anouk jurgens's List: Autism

• autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
• Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with  verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow,  obsessive interests.  These behaviors can range in impact from mild to  disabling.
• They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to  themselves by name instead of “I” or “me
• Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children
• Other studies suggest that people with autism have abnormal levels of serotonin  or other neurotransmitters in the brain. 
• n families with one autistic child, the risk of having a second child with the  disorder is approximately 5 percent, or one in 20
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    Educational/behavioral interventions:   Therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions  to help children develop social and language skills.  Family counseling for  the parents and siblings of children with autism often helps families cope with  the particular challenges of living with an autistic child. 
     
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    Medications:  Doctors often prescribe an  antidepressant medication to handle symptoms of anxiety, depression, or  obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Anti-psychotic medications are used to  treat severe behavioral problems.  Seizures can be treated with one or more  of the anticonvulsant drugs.  Stimulant drugs, such as those used for  children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), are sometimes used effectively  to help decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity.
     
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    Other therapies:  There are a number of  controversial therapies or interventions available for autistic children, but  few, if any, are supported by scientific studies. Parents should use caution  before adopting any of these treatments.

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• The prevalence of ASD is about  6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls
• Autism is a brain development disorder  characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by  restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is  three years old.^[2] The  autism spectrum disorders (ASD) also  include related conditions with milder signs and symptoms.^[3
• Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of  autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by  multigene interactions or by rare mutations with major effects.^[
• Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life.
• impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted  interests and repetitive behavior. Other aspects, such as atypical eating, are  also common but are not essential for diagnosis
• People with autism have social impairments and often lack the intuition about  others that many people take for granted
• Autistic infants show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others  less often, and respond less to their own name. Autistic toddlers have more  striking social deviance; for example, they have less eye contact and anticipatory postures and are more  likely to communicate by manipulating another person's hand.^[16] Three- to  five-year-old autistic children are less likely to exhibit social understanding,  approach others spontaneously, imitate and respond to emotions, communicate  nonverbally, and take turns with others. However, they do form attachments to their primary caregivers
• A 2007 study interviewed parents of 67 children with ASD and reported that about  two-thirds of the children had periods of severe tantrums and about one-third  had a history of aggression, with tantrums significantly more common than in  children with a history of language impairment.^[21] A 2008  Swedish study found that, of individuals aged 15 or older discharged from  hospital with a diagnosis of ASD, those who committed violent crimes were  significantly more likely to have other psychopathological conditions such as psychosis.^[22]
• • Stereotypy is  apparently purposeless movement, such as hand flapping, head rolling, or body  rocking.  
  • Compulsive behavior is intended and  appears to follow rules, such as arranging objects in a certain way.  
  • Sameness is resistance to change; for example, insisting that the  furniture not be moved or refusing to be interrupted.  
  • Ritualistic  behavior involves the performance of daily activities the same way each  time, such as an unvarying menu or dressing ritual. This is closely associated  with sameness and an independent validation has suggested combining the two  factors.^[29]  
  • Restricted behavior is limited in focus, interest, or activity, such  as preoccupation with a single television program or toy.  
  • Self-injury  includes movements that injure or can injure the person, such as biting oneself.  A 2007 study reported that self-injury at some point affected about 30% of  children with ASD.^[21]

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