Autism is not considered to be a single diagnosis but rather a group of disorders that share a certain degree of impairment in three areas: social interaction deficits, communication problems, and an abnormally restricted repertoire of restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects the structure and function of the brain and nervous system. Because it affects development, ASD is considered a developmental disorder.
Most children with autism are not diagnosed until after age 3, although developmental problems may be seen before that age. Life expectancy, it is estimated that only 50% reaches 50 years, estimating a mortality rate of 1% per year.
Autism spectrum disorders affect each person differently and can range from very mild to very severe.
Patients with these disorders have certain symptoms and characteristics in common such as:
a) Lack of contact with the environment.
b) Stereotyped body movements.
c) Anomalies in the emission, form and content of language.
d) Marked abnormality in non-verbal communication.
e) Irrational insistence on following routines.
Also, usually accompanied by body movements, hitting and shaking objects while babbling in cadence. Some children tend to produce long strings of meaningless and unintelligible sounds. Autistic people focus on a central point and perceive movement differently, they do not have frontal vision, they see with the “corner of the eye”.
The blue color became a symbol of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Crises are part of the lives of children with autism and Asperger’s. They usually appear when the child is stressed, frustrated or exposed to an environment with too many stimuli. Autistic children scream when overwhelmed to the point of meltdown where they lose control of their actions.
When a child with autism has aggressive behavior, it is recommended:
a) Treating a child with autism the key is to smile, look him in the eye and show interest in what he wants to tell you.
b) Validate the emotion but not the behavior.
c) Offer alternative behaviors to aggression.
d) Use various and stimulating resources.
e) Accompany him and wait for him to calm down.
f) Use positive reinforcement.
g) Contact a child psychologist.
Improvements for the patient with autism:
Speech and language therapy is very important because it helps the person understand and use the language and speech. Some communicate verbally.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spanish/autism/facts.html
https://www.guiainfantil.com/salud/cuidadosespeciales/autista.htm
