Autism in children is manifested in form of some clear symptoms. Diagnosis of Autism is done by specialists but parents and teachers can also play a role in identifying autism in children. Early signs of autism help in the diagnosis. Read on to know about the diagnosis of autism.
Autism is a neurological disorder which affects children before the age of three. The primary symptoms of this disorder include impairment in speech, impairment in social interaction, retraction from outside world, and abnormal or inappropriate responses to the external stimulus. Although, there may not be any apparent, visible physical signs or symptoms, by carefully observing such children it would be possible to notice abnormal behavioural changes.
Diagnosing Autism in Children
Specialists trained in treating autism in children make use of a number of time-tested techniques and instruments for diagnosing autism in children. While testing for autism doctors may also conduct structured interviews with parents and other care givers. Normally, the child's behaviour is compared against a standardised rating scale to ascertain whether she is suffering from this disorder or not.
Before going in for formal tests there will be certain clear indications of autism in most children. However, the symptoms of autism may differ from child to child. Some children are born autistic while in others the symptoms will start showing up all of a sudden.
An autistic child will be non-responsive to those around her. She may appear withdrawn or detached most of the time.
Instead of playing with a whole lot of toys such children may stick to one particular plaything or toy. They will avoid eye contacts and abstain from exhibiting personal gestures such as touching or hugging which indicate love or affection.
Development of speech will be slow in such children as compared to normal children.
An autistic child may be extremely aggressive for no apparent reason. At times due to their own aggressiveness they may inflict injuries on self.
A child suffering from autism may exhibit intermittent outbursts for no valid reasons or even have peculiar gesticulations.
The above symptoms may be present in normal children also but may vary in terms of severity. Hence, many a time parents of autistic children overlook such abnormal behaviour. However, consistent abnormal behaviour which gets worse with passage of time should alert the parents and make them seek medical assistance for treating autism in their child. Timely assistance and early intervention are very crucial to correct this disorder early on in life.
Role of Parents in Diagnosing Autism
In case of even slightest of doubts about their child being autistic parents must seek the advice of Pediatricians who are knowledgeable enough to identify this disorder in children. They will be able to tell whether a child's behaviour is within the normal pattern or not.
It is important to understand that it cannot be concluded that a child is autistic merely because of her attachment to a particular toy all the time. Other than autism there are many more probable causes for such behaviour in small children. Similarly children suffering from Asperger syndrome, a type of autism often do not have any speech related problems. In fact many of them have extraordinary language and speaking skills.
Specialists diagnosing autism normally consider all other conditions whose symptoms may be similar to autism in children before giving the final results of the test. Only after ruling out the possibility of other probable disorders specialists will give their final verdict. The results of the test will largely be based on presence of primary autistic symptoms like presence of poor social relationships, poorly developed communication skills and repetitive behaviours.
