children, mothers note a violation of the reaction to auditory stimuli and inhibition of the reaction to various visual contacts. In the first years of life, children have difficulty understanding speech. They also have a delay in the development of speech. By the age of five, a child with early childhood autism has difficulty with social relationships and persistent behavioral problems.

The main manifestations of early childhood autism are:

• autism itself;
• the presence of fears and phobias;
• lack of a stable sense of self-preservation;
• stereotypes;
• special speech;
• impaired cognitive and intellectual abilities;
• special game;
• features of motor functions.

The appearance of a new person can cause pronounced negative emotions - anxiety, fear, aggression. Communication with other children is very difficult and is accompanied by negative impulsive actions (resistance, flight). But sometimes the child just completely ignores anyone who is near him. Reaction and response to verbal appeal is also absent or severely inhibited. The child may not even respond to his own name.

Presence of fears and phobias
In more than 80 percent of cases, early childhood autism is accompanied by the presence of various fears and phobias.

The main types of fears and phobias in early childhood autism

stereotypes
In early childhood autism, more than 65 percent of patients develop various stereotypes - frequent repetitions of certain movements and manipulations.

Stereotypes of early childhood autism

Impaired cognitive and intellectual abilities
In early childhood autism, cognitive and intellectual abilities lag behind or accelerate in development. Approximately 15 percent of patients develop these abilities within the normal range.

Violation of cognitive and intellectual abilities

Special game
Some children with early autism completely ignore toys, and there is no play at all. For others, the game is limited to simple manipulations of the same type with the same toy. Often foreign objects that are not related to toys are involved in the game. At the same time, the functional properties of these objects are not used in any way. Games usually take place in a secluded place in solitude.

Features of motor functions
More than half of patients with early childhood autism have hyperexcitability (increased motor activity). Various external stimuli can provoke pronounced motor activity - the child begins to stomp his feet, wave his arms, fight back. Awakening is often accompanied by crying, screaming, or erratic movements. In 40 percent of sick children, opposite manifestations are observed. Reduced muscle tone is accompanied by low mobility. Babies suck sluggishly. Children react weakly to physical discomfort (cold, moisture, hunger). External stimuli are not able to cause adequate reactions.

atypical autism

Typical groups of symptoms of atypical autism are:

• speech disorders;
• signs of emotional insufficiency;
• signs of social maladaptation and failure;
• thought disorder;
• irritability.

Signs of emotional insufficiency
Another important sign of atypical autism is the inability to express one's emotions. Even when the patient has inner experiences, he is not able to explain and express what he feels. It may seem to others that he is simply indifferent and unemotional.

Signs of social maladaptation and insolvency
In each individual case, the signs of social maladaptation and insolvency have a different degree of severity and their own special character.

The main signs of social maladaptation and insolvency include:

• a tendency to loneliness;
• avoiding any contact;
• lack of communication;
• Difficulties in establishing contact with strangers;
• inability to make friends;
• Difficulty making eye contact with an opponent.

Irritability
In atypical autism, the nervous system is more sensitive to various external stimuli. From bright light or loud music, the patient becomes nervous, irritable and even aggressive.

Rett syndrome

The first signs of the disease begin to appear 6 to 18 months after the birth of the child. Until this time, the growth and development of the baby does not differ from the norm. Psychoneurological disorders develop through four stages of the disease.

Rett syndrome stages

Asperger's Syndrome

The main characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome are:

• violations of a social nature;
• features of intellectual development;
• violations of sensory (sensitivity) and motor skills.

When interacting with peers, children with Asperger's tend to impose their own rules, not accepting other people's ideas and not willing to compromise. In response to this, those around them no longer want to come into contact with such children, exacerbating their social isolation. This leads to depression, suicidal tendencies and various types of addiction during adolescence.

Features of intellectual development
Asperger's Syndrome is characterized by relatively intact intelligence. It is not characterized by gross developmental delays. Children with Asperger's Syndrome are able to graduate from educational institutions.

The features of the intellectual development of children with Asperger's syndrome include:

• normal or above average intelligence;
• excellent memory;
• lack of abstract thinking;
• precocious speech.

Another feature of intellectual development in Asperger's syndrome is rapid speech development. By the age of 5 - 6, the child's speech is already well developed and delivered correctly grammatically. The pace of speech is slow or fast. The child speaks in a monotone and with an unnatural timbre of voice, using a lot of speech patterns in a bookish style. The story about the subject of interest can be long and very detailed, regardless of the reaction of the interlocutor. But children with Asperger's syndrome cannot support a conversation on any topic outside their area of ​​​​interest.

Motor and sensory disorders
Sensory impairment in Asperger's syndrome includes increased sensitivity to sounds, visual stimuli, and tactile stimuli. Children avoid other people's touches, loud street sounds, bright lights. They have obsessive fears of the elements (snow, wind, rain).

The main motor disorders in children with Asperger's syndrome include:

• lack of coordination;
• clumsy gait;
• difficulty in tying shoelaces and fastening buttons;
• sloppy handwriting;
• movement stereotypes.

autism syndrome

Autism in schizophrenia

Autism in schizophrenia is primarily manifested in the behavioral characteristics of the patient. This is expressed in the difficulties of adaptation, in isolation, in staying "in one's own world". In children, autism can manifest itself as a syndrome of "oversociality". Parents note that the child has always been quiet, obedient, never disturbed the parents. Often such children are considered "exemplary". At the same time, they practically do not react to comments. Their exemplary behavior is not amenable to change, children do not show flexibility. They are closed and completely absorbed in the experiences of their own world. They rarely manage to be interested in something, to involve them in some kind of game. According to Kretschmer, such exemplarity is an autistic barrier from the outside world.

Differences between autism and schizophrenia

A key criterion in schizophrenia is impaired thinking and perception. The former appear as discontinuity and inconsistency, the latter as hallucinations and delusions.

Basic symptoms in schizophrenia and autism

Autism in adults

Personal life
Relationships with the opposite sex is an area that causes great difficulties for autistic people. Romantic courtship is unusual for autistic people, as they do not see the point in them. Kissing is perceived by them as useless movements, and hugs as an attempt to limit movement. At the same time, they may experience sexual desire, but most often they are left alone with their feelings, since they are not mutual.
In the absence of friends, a lot of information about romantic relationships is taken from films by autistic adults. Men, after watching pornographic films, try to put into practice such knowledge, which scares and repels their partners. Women with autistic disorders are more informed through serials and, due to their naivety, often become victims of sexual violence.

According to statistics, people with autism spectrum disorders are much less likely than others to create full-fledged families. It should be noted that in recent years, the ability of an autistic adult to arrange his personal life has increased significantly. With the development of the Internet, various specialized forums began to appear, where a person diagnosed with autism can find a mate with a similar disorder. Information technology, which makes it possible to establish contact by correspondence, contributes to the fact that many autistic people get to know and develop friendships or personal relationships with their own kind.

Professional activity
The development of computer technology has significantly increased the opportunities for professional self-realization of autistic people. One solution that is gaining popularity is remote work. In many patients with this disease, the level of intelligence allows them to cope with tasks of a high degree of complexity. The absence of the need to leave the comfort zone and interact live with work colleagues allows adult autists not only to work, but also to develop professionally.

If skills or circumstances do not allow remote work via the Internet, then standard forms of activity (work in an office, shop, factory) cause great difficulties for an autistic person. Most often, their professional success is much lower than their real abilities. Such people achieve the greatest success in those areas where increased attention to detail is needed.

Living conditions
Depending on the form of the disease, some adults with autism may lead an independent life in their own apartment or house. If in childhood the patient underwent appropriate corrective therapy, then as an adult he can cope with everyday tasks without outside help. But most often, autistic adults need support, which they receive from their relatives, close people, medical or social workers. Depending on the form of the disease, an autistic person may receive financial assistance, information about which should be obtained from the appropriate authority.

In many economically developed countries, there are houses for autistic people, where special conditions have been created for their comfortable living. In most cases, such houses are not only housing, but also a place of work. For example, in Luxembourg, residents of such houses make postcards and souvenirs, grow vegetables.

Social communities
Many autistic adults are of the opinion that autism is not a disease but a unique life concept and therefore does not require treatment. To protect their rights and improve the quality of life, autistic people unite in various social groups. In 1996, an online community was formed called IJAS (Independent Living on the Autistic Spectrum). The main goal of the organization was to provide emotional support and practical help to adults with autism. Participants shared stories and life advice, and for many, this information was very valuable. Today there are a large number of similar communities on the Internet.

This is a mental disorder characterized by a lack of social interaction. Autistic children have lifelong developmental disabilities that affect their perception and understanding of the world around them.

At what age can autism appear?

Childhood autism today occurs in 2-4 cases per 100,000 children. In combination with mental retardation ( atypical autism) the figure rises to 20 cases per 100,000. The ratio of boys and girls with this pathology is 4 to 1.

Autism can occur at any age. Depending on age, the clinical picture of the disease also changes. Conditionally distinguish between early childhood autism ( up to 3 years), childhood autism ( from 3 years old to 10 - 11 years old) and adolescent autism ( in children over 11 years of age).

Controversy has not subsided over the standard classifications of autism to this day. According to the international statistical classification of diseases, including mental ones, children's autism, atypical autism, Rett's syndrome and Asperger's syndrome are distinguished. According to the latest version of the American classification of mental illness, only autism spectrum disorders are distinguished. These disorders include both early childhood autism and atypical autism.

As a rule, the diagnosis of childhood autism is made at the age of 2.5 - 3 years. It is during this period that speech disorders, limited social communication and isolation are most clearly manifested. However, the first signs of autistic behavior appear in the first year of life. If the child is the first in the family, then parents, as a rule, later notice his “dissimilarity” to his peers. Most often, this becomes apparent when the child goes to kindergarten, that is, when trying to integrate into society. However, if there is already a child in the family, then, as a rule, the mother notices the first symptoms of an autistic baby in the first months of life. Compared to an older brother or sister, the child behaves differently, which immediately catches the eye of his parents.

Autism may show up later. The debut of autism can be observed after 5 years. The IQ in this case is higher than in children whose autism debuted before the age of 3 years. In these cases, elementary communication skills are preserved, but isolation from the world still dominates. These children have cognitive impairment deterioration of memory, mental activity and so on) are not so pronounced. They often have a high IQ.

Elements of autism may be in the frame of Rett syndrome. It is diagnosed between the ages of one and two. Autism with cognitive function, called Asperger's syndrome ( or mild autism), occurs between 4 and 11 years of age.

It is worth noting that there is a certain period between the first manifestations of autism and the moment of diagnosis. There are certain characteristic features of the child that parents do not attach importance to. However, if the mother's attention is focused on this, then she really recognizes "something like that" with her child.

So, the parents of a child who has always been obedient and did not create problems, recall that in childhood the child practically did not cry, he could spend hours looking at a stain on the wall, and so on. That is, certain character traits in a child exist initially. It cannot be said that the disease appears as a “thunder in the blue”. However, with age, when the need for socialization increases ( kindergarten, school) others join these symptoms. It is in this period that parents first turn to a specialist for advice.

What is special about the behavior of a child with autism?

Despite the fact that the symptoms of this disease are very diverse and depend on age, nevertheless, there are certain behavioral traits that are inherent in all autistic children.

Characteristics of the behavior of a child with autism are:

• violation of social contacts and interactions;
• limited interests and features of the game;
• propensity for repetitive actions stereotypes);
• verbal communication disorders;
• disorders of the intellectual sphere;
• disturbed sense of self-preservation;
• features of gait and movements.

Violation of social contacts and interactions

It is the main characteristic of the behavior of children with autism and occurs in 100 percent. Autistic children live in their own world, and the dominance of this inner life is accompanied by a withdrawal from the outer world. They are uncommunicative and actively avoid their peers.

The first thing that may seem strange to mom is that the child practically does not ask to be held. infants ( children under one year old) are distinguished by inertia, inactivity. They are not as animated as other children, they react to a new toy. They have a weak reaction to light, sound, they can also rarely smile. The revitalization complex inherent in all young children is absent or poorly developed in autistic people. Toddlers do not respond to their name, do not respond to sounds and other stimuli, which often imitates deafness. As a rule, at this age, parents first turn to an audiologist ( hearing specialist).

The child reacts differently to an attempt to make contact. Attacks of aggression may occur, fears may form. One of the most well-known symptoms of autism is lack of eye contact. However, it does not manifest itself in all children, but occurs in more severe forms, so the child ignores this aspect of social life. Sometimes a child can look as if through a person.
It is generally accepted that all autistic children are not able to show emotions. However, it is not. Indeed, many of them have a very poor emotional sphere - they rarely smile, and their facial expressions are the same. But there are also children with very rich, varied, and sometimes not entirely adequate facial expressions.

As the child grows older, he can go deeper into his own world. The first thing that attracts attention is the inability to address family members. The child rarely asks for help, early begins to serve himself on his own. An autistic child practically does not use the words “give”, “take”. He does not make physical contact - when asked to give one or another object, he does not give it to his hands, but throws it away. Thus, he limits his interaction with the people around him. Most children also hate hugs and other physical contact.

The most obvious problems make themselves felt when the child is taken to kindergarten. Here, when trying to attach the baby to other children ( for example, put them at the same common table or involve them in one game) it can give different affective reactions. Ignoring the environment can be passive or active. In the first case, children simply do not show interest in the surrounding children, games. In the second case, they run away, hide or act aggressively towards other children.

Limited interests and features of the game

One fifth of autistic children ignore toys and all play activities. If the child shows interest, then this, as a rule, is in one toy, in one television program. The child does not play at all or plays monotonously.

Babies can fix their eyes on the toy for a long time, but do not reach for it. Older children can spend hours watching a sunbeam on the wall, the movement of cars outside the window, watching the same movie dozens of times. At the same time, the preoccupation of children with this activity can be alarming. They do not lose interest in their occupation, sometimes giving the impression of detachment. When you try to tear them away from the lesson, they express dissatisfaction.

Games that require fantasy and imagination rarely attract such children. If a girl has a doll, she will not change her clothes, seat her at the table and introduce her to others. Her game will be limited to a monotonous action, for example, combing the hair of this doll. She can do this action dozens of times a day. Even if the child does several actions with his toy, it is always in the same sequence. For example, an autistic girl may comb, bathe, and dress her doll, but always in the same order, and nothing else. However, as a rule, children do not play with their toys, but rather sort them. A child can line up and sort his toys according to various criteria - color, shape, size.

Autistic children differ from ordinary children also in the specifics of the game. So, they are not interested in ordinary toys. The attention of an autistic person is more attracted to household items, for example, keys, a piece of material. As a rule, these objects make their favorite sound or have their favorite color. Usually such children are attached to the selected object and do not change it. Any attempt to separate the child from his "toy" ( because sometimes they can be dangerous, for example, when it comes to a fork) is accompanied by protest reactions. They can be expressed in pronounced psychomotor agitation or, conversely, withdrawal into oneself.

The baby's interest may come down to folding and arranging toys in a certain sequence, to counting cars in the parking lot. Sometimes autistic children may even have different hobbies. For example, collecting stamps, robots, statistics. The difference between all these interests is the lack of social content. Children are not interested in the people depicted on the stamps or the countries from which they were sent. They are not interested in the game, but they may be attracted to various statistics.

Children do not let anyone into their hobbies, even autistic people like them. Sometimes the attention of children is attracted not even by games, but by certain actions. For example, they can turn on and off the faucet at regular intervals to watch the water flow, turn on the gas to look at the flames.

Much less often in the games of autistic children, pathological fantasizing with reincarnation in animals, inanimate objects is observed.

Tendency to repetitive actions stereotypes)

Repetitive actions or stereotypes are observed in 80 percent of children with autism. At the same time, stereotypes are observed both in behavior and in speech. Most often, these are motor stereotypes, which come down to monotonous turns of the head, twitching of the shoulders, and bending of the fingers. With Rett syndrome, stereotypical finger-wringing and hand washing are observed.

Common stereotypic behaviors in autism:

• turning on and off the light;
• pouring sand, mosaics, grits;
• rocking the door;
• stereotypical account;
• kneading or tearing paper;
• tension and relaxation of the limbs.

Stereotypes observed in speech are called echolalia. It can be manipulations with sounds, words, phrases. At the same time, children repeat the words they heard from their parents, on TV or from other sources without realizing their meaning. For example, when asked “will you have juice?”, the child repeats “you will have juice, you will have juice, you will have juice”.

Or the child may ask the same question, for example:
Child- "Where we are going?"
Mother- "To the store."
Child- "Where we are going?"
Mother- "To the store for milk."
Child- "Where we are going?"

These repetitions are unconscious and sometimes stop only after interrupting the child with a similar phrase. For example, to the question “Where are we going?”, Mom answers “Where are we going?” and then the child stops.

Often there are stereotypes in food, clothing, walking routes. They take on the character of rituals. For example, a child always follows the same path, prefers the same food and clothes. Autistic children constantly tap out the same rhythm, turn the wheel in their hands, sway to a certain beat in a chair, quickly turn the pages of books.

Stereotypes affect other senses as well. For example, taste stereotypes are characterized by periodic licking of objects; olfactory - constant sniffing of objects.

There are many theories about the possible reasons for this behavior. Proponents of one of them consider stereotypy as a type of self-stimulating behavior. According to this theory, the body of an autistic child is hyposensitive, and therefore it exhibits self-stimulation in order to excite the nervous system.
Proponents of another, opposite concept, believe that the environment is hyperexcitable for the child. In order to calm the body and eliminate the influence of the outside world, the child uses stereotypical behavior.

Verbal Communication Disorders

Speech impairment, to varying degrees, occurs in all forms of autism. Speech may develop with a delay or not develop at all.

Speech disorders are most pronounced in early childhood autism. In this case, even the phenomenon of mutism can be noted ( complete lack of speech). Many parents note that after the child began to speak normally, he fell silent for a certain time ( a year or more). Sometimes, even at the initial stages, the child in his speech development is ahead of his peers. Then, from 15 to 18 months, a regression is observed - the child stops talking to others, but at the same time he fully speaks to himself or in a dream. In Asperger's syndrome, speech and cognitive functions are partially preserved.

In early childhood, cooing, babbling may be absent, which, of course, will immediately alert the mother. There is also a rare use of gestures in babies. As the child develops, expressive speech disorders are often noted. Children use pronouns incorrectly. Most often they refer to themselves in the second or third person. For example, instead of “I want to eat,” the child says “he wants to eat” or “you want to eat.” He also refers to himself in the third person, for example, "Anton needs a pen." Often children can use excerpts from conversations heard from adults or on television. In society, a child may not use speech at all, not answer questions. However, alone with himself, he can comment on his actions, declare poetry.

Sometimes the child's speech becomes pretentious. It is replete with quotations, neologisms, unusual words, commands. Their speech is dominated by auto-dialogue and a tendency to rhyme. Their speech is often monotonous, without intonation, it is dominated by commentary phrases.

Also, the speech of autistic people is often characterized by a peculiar intonation with a predominance of high tones at the end of a sentence. Often there are vocal tics, phonetic disorders.

Delayed speech development is often the reason why the child's parents turn to speech therapists and defectologists. In order to understand the cause of speech disorders, it is necessary to identify whether speech is used in this case for communication. The reason for speech disorders in autism is the unwillingness to interact with the outside world, including through conversation. Anomalies of speech development in this case reflect a violation of the social contact of children.

Intellectual Disorders

In 75 percent of cases, various disorders of the intellect are observed. It may be mental retardation or uneven mental development. Most often, these are various degrees of lag in intellectual development. An autistic child has difficulty concentrating and focusing. He also has a rapid loss of interest, attention disorder. Common associations and generalizations are rarely available. The autistic child generally performs well on tests of manipulation and visual skills. However, tests that require symbolic and abstract thinking, as well as the inclusion of logic, perform poorly.

Sometimes children have an interest in certain disciplines and the formation of certain aspects of the intellect. For example, they have a unique spatial memory, hearing or perception. In 10 percent of cases, the initially accelerated intellectual development is complicated by the disintegration of the intellect. In Asperger's syndrome, intelligence remains within the age norm or even higher.

According to various data, a decrease in intelligence within the limits of mild and moderate mental retardation is observed in more than half of the children. So, half of them have an IQ below 50. A third of children have borderline intelligence ( IQ 70). However, the decrease in intelligence is not total and rarely reaches the degree of deep mental retardation. The lower the IQ of a child, the more difficult his social adaptation. The rest of the children with a high IQ have non-standard thinking, which also very often limits their social behavior.

Despite the decline in intellectual functions, many children themselves learn elementary school skills. Some of them independently learn to read, acquire mathematical skills. Many can retain musical, mechanical and mathematical abilities for a long time.

Irregularity is characteristic of disorders of the intellectual sphere, namely, periodic improvements and deteriorations. So, against the background of situational stress, illnesses, episodes of regression can occur.

A disturbed sense of self-preservation

Violation of the sense of self-preservation, which is manifested by auto-aggression, occurs in one third of autistic children. Aggression - is one of the forms of response to various not entirely favorable life relationships. But since there is no social contact in autism, negative energy is projected onto oneself. Autistic children are characterized by blows to themselves, biting themselves. Very often they lack a "sense of edge". This is observed even in early childhood, when the baby hangs over the side of the stroller, climbs over the arena. Older children may jump onto the roadway or jump from a height. Many of them lack the consolidation of negative experience after falls, burns, cuts. So, an ordinary child, having fallen or cut himself once, will avoid this in the future. An autistic kid can do the same action dozens of times, while injuring himself, but not stopping.

The nature of this behavior is poorly understood. Many experts suggest that this behavior is due to a decrease in the threshold of pain sensitivity. This is confirmed by the absence of crying during bumps and falls of the baby.

In addition to auto-aggression, aggressive behavior directed at someone can be observed. The reason for this behavior may be a defensive reaction. Very often it is observed if an adult tries to disrupt the child's usual way of life. However, an attempt to resist change can also manifest itself in auto-aggression. A child, especially if he suffers from a severe form of autism, can bite himself, beat, deliberately hit. These actions cease as soon as interference with his world ceases. Thus, in this case, such behavior is a form of communication with the outside world.

Features of gait and movements

Often, autistic children have a specific gait. Most often, they imitate a butterfly, while walking on tiptoe and balancing with their hands. Some are moving around. A feature of the movements of an autistic child is a certain awkwardness, angularity. The running of such children may seem ridiculous, because during it they wave their arms, spread their legs wide.

Also, children with autism can walk with a side step, sway while walking, or walk along a strictly defined special route.

What do children with autism look like?

Children up to a year

The appearance of the baby is distinguished by the absence of a smile, facial expressions and other vivid emotions.
Compared to other children, he is not as active and does not attract attention to himself. His gaze is often fixed on some ( always the same) subject.

The kid does not reach for his hands, he does not have a revitalization complex. He does not copy emotions - if you smile at him, he does not answer with a smile, which is completely uncharacteristic for young children. He does not gesticulate, does not point to the objects that he needs. The kid does not babble, like other one-year-old children, does not coo, does not respond to his name. An autistic infant does not create problems and gives the impression of a "very calm baby". For many hours he plays by himself without crying, without showing interest in others.

Very rarely in children there is a lag in growth and development. At the same time, in atypical autism ( autism with mental retardation) comorbidities are very common. Most often, it is a convulsive syndrome or even epilepsy. At the same time, there is a delay in neuropsychic development - the child begins to sit late, takes his first steps late, lags behind in weight and growth.

Children from 1 to 3 years old

Children continue to be closed in themselves and unemotional. They speak badly, but most often they do not speak at all. At 15 to 18 months, babies may stop talking altogether. A detached look is noticed, the child does not look into the eyes of the interlocutor. Very early, such children begin to serve themselves, thereby providing themselves with increasing independence from the outside world. When they do begin to speak, others notice that they refer to themselves in the second or third person. For example, "Oleg is thirsty" or "You are thirsty." To the question: “Do you want to drink?” they answer, "He's thirsty." The speech disorder observed in young children manifests itself in echolalia. They repeat fragments of phrases or phrases heard from the lips of other people. Vocal tics are often observed, which manifest themselves in the involuntary pronunciation of sounds, words.

Children begin to walk, and their gait attracts the attention of parents. Often there is walking on tiptoe, with waving arms ( how to imitate a butterfly). In psychomotor terms, children with autism may be hyperactive or hypoactive. The first option is more commonly seen. Children are in constant motion, but their movements are stereotyped. They swing on a chair, make rhythmic movements with their bodies. Their movements are monotonous, mechanical. When studying a new object ( for example, if mom bought a new toy) they carefully sniff it, feel it, shake it, trying to extract some sounds. The gestures seen in autistic children can be very eccentric, unusual, and forced.

The child has unusual activities and hobbies. He often plays with the water, turning the faucet on and off, or with the light switch. The attention of relatives is attracted by the fact that the baby very rarely cries, even when it hits very hard. Rarely asks for something or whimpers. The autistic child actively avoids the company of other children. At children's birthday parties, matinees, he sits alone or runs away. Sometimes autistic people can become aggressive in the company of other children. Their aggression is usually directed at themselves, but it can also be projected onto others.

Often these children give the impression of being spoiled. They are selective in food, do not get along with other children, they form a lot of fears. Most often, it is the fear of darkness, noise ( vacuum cleaner, doorbell), a particular type of transport. In severe cases, children are afraid of everything - leaving the house, leaving their room, being alone. Even in the absence of certain formed fears, autistic children are always shy. Their fearfulness is projected onto the world around them, since it is unknown to them. Fear of this unknown world is the main emotion of the child. To counter the change of scenery and limit their fears, they often throw tantrums.

Outwardly, autistic children look very diverse. It is generally accepted that children with autism have thin, traced facial features that rarely show emotions ( prince face). However, this is not always the case. In children at an early age, very active facial expressions, an awkward sweeping gait, can be observed. Some researchers say that the facial geometry of autistic children and other children is still different - their eyes are wider apart, the lower part of the face is relatively short.

Preschool children ( 3 to 6 years old)

In children of this age group, difficulties with social adaptation come to the fore. These difficulties are most pronounced when the child goes to kindergarten or preparatory group. The child does not show interest in peers, he does not like the new environment. He reacts to such changes in his life with violent psychomotor excitement. The main efforts of the child are aimed at creating a kind of "shell" in which he hides, avoiding the outside world.

Your toys ( if any) the baby begins to lay out in a certain order, most often by color or size. Others notice that compared to other children in the room of an autistic child, there is always a certain way and order. Things are laid out in their places and grouped according to a certain principle ( color, material type). The habit of always finding everything in its place gives the child a feeling of comfort and security.

If a child in this age group has not been consulted by a specialist, then he withdraws even more into himself. Speech disorders progress. Breaking the habitual way of life of an autistic person is becoming increasingly difficult. An attempt to take the child outside is accompanied by violent aggression. Shyness and fears can crystallize into obsessive behavior, into rituals. This may be periodic hand washing, certain sequences in food, in the game.

More often than other children, autistic children have hyperactive behavior. In psychomotor terms, they are disinhibited and disorganized. Such children are in constant motion, they can hardly stay in one place. They have difficulty controlling their movements dyspraxia). Also, autistic people often have compulsive behavior - they intentionally perform their actions according to certain rules, even if these rules go against social norms.

Much less frequently, children may be hypoactive. At the same time, they may suffer from fine motor skills, which will cause difficulties in some movements. For example, a child may have difficulty tying shoelaces, holding a pencil in their hand.

Children over 6 years old

Autistic students can attend both specialized educational institutions and general schools. If the child does not have disorders in the intellectual sphere and he copes with learning, then selectivity of his favorite subjects is observed. As a rule, this is a passion for drawing, music, mathematics. However, even with borderline or average intelligence, children have an attention deficit. They have difficulty concentrating on tasks, but at the same time they are maximally focused on their studies. More often than others, autistics have difficulty reading ( dyslexia).

At the same time, in one tenth of cases, children with autism demonstrate unusual intellectual abilities. It can be talents in music, art or a unique memory. In one percent of cases, autistic people have savant syndrome, in which outstanding abilities are noted in several areas of knowledge.

Children who have a decrease in intelligence or significant withdrawal into themselves are engaged in specialized programs. In the first place at this age, speech disorders and social maladjustment are noted. The child can resort to speech only in case of urgent need in order to communicate his needs. However, he tries to avoid this, starting to serve himself very early. The worse the language of communication in children is developed, the more often they show aggression.

Deviations in eating behavior can take on the character of serious violations up to the refusal of food. In mild cases, the meal is accompanied by rituals - eating food in a certain order, at certain hours. The selectivity of individual dishes is carried out not according to the taste criterion, but according to the color or shape of the dish. For autistic children, the way food looks is very important.

If the diagnosis is made at an early stage and treatment measures are taken, then many children can adapt well. Some of them graduate from general educational institutions and master professions. Children with minimal speech and intellectual disorders adapt best.

What tests can help detect autism in a child at home?

The purpose of using the tests is to identify the risk of a child having autism. Test results are not the basis for making a diagnosis, but are a reason to contact specialists. When evaluating the characteristics of child development, one should take into account the age of the child and use the tests recommended for his age.

Tests for diagnosing autism in children are:

• assessment of children's behavior according to general indicators of development - from birth to 16 months;
• M-CHAT test ( modified screening test for autism) - recommended for children from 16 to 30 months;
• autism scale CARS ( autism rating scale in children) - from 2 to 4 years;
• screening test ASSQ - designed for children from 6 to 16 years.

Testing your child for autism from birth

Children's health institutes advise parents to observe the behavior of the baby from the moment of his birth and, if inconsistencies are identified, contact children's specialists.

Deviations in child development from birth to one and a half years of age is the absence of the following behavioral factors:

• smiles or attempts to express joyful emotions;
• response to a smile, facial expressions, sounds of adults;
• attempts to make eye contact with the mother during feeding, or people around the child;
• reaction to one's own name or to a familiar voice;
• gestures, waving hands;
• using fingers to point to objects of interest to the child;
• trying to start talking roam, roar);
• please take him in your arms;
• the joy of being in your arms.

If even one of the above abnormalities is found, parents should consult a doctor. One of the signs of this disease is a super-strong attachment to one of the family members, most often to the mother. Outwardly, the child does not show his adoration. But if there is a threat of interruption of communication, children may refuse to eat, they may vomit or have a fever.

M-CHAT test for examination of children from 16 to 30 months

The results of this test, as well as other childhood screening tools ( surveys), do not have 100% certainty, but are the basis for undergoing a diagnostic examination by specialists. You must answer the M-CHAT items with “Yes” or “No”. If the phenomenon indicated in the question was observed no more than twice during the observation of the child, this fact is not counted.

The M-CHAT test questions are:

• №1 - Does the child enjoy being pumped ( on hands, knees)?
• №2 Does the child develop interest in other children?
• № 3 - Does the child like to use objects as steps and climb them up?
• № 4 - Does the child enjoy such a game as hide and seek?
• № 5 - Does the child imitate any actions during the game ( talking on an imaginary phone, rocking a non-existent doll)?
• № 6 - Does the child use his index finger when he needs something?
• № 7 - Does the child use his index finger to indicate his interest in some object, person or action?
• № 8 - Does the child use his toys for the intended purpose ( builds fortresses from cubes, dresses dolls, rolls cars on the floor)?
• № 9 - Has the child ever focused on the objects that interested him, bringing them and showing them to his parents?
• № 10 - Can a child maintain eye contact with adults for more than 1 - 2 seconds?
• № 11 - Has the child ever experienced signs of hypersensitivity to acoustic stimuli ( did he cover his ears during loud music, did he ask to turn off the vacuum cleaner)?
• № 12 - Does the child have a response to a smile?
• № 13 - Does the child repeat after adults their movements, facial expressions, intonation;
• № 14 - Does the child respond to his name?
• № 15 - Point to a toy or other object in the room with your finger. Will the child look at him?
• № 16 - Is the child walking?
• № 17 - Look at something. Will the child repeat your actions?
• № 18 Has the child been seen making unusual finger gestures near their face?
• № 19 - Does the child make attempts to attract attention to himself and to what he is doing?
• № 20 - Does the child give reason to think that he has a hearing problem?
• № 21 - Does the child understand what the people around him say?
• № 22 - Did it happen that the child wandered or did something without a goal, gave the impression of a complete absence?
• № 23 - When meeting with strangers, phenomena, does the child look at the parents' faces in order to check the reaction?

Transcription of M-CHAT Test Answers
To determine whether the child passed the test or not, you should compare the answers received with those given in the interpretation of the test. If the three usual or two critical points coincide, the child needs to be examined by a doctor.

The points of interpretation of the M-CHAT test are:

• № 1 - No;
• № 2 - No ( critical point);
• № 3, № 4, № 5, № 6 - No;
• № 7 - No ( critical point);
• № 8 - No;
• № 9 - No ( critical point);
• № 10 - No;
• № 11 - Yes;
• № 12 - No;
• № 13, № 14, № 15 - No ( critical points);
• № 16, № 17 - No;
• № 18 - Yes;
• № 19 - No;
• № 20 - Yes;
• № 21 - No;
• № 22 - Yes;
• № 23 - No.

CARS scale for determining autism in children from 2 to 6 years

The CARS is one of the most widely used tests for autism symptoms. The study can be conducted by parents on the basis of observations of the child during his stay at home, in the circle of relatives, peers. Information received from educators and teachers should also be included. The scale includes 15 categories that describe all areas of importance for diagnosis.
When identifying matches with the proposed options, the score indicated opposite the answer should be used. When calculating test values, intermediate values ​​can also be taken into account ( 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 ) in cases where the child's behavior is regarded as an average between the descriptions of the answers.

The items on the CARS rating scale are:

1. Relationships with people:

• lack of difficulty- the behavior of the child meets all the necessary criteria for his age. There may be shyness or fussiness in cases where the situation is unfamiliar - 1 point;
• light difficulties- the child shows anxiety, tries to avoid a direct look or stop conversations in cases where attention or communication is intrusive and does not come from his initiative. Also, problems can manifest themselves in the form of shyness or excessive dependence on adults in comparison with children of the same age - 2 points;
• medium difficulties- deviations of this type are expressed in the demonstration of detachment and ignoring adults. In some cases, it takes persistence to get a child's attention. The child very rarely makes contact of his own free will - 3 points;
• serious relationship problems- the child in the rarest cases responds and never shows interest in what others are doing - 4 points.

2. Imitation and imitation skills:

• abilities are age appropriate- the child can easily reproduce sounds, body movements, words - 1 point;
• imitating skills are a little broken The child repeats simple sounds and movements without difficulty. More complex imitations are carried out with the help of adults - 2 points;
• average level of violations- to reproduce sounds and movements, the child needs external support and considerable effort - 3 points;
• serious imitation problems- the child does not attempt to imitate acoustic phenomena or physical actions, even with the help of adults - 4 points.

3. Emotional background:

• emotional response is normal- the emotional reaction of the child corresponds to the situation. Facial expression, posture and behavior change depending on the events taking place - 1 point;
• there are minor irregularities- sometimes the manifestation of children's emotions is not connected with reality - 2 points;
• the emotional background is subject to violations of moderate severity- children's reaction to the situation can be delayed in time, be expressed too brightly or, conversely, with restraint. In some cases, the child may laugh for no reason or not express any emotions corresponding to the events taking place - 3 points;
• the child is experiencing serious emotional difficulties- children's answers in most cases do not correspond to the situation. The mood of the child remains unchanged for a long time. The reverse situation may occur - the child begins to laugh, cry or express other emotions for no apparent reason - 4 points.

4. Body control:

• skills are age appropriate- the child moves well and freely, movements have accuracy and clear coordination - 1 point;
• mild disorders- the child may experience some awkwardness, some of his movements are unusual - 2 points;
• average deviation rate- the child's behavior may include things like tiptoeing, body pinching, unusual finger movements, frilly postures - 3 points;
• the child has significant difficulty in controlling his body- in children's behavior there are often strange movements that are unusual for age and situation, which do not stop even when trying to impose a ban on them - 4 points.

5. Toys and other household items:

• norm- the child plays with toys and uses other objects in accordance with their purpose - 1 point;
• minor deviations- there may be oddities when playing or interacting with other things ( for example, a child can taste toys) - 2 points;
• moderate problems- the child may have difficulty determining the purpose of toys or objects. He can also pay increased attention to individual parts of a doll or car, get carried away with details and use toys in an unusual way - 3 points;
• serious violations- it is difficult to distract a child from the game or, conversely, to call for this activity. Toys are more used in strange, inappropriate ways - 4 points.

6. Adaptability to change:

• the child's reaction is appropriate for the age and situation- when conditions change, the child does not experience much excitement - 1 point;
• there are some minor difficulties- the child has some difficulties with adaptation. So, when changing the conditions of the problem being solved, the kid can continue to search for a solution using the initial criteria - 2 points;
• mean deviations- when the situation changes, the child begins to actively resist this, experiences negative emotions - 3 points;
• the response to the changes is not fully consistent with the norm- the child perceives any changes negatively, tantrums can occur - 4 points.

7. Visual assessment of the situation:

• normal performance- the child makes full use of vision to meet and analyze new people, objects - 1 point;
• mild disorders- such moments as "gazing into nowhere", avoidance of eye contact, increased interest in mirrors, light sources can be identified - 2 points;
• moderate problems- the child may experience discomfort and avoid direct gaze, use an unusual viewing angle, bring objects too close to the eyes. In order for the child to look at the object, it is necessary to remind him of this several times - 3 points;
• significant problems using vision The child makes every effort to avoid eye contact. In most cases, vision is used in an unusual way - 4 points.

8. Sound reaction to reality:

• compliance with the norm- the reaction of the child to sound stimuli and speech corresponds to the age and environment - 1 point;
• there are minor disturbances- the child may not answer some questions, or respond to them with a delay. In some cases, increased sound sensitivity may be detected - 2 points;
• mean deviations- the reaction of the child may be different to the same sound phenomena. Sometimes there is no response even after several repetitions. The child may react excitedly to some ordinary sounds ( cover one's ears, show displeasure) - 3 points;
• the sound response is not fully consistent with the norm- in most cases, the child's reaction to sounds is disturbed ( insufficient or excessive) - 4 points.

9. Using the senses of smell, touch and taste:

• norm- in the study of new objects and phenomena, the child uses all the senses in accordance with age. When pain is felt, it shows a reaction that corresponds to the level of pain - 1 point;
• small deviations- sometimes the child may have difficulty with which senses should be involved ( for example, tasting inedible objects). Experiencing pain, the child may express to exaggerate or downplay its meaning - 2 points;
• moderate problems- a child can be seen sniffing, touching, tasting people, animals. The reaction to pain is not true - 3 points;
• serious violations- Acquaintance and study of subjects to a greater extent occurs in unusual ways. The child tastes toys, sniffs clothes, feels people. When painful sensations arise, he ignores them. In some cases, an exaggerated reaction to slight discomfort may be revealed - 4 points.

10. Fears and reactions to stress:

• natural response to stress and manifestation of fears- the behavioral model of the child corresponds to his age and the events taking place - 1 point;
• unexpressed disorders- sometimes the child may be frightened or nervous more than usual in comparison with the behavior of other children in similar situations - 2 points;
• moderate violations- children's reaction in most cases does not correspond to reality - 3 points;
• strong deviations- the level of fear does not decrease, even after the child experiences similar situations several times, while it is quite difficult to calm the baby. There may also be a complete lack of experience in circumstances that make other children worry - 4 points.

11. Communication abilities:

• norm- the child communicates with the environment in accordance with the capabilities characteristic of his age - 1 point;
• slight deviation- there may be a slight delay in speech. Sometimes pronouns are replaced, unusual words are used - 2 points;
• middle level disorders- the child asks a large number of questions, may express concern about certain topics. Sometimes speech may be absent or contain meaningless expressions - 3 points;
• serious violations of verbal communication- Speech with meaning is almost absent. Often in communication, the child uses strange sounds, imitates animals, imitates transport - 4 points.

12. Nonverbal Communication Skills:

• norm- the child makes full use of all the possibilities of non-verbal communication - 1 point;
• small violations- in some cases, the child may have difficulty in expressing his desires or needs with gestures - 2 points;
• average deviations- basically, it is difficult for a child to explain without words what he wants - 3 points;
• serious disorders- It is difficult for the child to understand the gestures and facial expressions of other people. In his gestures, he uses only unusual movements that do not have an obvious meaning - 4 points.

13. Physical activity:

• norm- the child behaves in the same way as his peers - 1 point;
• small deviations from the norm- children's activity may be slightly above or below the norm, which causes some difficulties for the child's activities - 2 points;
• average degree of violations The child's behavior is inappropriate for the situation. For example, when going to bed, he is characterized by increased activity, and during the day he is in a sleepy state - 3 points;
• abnormal activity- the child is rarely in a normal state, in most cases showing excessive passivity or activity - 4 points.

14. Intelligence:

• child's development is normal- children's development is balanced and does not differ in unusual skills - 1 point;
• mild disorders- the child has standard skills, in some situations his intelligence is lower than that of his peers - 2 points;
• deviations of the mean type- in most cases the child is not so quick-witted, but in some areas his skills correspond to the norm - 3 points;
• serious problems in intellectual development- children's intelligence is below generally accepted values, but there are areas in which the child understands much better than his peers - 4 points.

15. General impression:

• norm- outwardly the child does not show signs of illness - 1 point;
• mild manifestation of autism- in some circumstances the child shows symptoms of the disease - 2 points;
• average level- the child manifests a number of signs of autism - 3 points;
• severe autism- the child shows an extensive list of manifestations of this pathology - 4 points.

Scoring
Putting in front of each subsection an assessment that corresponds to the behavior of the child, the points should be summed up.

The criteria for determining the child's condition are:

• number of points from 15 to 30- no autism
• number of points from 30 to 36- the manifestation of the disease is likely to be mild to moderate ( asperger's syndrome);
• number of points from 36 to 60- there is a risk that the child is ill with severe autism.

ASSQ test for diagnosing children from 6 to 16 years

This test method is designed to determine the tendency to autism and can be used by parents at home.
Each question in the test has three possible answers - "no", "somewhat" and "yes". The first answer option is marked with a zero value, the answer "partially" implies 1 point, the answer "yes" - 2 points.

The ASSQ questions are:

• Is it okay to use expressions such as "old-fashioned" or "smart beyond his years" in describing a child?
• Do peers refer to the child as a "nutty or eccentric professor"?
• Is it possible to say about a child that he is in his own world with unusual rules and interests?
• collects ( or remembers) Does the child have data and facts on certain topics, not enough or not understanding them at all?
• Was there a literal perception of the phrases spoken in a figurative sense?
• Does the child use an unusual communication style ( old-fashioned, artsy, ornate)?
• Has the child been seen to come up with his own speech expressions and words?
• Can a child's voice be called unusual?
• Does the child use verbal communication techniques such as squealing, grunting, sniffling, screaming?
• Was the child markedly successful in some areas and lagging behind in other areas?
• Is it possible to say about a child that he uses speech well, but at the same time does not take into account the interests of other people and the rules of being in society?
• Is it true that the child has difficulty understanding the emotions of others?
• Does the child have naive and embarrassing statements and remarks for other people?
• Is the type of eye contact abnormal?
• The child feels desire, but cannot build relationships with peers?
• Is staying with other children only possible on his terms?
• The child does not have a best friend?
• Is it possible to say that there is not enough common sense in the actions of a child?
• Are there any difficulties in team play?
• Were there any awkward movements and clumsy gestures?
• Did the child have involuntary movements of the body, face?
• Are there difficulties in the performance of daily duties, in view of the obsessive thoughts visiting the child?
• Does the child have a commitment to order according to special rules?
• Does the child have a special attachment to objects?
• Is the child being bullied by peers?
• Does the child use unusual facial expressions?
• Did the child have strange movements with their hands or other parts of the body?

Interpretation of the received data
If the total score does not exceed 19, the test result is considered normal. With a value that varies from 19 to 22 - the probability of autism is increased, above 22 - high.

When should you see a child psychiatrist?

It is necessary to consult a doctor at the first suspicion of elements of autism in a child. The specialist, before testing the child, observes his behavior. Often, the diagnosis of autism is not difficult ( there are stereotypes, there is no contact with the environment). At the same time, the diagnosis requires careful collection of the child's medical history. The doctor is attracted by details about how the child grew and developed in the first months of life, when the first concerns of the mother appeared and what they are connected with.

Most often, before coming to a child psychiatrist or psychologist, parents have already visited doctors, suspecting the child of deafness or dumbness. The doctor specifies when the child stopped talking and what caused it. The difference of mutism ( lack of speech) in autism from another pathology is that with autism, the child initially begins to speak. Some children start talking even earlier than their peers. Next, the doctor asks about the child's behavior at home and in kindergarten, about his contacts with other children.

At the same time, the patient is monitored - how the child behaves at the doctor's appointment, how he navigates the conversation, whether he looks into the eyes. The lack of contact may be indicated by the fact that the child does not put objects in his hands, but throws them on the floor. Hyperactive, stereotypical behavior speaks in favor of autism. If the child speaks, then attention is drawn to his speech - is there a repetition of words in it ( echolalia), whether monotony or, conversely, pretentiousness prevails.

Ways to identify symptoms that testify in favor of autism are:

• observation of the child in society;
• analysis of non-verbal and verbal communication skills;
• studying the interests of the child, the characteristics of his behavior;
• conducting tests and analyzing the results.

Deviations in behavior change with age, so the age factor should be taken into account when analyzing children's behavior and the characteristics of its development.

The child's relationship with the outside world

Social disorders in children with autism can manifest themselves from the first months of life. Autistic people from the outside look more calm, undemanding and withdrawn compared to their peers. Being in the company of strangers or unfamiliar people, they experience severe discomfort, which, as they grow older, ceases to be alarming. If a person from the outside tries to impose his communication or attention, the child may run away, cry.

Signs by which it is possible to determine the presence of this disease in a child from birth to three years are:

• lack of desire to make contact with the mother and other close people;
• strong ( primitive) attachment to one of the family members ( the child does not show adoration, but when separated, he may begin to become hysterical, the temperature rises);
• unwillingness to be in the arms of the mother;
• lack of an anticipatory posture when the mother approaches;
• expression of discomfort when trying to establish eye contact with the child;
• lack of interest in the events taking place around;
• demonstration of resistance when trying to caress the child.

Problems with building relationships with the outside world remain at a later age. The inability to understand the motives and actions of other people makes autistics poor interlocutors. In order to reduce the level of their feelings about this, such children prefer solitude.

Symptoms that indicate autism in children ages 3 to 15 include:

• inability to form friendships;
• demonstration of detachment from others ( which can sometimes be replaced by the emergence of a strong attachment to one person or a narrow circle of people);
• lack of desire to make contact on their own initiative;
• difficulty understanding the emotions, actions of other people;
• difficult relationships with peers harassment by other children, the use of offensive nicknames in relation to the child);
• inability to take part in team games.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Skills in Autism

Children with this disease begin to talk much later than their peers. Subsequently, the speech of such patients is characterized by a reduced number of consonant letters, replete with mechanical repetition of the same phrases that are not related to the conversation.

Deviations of verbal and non-verbal communication in children aged 1 month to 3 years with these diseases are:

• lack of attempts to interact with the outside world through gestures and facial expressions;
• lack of babbling under the age of one year;
• not using single words in a conversation for up to a year and a half;
• inability to build full-fledged meaningful sentences under the age of 2 years;
• lack of a pointing gesture;
• weak gestures;
• the inability to express your desires without words.

Communication disorders that may indicate autism in a child whose age is over 3 years are:

• pathology of speech inappropriate use of metaphors, permutation of pronouns);
• the use of screeching, screaming in conversation;
• the use of words and phrases that are not suitable in meaning;
• strange facial expressions or its complete absence;
• absent, directed to "nowhere" look;
• poor understanding of metaphors and speech expressions, spoken in a figurative sense;
• inventing your own words;
• unusual gestures that have no obvious meaning.

Interests, habits, behavioral characteristics of a child with autism

Children with autism have difficulty understanding the rules of the game with toys that are understandable to their peers, such as a car or a doll. So, an autistic person can not roll a toy car, but turn its wheel. It is difficult for a sick child to replace some objects with others or use fictitious images in the game, since poorly developed abstract thinking and imagination are one of the symptoms of this disease. A distinctive feature of this disease are disorders in the use of the organs of vision, hearing, taste.

Deviations in the behavior of a child under the age of 3 years, which indicate the disease, are:

• concentration when playing not on the toy, but on its individual parts;
• difficulties in determining the purpose of objects;
• poor coordination of movements;
• hypersensitivity to sound stimuli ( strong crying due to the sound of a working TV);
• lack of response to address by name, requests of parents ( sometimes it seems that the child has a hearing problem);
• studying objects in an unusual way - using the senses inappropriately ( the child can smell or taste the toys);
• using an unusual viewing angle ( the child brings objects close to his eyes or looks at them with his head tilted to one side);
• stereotyped movements arm swing, body shaking, head rotation);
• non-standard ( insufficient or excessive) response to stress, pain;
• sleep problems.

Children with autism retain the symptoms of the disease as they grow older and show other signs as they develop and mature. One of the features of autistic children is the need for a certain system. For example, a child may insist on walking along the route he has compiled and not change it for several years. When trying to change the rules he has set, the autistic person may actively express dissatisfaction and show aggression.

Symptoms of autism in patients whose age ranges from 3 to 15 years are:

• resistance to change, tendency to monotony;
• inability to switch from one activity to another;
• aggression towards oneself according to one study, about 30 percent of children with autism bite themselves, pinch and cause other types of pain);
• poor concentration;
• increased selectivity in the choice of dishes ( which in two-thirds of cases causes digestive problems);
• narrowly defined skills memorization of irrelevant facts, passion for topics and activities that are unusual for age);
• underdeveloped imagination.

Tests to identify autism and analysis of their results

Depending on the age, parents can use special tests that will help determine if the child has this pathology.

Tests for determining autism are:

• M-CHAT test for children aged 16 to 30 months;
• CARS autism rating scale for children aged 2 to 4;
• ASSQ test for children from 6 to 16 years old.

The results of any of the above tests are not the basis for making a final diagnosis, but they are an effective reason to turn to specialists.

Interpretation of M-CHAT results
To pass this test, parents are asked to answer 23 questions. Responses based on observations of the child should be compared with options that are in favor of autism. If three matches are identified, it is necessary to show the baby to the doctor. Particular attention should be paid to critical points. If the child's behavior meets two of them, consultation with a specialist in this disease is required.

Interpreting the CARS Autism Scale
The CARS Autism Scale is a comprehensive study that consists of 15 sections covering all areas of a child's life and development. Each item requires 4 responses with corresponding scores. In the event that parents cannot choose the proposed options with firm confidence, they can choose an intermediate value. To complete the picture, observations are needed provided by those people who surround the child outside the home ( caregivers, teachers, neighbors). After summing up the scores for each item, you should compare the total with the data given in the test.

Rules for determining the final result of diagnostics on a scale CARS are:

• if the total amount varies in the range from 15 to 30 points - the child does not suffer from autism;
• the number of points ranges from 30 to 36 - there is a possibility that the child is sick ( mild to moderate autism);
• the score exceeds 36 - there is a high risk that the child has severe autism.

Test results with ASSQ
The ASSQ screening test consists of 27 questions, each of which offers 3 response types ( "no", "sometimes", "yes") with the corresponding award of 0, 1 and 2 points. If the test results do not exceed the value of 19 - there is no reason for concern. With a sum of 19 to 22, parents should consult a doctor, as there is an average probability of the disease. When the result of the study exceeds 22 points, the risk of the disease is considered high.

The professional help of a doctor consists not only in the medical correction of behavioral disorders. First of all, these are special educational programs for autistic children. The most popular programs in the world are the ABA program and Floor Time ( play time). ABA includes many other programs that are aimed at the gradual development of the world. It is considered that the results of training make themselves felt if the training time is at least 40 hours per week. The second program uses the interests of the child to establish contact with him. Even “pathological” hobbies are taken into account, for example, pouring sand or mosaics. The advantage of this program is that it can be mastered by any parent.

Treatment of autism also comes down to visits to a speech therapist, defectologist and psychologist. Behavioral disorders, stereotypes, fears are corrected by a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. In general, the treatment of autism is multifaceted and directed at those areas of development that are affected. The earlier an appeal to a doctor was made, the more effective the treatment will be. It is believed that it is most effective to take treatment up to 3 years.

Autism is a congenital disease, which is expressed in the loss of acquired skills, closure in "one's own world" and loss of contact with others. In the modern world, children with the same diagnosis are born more and more often. The prognosis of the disease depends on the awareness of the parents: the sooner mom or dad notices unusual symptoms and starts treatment, the safer the child’s psyche and brain will be. You can read about what autism is in a child, about its main signs and methods of correction in this article.

What is autism?

When a child is diagnosed with autism, many parents perceive this as a kind of sentence, because people with this feature are quite different. What is autism in children? In medical terms, this is a mental illness that leads to a general developmental disorder. It is characterized by a loss of social adaptation, impaired interaction in society and a change in the child's behavior to a closed and aggressive one, if someone tries to disrupt his established world.

Research on autism has been going on for a long time, but until then, scientists cannot come to a single answer about what autism is and what causes it. Some believe that neurotypical children are simply different from ordinary children in the way they think and that this should not be called a disease or a deviation. L. Kanner called such children "little wise men" who live in their own world. To some extent, this expression is true, because among autistic children there are 10 times more gifted individuals than among ordinary ones. But most doctors tend to argue that children with autism do not adapt well in society, and consider this diagnosis as a serious developmental disorder.

The term "autism" first appeared in 1911, when psychiatrist Eigen Bleiler described the symptoms of schizophrenia, chief among which was "withdrawal." "Autos" is translated from Greek as "self". Despite the fact that autistic children still have contact with the outside world, the term has stuck, although it has introduced a lot of confusion. At the moment, the disease is diagnosed in five children out of ten thousand. For a long time, the cause of autism was thought to be insufficient love and care in infancy. But over time, studies have shown that the cause is an organic brain lesion, which is most often congenital.

Why does

Scientists are more or less clear on the symptoms and signs of autism in children, little is known about the causes of this disease. In 1964, psychologist Bernard Rimland, who had an autistic son, found that the disease appears due to organic changes in the brain. During the prenatal development of a child, some brain structures for some reason do not form correctly. In general, the child is born healthy, but over time, mental features begin to appear: isolation, stereotypical movements, auto-aggression. But why these changes occur at the very initial stage, doctors have not yet established. Some scientists argue that the disease begins to develop already in the first weeks of the life of the embryo, leading to biochemical, genetic and neuronal disorders.

Symptoms and causes of autism in children may be associated with other diseases and be their consequence. This opinion is shared by some psychiatrists. If a child has some hereditary metabolic disorders, then this can also cause the development of the disease. For example, if the amount of copper in the body significantly exceeds the amount of zinc. In this case, the process of removing heavy metals from the body and delivering zinc to brain neurons is disrupted. Or a child has increased intestinal permeability - in this case, the body becomes more vulnerable to various pathogenic organisms. Other causes of autism include:

• Mercury poisoning of the body is one of the most common causes of "acquired" autism. Mercury comes to us from many sources: food (seafood), from the environment, and even from dental fillings. Normally, the human body has the ability to excrete small amounts of this metal. But if some process in the body is disturbed or there is too much mercury, then it begins to poison the child's cells, which can contribute to the development of autism. Vaccinations also contain a certain amount of mercury, so some babies develop the disease after them.
• Predisposition to autoimmune diseases and weak immunity.
• Infectious diseases suffered by the mother during pregnancy, smoking or drugs.

autism in children

Signs of autism in children can vary by age. So, for example, up to two years this disease is diagnosed extremely rarely, since strange behavior is attributed to the developmental features of the child. What are the signs of autism in children 2 years and younger? Here is some of them:

1. Weak interest in faces. The very first image that a baby learns to distinguish is a human face. Normally, already at 2-3 months, the child recognizes his mother, smiles at her. Then eye contact is established. If the baby is more interested in toys, does not show when he sees his mother's face, does not look into his eyes, then he may have autism.
2. Complete indifference to strangers. Infants, for the most part, when a benevolent adult appears, behave in the same way: they listen to words, make faces, make various sounds, trying to imitate speech. Children with autism generally do not pay attention to strangers. They do not seek to get in touch with them or communicate.
3. Another sign of autism in young children is an aversion to touch. Usually, newborns are very fond of tactile sensations - stroking, patting, the warmth of the mother's body. As they get older, children begin to initiate hugs themselves, get on their knees, and kiss. Neurotypical babies become "independent" early - they do not need tenderness and even resist it.
4. Speech delay is a less obvious sign of autism in 3 or 2 year olds. Nevertheless, this is one of the most basic indicators by which this disease is determined. Such children do not coo, do not pronounce syllables or complex sounds. They usually lack the "children's" language that kids speak with adults.
5. Lack of emotional intelligence. Young children usually have difficulty expressing their emotions, but they are happy to imitate the reactions of adults: smile, get angry, upset. Normally, the child behaves liberated with adults whom he trusts. If the baby seems shy and modest, rarely expresses his emotions, these may be manifestations of autism.
6. The baby has obsessive movements. If the child spins for several minutes, claps his hands, taps on objects or parts of the body, and such movements look like obsessive movements, then this can be an alarming sign.
7. Autoaggression. Children with autism often unconsciously try to harm themselves.
8. The same rituals every day. Neurotypical children often need actions in the same sequence. They give them comfort and a sense of security. If a child, when trying to go to the kindergarten the other way, falls into hysterics, and lays out toys with pedantry unusual for children, this can also be a symptom of the disease.

Children's disease from 2 to 12 years

The signs and causes of autism can be more easily recognized at an older age. Every year, children on the autism spectrum begin to differ more and more from their peers. Most of the diseases are diagnosed in the period from 4 to 6 years, when strange behavior can no longer be attributed to character or temperament. What are the signs of autism in children from two to twelve years old? Basically, all manifestations of autism at an earlier age are preserved, but some other, more obvious features are added to them:

• The child repeats the same word or sound all the time. The repetition of movements or words is generally a distinctive feature of the disease, by which it can be easily recognized.
• Any change of scenery causes a burning protest in the child. Moving, traveling, new places - all this is met with hostility, as it threatens to destroy the usual comfortable world of the child.
• Hard-to-acquire skills that are given to other children playfully can indicate deviations in mental development. But in itself, this symptom can indicate not only autism, but also many other diseases.
• "Mosaic" development is typical for many sick children. They show outstanding results in one area, but a complete lack of progress in the simplest things.
• Lack of self-identification. To direct questions directly related to the child, he can only answer in the third person. For example, to the question of the mother: “Do you want to play?”, The answer follows: “Vova wants to play!”. This feature indicates a violation of the recognition of the boundaries of one's own "I".
• Violation of coordination of movements and fine motor skills, a kind of "looseness" of movements.
• Hyperactivity - very often, children react to external stimuli, change of scenery and any other stressful situations with increased excitability. They can hardly sit in one place, they are constantly on the move. Children with autism often have difficulty controlling their movements.

It should be canceled that if during this period the disease is not diagnosed in time, then the child may completely withdraw into himself and not acquire the necessary speech skills, because it becomes more and more difficult to rebuild the child’s usual way of life with age.

Teenage autism

How does autism manifest itself in a child older than 11 years? Adolescents experience autistic personality disorder in different ways. Usually by this time the child has already been diagnosed and receives appropriate treatment. Adolescents with autism who receive proper care and development can study in regular schools on an equal basis with other children. As a rule, such children have selectivity in training. For example, they may be very fond of math or drawing and hate other subjects. One in ten autistic people have unusual intellectual abilities. And one percent has savant syndrome, which makes them unusually talented in several areas at once. Some savants know how to draw drawings at the level of adults since childhood, others know several languages ​​or read thousands of books.

Adolescents with autism may be quite socially adjusted, but they still have difficulty communicating with people. They are not able to recognize deceit, sarcasm and other emotions, and therefore are very vulnerable. Being inside their little world, they are protected from the frightening outside world, but any change in the usual course of things frightens them and even causes a regression in development. Adolescents with autism do not seek to communicate, behave in isolation and do not come into contact with their peers.

Diagnosis of the disease

Signs of autism in children cannot be determined from a photo. But with a personal consultation, a specialist will be able to diagnose and find out whether the child has a disease or not. How is the disease diagnosed?

When diagnosing autism, doctors use an integrated approach: the child is examined, an anamnesis is taken, and parents' complaints are heard. The overall picture is easier to diagnose, since autism is a complex disease in which no two cases are the same, and the cost of error is high. Most often, parents complain that the child does not talk, does not want to communicate with peers and play games with them. Further, the specialist asks leading questions about birth injuries, diseases, vaccinations and the general development of the child. Of particular importance for the diagnosis is the presence of hereditary mental illness - if they are, then the likelihood of developing autism increases significantly. In parallel, the doctor observes the child. Very often, even healthy children, when visiting a doctor's office, begin to cry and behave stiffly, so some of the specialists prefer to meet in an informal setting in which the child will be comfortable.

Tests for diagnosing the disease

In addition to the above methods, signs of autism in children are easily detected by tests that parents need to fill out. Here is some of them:

1. Simple test - is the easiest form of testing and is used only in conjunction with other examination methods. During it, parents are asked to answer several questions: does the child like hugs and tactile contact, does he contact peers, does he try to imitate sounds when playing and communicating with adults, does he use a pointing gesture. Then the parents are asked to complete several tasks and record the child's reaction. For example, point a finger at an object and see if the child has looked at it. Or offer to make tea together for dolls or soft toys. The level of emotional involvement in the game is very important in the diagnosis of autism.
2. The CARS scale is a scale for diagnosing early autism, which is mainly used for diagnosis. It includes fifteen blocks, each of which covers one or another side of the child's life. Each item has 4 response options: Normal, Slightly Abnormal, Moderately Abnormal, and Significantly Abnormal. For the first option, 1 point is given, for the last - 4 points. There are also several intermediate answers that are made specifically for the hesitant parent to choose the “average” indicator. What parameters are affected by the CARS scale? Social interaction, body control, imitation, emotional reactions, use of toys, reaction to change, mastery of the primary senses, fears, intelligence, and many other aspects need to be analyzed by parents to answer the question: “Does my child have autism?” Such a detailed test with many questions allows you to very accurately determine any deviations in the development of the child. Great care and precision are required from parents in order for the diagnosis to be made correctly.
3. International classification of autism. Doctors distinguish several stages in the development of autism: the onset, manifestation and course of the disease. In order for the treatment to be selected as accurately as possible, it is important to determine the type of autism. In total, scientists distinguish six variants of the course of the disease.
4. The Nikolskaya classification was proposed by a psychologist back in 1985 and divides autism into four main groups. The first is characterized by the predominance of detachment from the outside world. The second is determined by multiple motor, speech and tactile stereotypes. In the third group, overvalued passions and ideas prevail, and in the fourth - vulnerability and timidity.

Autism in children under one year old is usually noticed very rarely, most often the disease manifests itself a little later. Already after the diagnosis, parents remember that their child behaved unusually from birth, and the picture is formed.

The causes of autism in children are still poorly understood. But parents should not hope that the symptoms will disappear on their own and the child will “outgrow” this disease. The sooner treatment is started, the more success the child will be able to achieve. How does a child with autism develop?

Mild and severe autism

The effectiveness of teaching a child with autism, his socialization largely depends on the severity of the disease. Doctors distinguish several forms of autism, each of which has its own characteristics:

• Kanner's syndrome, also known as early autism, is a congenital disease that developed in utero and affected the entire body of the child. Children with profound autism have a hard time learning something, and socialization is not easy for them.
• In the case when autism manifests itself at the age of six or older, a diagnosis of "atypical autism" is made. Seemingly healthy children begin to suddenly regress: they become aggressive, they develop unreasonable fears, seizures, attacks of aggression. But often with atypical autism, the child has mild developmental disorders, which many parents attribute to character traits.
• usually manifests itself suddenly, between 6 and 18 months of a child's life. The baby, whose development had previously corresponded to the norm, suddenly begins to degrade rapidly. Many children develop convulsions, and the physical condition deteriorates greatly. Children with Rett syndrome often suffer from profound dementia. Among all types of autism, this is considered the most severe, and it cannot be corrected in any way.
• also called "mild" autism. Its clinical forms are manifested as unwillingness to work in a group, difficulties in socialization and mastering various skills, impaired communication with peers. But such children develop according to the norm, and deviations are usually very slight.
• High-functioning autism is not a type of autism, but its form, in which the child is quite well adapted to society and copes with an independent life in the future.
• Violation of the ability of non-verbal learning - superficially very similar to Asperger's syndrome. Characterized by stereotypical movements, literal interpretation of words and phrases, impaired emotional and social development.
• Multiple developmental disorders in autism are manifested in developmental delay in almost all areas: emotional, mental, sometimes even physical.

Every child is unique, all children with autism have different signs and symptoms and need to be approached and carefully differentiated in order to provide maximum assistance.

Algorithm of actions after diagnosis

If everything is more or less clear with the symptoms of autism in children, the causes of this disease are still known only in general terms. This means that no specific treatment has yet been developed. Unfortunately, there is no pill or vaccine that will protect babies from developing this disease. The treatment of autism in children takes place mainly as a correction of the symptoms of the disease, a kind of “smoothing out sharp corners”. The task of doctors in the treatment of autism is to realize the maximum potential of the child and teach him social skills and communication. All methods of treatment can be divided into several groups:

• Drug treatment is prescribed to eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Sometimes autism is accompanied by leaky gut syndrome, auto-aggression, lack of certain vitamins and minerals, and seizures. With aggressive behavior, antipsychotics or psychotropic drugs are prescribed, with epileptic activity, anticonvulsants are prescribed, etc.
• The help of a psychologist is difficult to underestimate in the development of children with an autism spectrum. The psychologist develops a system of game forms that can influence the behavior and development of the child, gradually bringing them back to normal. Needless to say, a specialist must be highly qualified, have the necessary knowledge and skills, and be sure to love children. Only such a person will be able to try to find the “key” to a difficult child.
• Corrective exercises are a mandatory method in therapy that complement the main ones. Rehabilitation methods are very different from each other, it can be sports, fine arts: what the child is interested in. Since autistic children are often very fond of animals, they can be taken to hippotherapy or canis therapy with horses or dogs.

Unfortunately, with autism there is no question of a complete cure - it is simply impossible. But it is possible to bring the functional activity of the brain back to normal. There is no universal method of treatment - each child gives his own reaction to certain methods. Therefore, the rehabilitation program is developed exclusively individually, taking into account the characteristics of the baby.

Autism Treatment: Rehabilitation Programs

Education of children with autism takes place mainly through behavioral therapy. It is based on rewarding for the right actions and ignoring unwanted actions. To date, the most famous rehabilitation programs are:

• AVA therapy. The technique consists in a step-by-step analysis of each complex action into smaller “steps”. For example, if a child has difficulty building a tower of blocks, the specialist first studies each necessary action in turn: raising a hand, grabbing a block, etc. Each movement is worked out many times, the child is encouraged for the correct actions. Practicing ABA therapy takes a lot of effort and time, as it requires constant honing of skills. Typically, a specialist prescribes about 30 hours of therapy per week, and usually several psychologists who own this technique are involved. In this regard, this type of correction is available only to a small number of people.
• The program "Development of interpersonal relations" is based on those emotional stages that a healthy child goes through during his development. The fact is that autistic children often “drop out” of society because of their imperfect communication and empathy skills. RMO helps to partially restore them and bring the child closer to normal functioning in society. Unlike ABA therapy, this method does not use any rewards, as it is believed that the natural positive emotions from communicating with others are quite enough.
• Sensory integration has proven itself very well in the therapy of autistic children. During this technique, children are taught to adequately perceive the flows of information coming through the senses: sight, touch, smell, hearing. This method works especially well in cases where the child is suffering from harsh sounds, touches or other disturbances.
• The Playtime program does not require many hours of work from parents, just a few lessons per week are enough. Unlike ABA therapy, this technique does not use elements of "training", but on the contrary, it seeks to establish contact with the child by imitation and imitation of his actions.

Expert opinion

In the photo, children with autism do not differ in any way from healthy ones. They are betrayed only by a look turned inward and not directed at anything specific. But in reality, after a short observation of such a child, it quickly becomes clear to a specialist whether the baby has autism or not. To make life easier for parents, doctors have developed several rules that should help adults cope with a difficult diagnosis and find the strength to live on. Here is what psychologists advise:

• Don't look for cures for autism. Unfortunately, it hasn't been invented yet. Some methods are advertised as the only true and correct ones, but this is not so.
• Consider the individuality of the child and his type of disease. As we have said, no two children with autism are the same. The role of parents in the educational process is very high, because it is they who watch their child and see what activities bring him joy. Therefore, a creative approach is also important here, because sometimes it is necessary “out of nothing” to come up with a whole system of rehabilitation, in which the key element will not be the desired result, but the child himself.
• Love your child, not the diagnosis. There are more similarities than differences between your child and healthy children. Children on the autism spectrum also want to be loved, they love to play and study, they just do it in a slightly different way. Drop the diagnosis and stop comparing your child to other children - this will make it easier for you to accept a difficult situation.

Autism is not an easy disease, but you can live a long and happy life with it. Moms and dads should remember that such children need special attention and care. Children with autism can achieve a lot only with the support of their families and competent rehabilitation activities.

Autism in children is a complex developmental disorder that should manifest itself at an early age. As a rule, this is the first 3 years of a child's life and is due to impaired functioning.

All signs of autism in this article are described for informational purposes only. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a qualified doctor after diagnosing a child. Therefore, you should not take all the information below as the ultimate truth.

Autism in a child

According to modern concepts, autism is a genetic predisposition that follows a child from parents, or there may be variants of genetic damage in a particular child without inheritance. But here it should be emphasized that this is a tendency that can manifest itself under the influence of external factors. Such factors are the presence in the family of relatives not only with autism, but also with other mental disorders, such as schizophrenia.

This is, in principle, burdened by a family history of schizophrenia and others. In addition, children who were born prematurely, also if the age of the parents exceeds 40 years, fall into the risk group. Also at risk are people living in large metropolitan areas, meaning environmental pollution with a variety of heavy metals and any harmful substances. These are the factors that allow the genetic program to be realized.

The risk of developing autism in a child

To date, there are no methods for predicting autism in unborn children. All early diagnosis programs provide for the possibility of detecting autism in a child from 18 months.
You cannot know this in advance, and a child with autism can be born in any family. That is, race, social affiliation, ways of raising a child do not have a significant impact.

Symptoms of Autism in Children

According to the current classification since 2013, the criteria for the diagnosis of autism are two groups:

• Disruption of social communication

It is known that children with autism have disorders associated with the development of speech, that is, it is both a lack of speech and a developmental delay or inappropriate functioning. For example, a child can quote huge dialogues from movies, from cartoons, from advertisements, but you cannot communicate with the child. He will not be able to say his name, how old he is, where he lives.

Children with autism avoid interacting with people, not because they don't need to, but because they don't know how to interact with others. They do not know how to read emotions in the face, they need to be specially trained to do this.

• Repetitive forms of stereotypical behavior

Very often, children with autism have such stereotypes as waving their arms, twisting in place, jumping up and down. According to current ideas, these stereotypes are mechanisms of self-regulation, the child thus brings his state more or less into balance.

Stereotypes do not need to try to eliminate, as they help the child.
In addition to such obvious behavioral moments, it can be uniformity in food preferences, the location of objects, and certain routes. For example, if you move an object in a child's room, it can cause violent negative emotions.

How common is autism

Previously, there was a very low level of such patients, although in fact autism has always existed. At the moment, since the 80s, there has been a constant annual increase in the number of people with this diagnosis worldwide. About 70 million people worldwide are now diagnosed with autism.

And its average frequency is increasing every year, just a few years ago it was 1 in 100, now it is 1 in 68, and even according to some sources 1 in 63. On average, if we take two school classes, then this is about one child with autism for two classes.

A huge number of studies have been conducted that show that all over the world, regardless of the country, the continent, the frequency of autism spectrum disorders is the same and amounts to 1-3% of the general population. This pathology has a gender feature, that is, autism is 4 to 5 times more common in boys than in girls.

Autism Diagnosis

Only a psychiatrist can make a diagnosis of autism, and a primary care doctor should suspect, the one who sees the child from birth and can assess its development, that is, this is a family doctor or pediatrician.

What you should pay attention to when diagnosing autism is if the child does not develop typically by the age of one and a half years. Lack of communication skills (the child does not want to communicate with adults, he does not respond to his name, responds to the appeal of close relatives, but does not respond to other people).

It is also important how the child plays: he uses toys for other purposes (for example, cars do not drive, but he studies them, examines them from different angles, spins the wheels, licks, sniffs).

In addition, you should pay attention to the reactions of the child, if the child has a very violent reaction to minor stimuli and you cannot stop it for a long time. It can be touches, sounds, bright light, that is, in principle, something that a normal child would not react like that.
It is very important that children with autism have disturbed sleep, they fall asleep very hard, for a very long time, they have very superficial sleep.

Autism signs in a child

It is important to understand that a child with autism looks normal, that is, until behavioral moments, problems in communication appear, you may not suspect that the child has autism.

• Disrupted social interaction

The degree of impairment depends on the severity of autism. In severe cases, the child does not communicate with others at all, does not respond to his name, does not look into his eyes, his face does not express emotions.

An important sign of autism is the lack of emotions, remember if ever something delighted the child, caused laughter, a smile, if you fell, whether the child is trying to pity you, is it clear from him that he worries about you.

The ability to ask for an important basic communication skill, the normal reaction to ask, is considered to indicate with a gesture to the desired thing or simply call mom. A request in the form of pushing an adult to the desired item is not considered normal.

A typical reaction to others, especially new people, this avoidance is sometimes interpreted as an extreme degree of shyness, which, however, does not decrease with age.

Eye contact analysis is especially important in childhood, it is normal for a child to look into your eyes, if a child looks past your eyes, despite your attempts to attract attention, this can be a problem.

Playing skills with peers - autistic children, as a rule, do not play with other children, they are more interested in toys that they can shamelessly take away from other children or running in circles or just watching from afar.

Delayed speech development

Autistic children are characterized by a delay in speech development. Children should definitely have dozens of words in their circulation at 2.5 years old. At 3 years old, a child should be able to compose and speak in sentences.

A number of parents deny the existence of problems to the last, arguing that the child pronounces very complex phrases heard from adults or on TV. In fact, this can be reflected speech, that is, meaningless repetition; this cannot in any way be called the normal development of the speech apparatus.

At an older age, the child’s speech is faster, more confused, when communicating, they tend to interrupt and slide into an exciting topic that is not related to the current conversation. Unfortunately, about 1.3 autistic children do not use speech at all.

Desire to sort things out

We all play pyramids from childhood, perhaps this is the most common children's game. The task of this game is to build the elements of the pyramid in the right order, but autistic children often have a predilection for laying out toys and objects in a certain order that are not intended for such an order. Another example, the child is not interested in the toy itself, in the form of a typewriter, as something whole, but the wheel from the typewriter, which you want to turn for hours. These are all violations of the principle of binding, in the brain. The brain is not able to put everything on the shelves and therefore focuses on individual details.

Persistent habits are also hallmarks of autism, such as the habit of one type of food.

Autism treatment

If a child is diagnosed with autism at an early age, up to three years old, and immediately begins correction, intensive intervention, then in this case one can hope for a favorable outcome and many children by school age catch up with their peers in development and, in principle, can study in a regular school .

With an integrated approach to correcting autistic disorders, of course, you can achieve a greater effect if you combine behavioral therapy with microcurrent reflex therapy, which helps restore broken connections in the brain, in which case the treatment effect is achieved faster.
The most important thing is the joint work on the correction of autism, professionals and families.

Behavioral and medical therapies for autistic children can help them grow and learn.

While there is no cure for autism, there are many behavioral therapies and medications that can greatly improve an autistic child's condition, learning ability, and overall quality of life.

There are two elements to the treatment of autism. One includes the principles of behavioral analysis, which uses cues and rewards to help children learn. Another element involves the use of development-appropriate practices. This means that intervention goals are defined in such a way that the easiest skill or knowledge is the content of the next learning goal. In this way, children achieve success and learning happens faster.

Behavioral therapy for autistic children

Two hallmarks of autism—difficulties in communication and socialization—are addressed through behavioral and complementary therapies. Recommended therapy for autistic children includes:

• Applied behavioral analysis. It is a structured therapeutic approach to teaching autistic children to stop unwanted behaviors. Several decades of research support the use of this assay.
• Intervention language - speech. Communication disorder is a major problem in autism. Therefore, all children should receive an intervention that involves the development of speech and language. Pathologists can help children with autism communicate more effectively and understand the finer points of social interactions.
• Occupational therapy. Professional doctors help autistic children learn the things they need to do at home and at school, such as how to dress, use scissors, and write clearly.
• Physiotherapy. Physical therapists work with children to develop activity, balance, posture and coordination.

Autistic children at school

Children with autism face many challenges in school, but the goal of therapy inside and outside the classroom is to help them be successful in school work and with their peers.

Associating children with autism with normally developing children is very beneficial for their development if teachers and peers are also given some guidance. To help with this, a team of professionals including parents, educators and therapists develops an individualized learning program for each child that determines what changes and interventions are needed throughout the school day. The program is reviewed regularly to ensure it is up to date.

Medicines for children with autism

There are currently no drugs that can cure autism. Instead, parents and doctors may use a variety of medications to treat some of the symptoms of autism, such as hyperactivity, as well as related conditions that affect quality of life, such as sleep disturbances or gastrointestinal discomfort. Medications are used primarily to treat behavioral disorders associated with autism, including agitation, impulsivity, anxiety, and repetitive behavior.

Medication should be taken when the behavior is disruptive enough to interfere with the child's ability to be in school, social, or home settings. Medications that are used to treat symptoms of autism include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, stimulants, anticancer drugs, tricyclics, and antipsychotics.

The decision on which medications are appropriate depends on the symptoms the autistic child has. It may take some time to find the right combination of treatments for each child. It is hoped that with treatment, all children with autism can be helped and better navigate their world.

Autism in children – School of Dr. Komarovsky (Video)