More and more children are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This has also gone to show that there are more boys with it than there are girls. Diagnosis of autism has improved, with early detection now possible. These have led to better handling of those detected cases. You can look at several signs to know whether your kid has ASD or not. You can learn more here about such signs, and what to do when you see them.
Autism does not manifest with physical deformities, but comes with social, behavioral, and communication challenges. Autistic kids will learn, behave and think differently than other kids. ASD symptoms are on a case by case basis. There are those who suffer only slight deviations from the normal. Others are adversely affected and thus need care and assistance all their lives.
There is no conclusive reason for the presence of ASD. But several things add up to lead to its cause. Genetics is chief among them, where certain genes cause one to be susceptible to it. Parents who choose to conceive at a later stage of their lives risk autism manifesting in their child. You may also see some complications in pregnancy and childbirth being the cause.
There are several symptoms that shall let you know if the child has autism. Keep in mind the fact that those signs show themselves differently in each child, so be more observant. There are some common ones that should allow you to investigate further. You can see it in poor social skills, where the child will not want to be called by name or spend time with others. They may also not be free to communicate. They may develop their speech later, or not at all. Apart from that, their speech may turn out to be flat and lacking nuances. This is why things like sarcasm or jokes are harder on them. There is also a fixed approach to their behavior patterns, such as constant repetition of an activity or a phrase, or expecting certain things to be done through specific steps. You will also see them having trouble with their milestones later on in life. There are those who may never realize all of them.
If your child is affected, you will have to get a proper management system. There are some good ones out there, some meant for specific symptoms, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, aba therapy, RDI, and others. You shall discover more ways to approach the matter that shall be handy in your specific case on this site. You need to also make sure you take the child to a specialist for more diagnosis of the condition. You can read more about how to support your child here.
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