Autism/PDD/Aspergers

 

Autism

 

Autism begins in infancy and children can be diagnosed as early as 18 months of age.  Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language

and abstract concepts. Other early signs of autism  include:

 

•Failing to respond to his or her name, child appears deaf or makes little to no eye contact

•Resisting change or transitions, and requires sameness

•Refraining from using gestures (pointing) and facial expressions (playing peek-a-boo) to communicate

•Scripting words or phrases from television or radio

•Preferring to be alone

•Demonstrates repetitive play behavior such as watching the tires spin on a toy car, rather than actually rolling the car

•Showing little to no thematic play behaviors such as pretend play (using a banana as a phone)

•Acting out obsessive compulsive behaviors

•Failing to recognize dangerous or unsafe situations, such as running into the street

•Food selectivity issues where he or she prefers dry, crunchy foods or has a very limited diet of only 5-10 food items

•Expressing toileting concerns including a fear of having a bowel movement on the toilet, even after he or she is toilet trained

•A dislike to be touched by others or a preference for deep pressure contact such as tight hugs

•Often throwing tantrums

•Displaying gross motor and fine motor deficits

 

PDD - Pervasive Developmentat Disorder

 

The onset of pervasive developmental disorders occurs during infancy, but the condition is usually not identified until the child is around 3 years old. Parents may begin to question the health of their child when developmental milestones are not met, including age appropriate motor movement and speech production. An early diagnosis and intervention are keys  to an appropriate and effective treatment plan for someone with an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. Pervasive Development Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS, or just PDD for short, Asperger’s Syndrome, or AS and autism are considered to be a part of a wide-range or spectrum, of psychological conditions.

Parents may observe symptoms in the child’s infancy stages which include socialization and communication issues.  This also includes:

 

•Difficulty using and understanding language

•Repetitive movements such as hand flapping, foot tapping or toe-walking

•Difficulty relating to people or events; a lack of eye contact or refrains from using gestures such as pointing to things

•Difficulty dealing with changes in routine or familiar surroundings

 

Aspergers

 

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger disorder (AD) or simply Asperger's, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

Due to the seemingly lack of social interaction, older individuals with Asperger’s often appear to be, or are commonly considered socially awkward.  Other symptoms include:

•Impaired nonverbal behaviors such as a lack of facial expression, eye contact, posture and gesture

•‘Selective Mutism’ where the child may speak excessively to a few people and not at all to others.

•Hyperlexia – this is where a person may have a superior vocabulary but has difficulty understanding sarcasm and figurative language, in which case individuals instead interpret everything literally (‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,’ ‘It’s raining cats and dogs,’ etc.)