Can autistic be emotional and outgoing? The future of autistic children: are there any prospects.

Our girl (almost 3 years old) is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, but I doubt the diagnosis. Based on the fact that the child is emotional and contact (I can’t even say I can’t get away with it), of course she has some signs: speech delay (vocabulary of 45 words, she speaks to the place, some words are said completely, and some partially ); recently began to look in the eyes, before that avoided; started responding to her name more often than before; there are attacks of aggression and fear. She began to walk a year, she was physically well developed, was ill with a roto-viral infection for a year and a half, we still think that the birth of a younger sister was reflected (she behaves aggressively towards her). We noticed that our daughter does not point with a finger, as other children of her age do, she just recently began to point and name objects. He likes to sculpt simple sticks, balls from plasticine, there is no role-playing game (the only thing is he can feed the doll for a minute and that’s all). Correctly puts the figures in the cells, collects the pyramids, but she quickly gets bored. Everywhere he climbs where it’s impossible, very active, games can be said to be meaningless and plays with everyday objects, rarely with toys (he uses them correctly, for example, he hits the drum, twists the yule, etc.). She also loves to throw off objects in the cracks, throw stones into the water, and ate dirty dishes left in the sink; she can throw anything at her. She also does not allow to take off her clothes or vice versa. Can take a laugh just looking at the ceiling. She has imagination, she holds fists and offers me to eat what is in her hand, although there is nothing there, or she will not straighten her hand until she eats it. She eats herself, but not always, she can dress herself, everything is okay with the toilet. I clearly understand that our daughter has something, but I don’t know what. We went to the defectologist, she, too, is inclined to autism, we try to deal with her as an autistic. I understand that you certainly need to monitor the child to make an accurate diagnosis, but where we live is not possible (Altai Republic)! A psychiatrist works only with children from three years old, we went to another region, but they do not accept us there - our republic owes a lot of money for treatment. I had to go through a private clinic and this is only an hour of specialist work! Our doctors put the consequences of perinatal damage to the central nervous system in the phase of delay in the psycho-speech development of the emotional-speech sphere. There is no possibility to travel for a long time, I have one more small child. So, please answer the question: can autism be emotional and sociable, or do we have something else in general?

Autism is a brain disorder characterized by abnormalities in a person’s social behavior, as well as limitations and repetitions in it. These symptoms usually appear already in childhood, up to three years. In the course of the disease, milder symptoms can also occur, which are attributed to autism spectrum disorders.

With autism, changes are observed in many parts of the brain, but the course of their development is unclear. With early detection and interference with a child’s behavior, you can help them acquire self-help, communication and social behavior skills, but there are no guaranteed ways to cure autism. Only a few children, upon reaching adulthood, are able to exist independently.

At the moment, the causes of autism are not entirely clear, it is only clear that they are associated with genes. Perhaps their multiple interaction is to blame, and perhaps rare mutations. There are controversial theories of the occurrence of the disease, for example, vaccination of children. Doctors estimate the prevalence of disorders of this spectrum at 0.6% of the total population.

Interestingly, autism is 4 times more common in boys than in girls. The mysterious causes of this occurrence of this disease, its course gave rise to many myths around it, which will be partially debunked.

Myths about autism.

The cause of autism can be a poor parental attitude.   I would like to believe that this myth is already uprooted, because it has long been proven that this is not true. Autism is a neurological condition, so it cannot occur for psychological reasons. After all, if poor parenting and a tough attitude of parents would cause autism, then in the world there would be much more cases.

Low-functioning and high-functioning autism are completely different diseases.   Even following the name it is clear that the diseases are still different. However, studies have shown that between patients with these two forms there are no fundamental differences other than the level of IQ. With both diagnoses, the main deficits coincide, they are simply expressed in their own way.

All autistic people are the same. Typically, such a myth is based on a comparison of one autistic friend to everyone else. Others are thought to behave similarly. Of course, patients have some common features of deviations, as a result of which some of their gestures and manners may coincide. But these people have their own personality, like all of us. The following three statements apply to this myth.

Autists think exclusively in pictures.   Indeed, visual thinking in such people is much more common than in ordinary people, but such brain work cannot be unambiguously considered a universal or unique characteristic. Not all autistic people think in this way, although books and scientific papers are even written about this way of thinking.

Autists have sensory problems, which are expressed in increased sensitivity to sounds and touch.   Sensory problems may lie in the fact that mild irritants are not perceived at all or hypersensitivity, in the presence of synesthesia, when one feeling is mistaken for another and other deviations. It is interesting that these problems can relate to any feeling, including sensations of space or the vestibular apparatus.

All autistic people have some special ability.   According to statistics, only 10% of autistic people have unusual abilities. This figure is higher than that of other people by a thousand times, but still, this is the exception rather than the rule. It happens that unusual abilities manifest themselves in childhood, and then, with the experience of communicating with people, opportunities disappear. By the way, such abilities are not necessarily useless; some autists successfully use them, say, in employment.

Autists cannot really talk.   This is not true, it often even happens that the onset of autism in children is ignored, since they communicate quite successfully, but after a few years the disease still makes itself felt. Many autistic people even start talking early enough.

Autistic people have serious intellectual disabilities. Autists can have any kind of intelligence, not differing from ordinary people in this characteristic. At first, children's intellectual achievements can be interpreted as side deviations, and later they can be interpreted as features of a gifted person. Therefore, the IQ test is not indicative of autism, nor is it for other people. Although it should be noted that among autists, the gap between intellect deficits and abilities can be much larger than in ordinary people. Do not consider the lack of abilities in one area an indicator that there are no abilities at all or that they certainly exist in a different direction.

All autistic people have problems with other people.   Parents of sick children are often encouraged that their children will never be able to experience feelings such as love. However, many autistic people have full-fledged families and children. Sometimes even severe forms of autism do not prevent people from showing affection and concern about the feelings of other people.

Behind the shell of autism is an ordinary normal person.   It is believed that some measures can be taken that will release a normal person outside, breaking through the wall of autism. However, this is not true, autism penetrates a person, significantly affecting his ability to feel, perceive events, information, reactions, interactions. The disappearance of autism from a person will fundamentally change himself, so that a completely new personality can be seen.

Autism, especially poorly functioning, is in itself a completely negative phenomenon. Autistic patients remember their non-verbal childhood experience, but many do not perceive it as negative. This condition was not accompanied by feelings of loneliness or fear. Yes, the world may be incomprehensible or somewhat frightening, but it is taken for granted. Typically, the perception of aspects of autism depends on people's attitudes toward them. For example, hyperfocus can seem like a problem if you consider it as a quality that makes you focus on your feet, while passing a traffic signal. But with intensive work with projects, this quality can be indispensable. This applies to those cases when a person works as a freelancer or if he needs increased attention when working at a computer. Autism cannot be perceived solely as something bad or distinctive. Yes, in general, autism leads to disability, but many are satisfied with this state of affairs, because healing can lead to a person’s loss of himself, and will entail serious psychological problems.

Autists are often obsessed with something, prone to rituals, self-stimulating behavior, this must be fought.   Indeed, such behavior is characteristic of an autistic person, but it is usually completely harmless. Autistic patients relieve their stress and regulate information coming from the senses with the help of self-stimulating behavior. There is a direct correlation between an increase in self-stimulation and a decrease in self-harm in patients, which can hardly be explained by chance. Is it worth identifying stimulating movements as “strange”, fighting them if a person in himself seems strange to society? Such a modification may be desirable for those highly functioning autistic individuals who may want to merge with the crowd. To make an appropriate decision about changing behavior, you need to understand whether an autistic person will have problems? We emphasize once again - the tendency to specific interests is inherent in autism, annoying others, but this feature is harmless! Sometimes obsession even helps in career advancement. For example, if a person is passionate about computers, then employers will undoubtedly be impressed by the obsession in this environment. With autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder may occur, but this is a different phenomenon. In conclusion, it can be said that behavior that is socially unacceptable, and not just strange and annoying, really needs to be corrected, as it can be harmful or illegal.

If children tease each other, then there is nothing wrong with that.   Many believe that it is in such skirmishes that the character of the child is tempered, not paying attention to how real bullying occurs. There is also an opinion that children themselves are to blame for such behavior of peers, or simply it all boils down to the fact that "children are children." For the most distant autistic children, there is nothing wrong with swearing, they simply do not perceive them, having generally a weak perception of people in general. But with age comes the realization of a place for such bullying and social exclusion. As a result, depression can occur in sick people, which can provoke suicidal thoughts and intentions, self-harm can occur. Therefore, it’s better to prevent teasing each other’s children, teasers, these are not harmless games, serious consequences can arise as a result of such an attitude between children.

Autists, like all other ordinary people, need and want the same thing.   Many people judge autistic life from their point of view. Like, I would be unhappy in this position, which means they too are probably unhappy. It should be noted that autists often make unusual choices regarding their rest, entertainment and social life in general. It seems strange to many that autists do not go and do not tend to attend parties, dances and other entertainment events. Autists often prefer outdoor activities to fuss with designer cubes or small items. It may seem strange, but there is no harm to anyone from such behavior. The main thing is that sick people like it, bringing them a piece of pleasure. Ordinary people consider themselves completely independent, for them this feeling is important, although in reality they bear the burden of social responsibility and dependence. But autistic people are really independent, and their feeling is different from ordinary people. We must try to look at the life of autistic people and their values \u200b\u200bprecisely through the eyes of sick people, and not impose on them the point of view of those who do not understand and do not accept a strange world.

Autism is a common childhood illness.   Few understand that autistic children grow up and the disease stays with them. Society gets autistic adults. These people learn, develop and grow, like everyone else, maybe even more. Only for autistic adults, especially those who lead an active social life and perform certain functions, there are practically no specialized services.

The presence of "mild" autism should not affect human behavior.   In fact, there is no such thing as mild autism. Even a high-functioning autistic person spends great conditions to adapt to society. Many minimize Asperger's syndrome by calling it "nerd" syndrome. However, there is a clear difference between a normal healthy person, albeit a strange and sick autism, albeit a highly functional one. The border passes where certain traits lead to disability. For example, a sick person has a guest mode. In it, autism is practically indistinguishable from an ordinary person, but prolonged work in this mode can lead to a serious nervous breakdown. This is why autistic people may need intervals for rest. For others, such behavior may seem like a sign of laziness or unmotivated, annoying those who are nearby. Autists can only recall their illness so that people understand that high functionality still has certain limitations.

In life, a high-functioning autistic is easier and better than a low-functioning autistic.   In childhood, a sick person does not have communication needs, nor an understanding of why this is necessary. Accordingly, frustration from the absence of this is not experienced. Many autists even regret that they learned to communicate with the rest of the world, because they thereby lost their unique fairy-tale non-verbal world. He is often longed for, unable to return. Parents of autistic children claim that low-functioning children are usually happy. For patients, what is difficult is not the lack of the ability to do something, but the realization that the desire for action is not reinforced by the possibilities for their implementation. Therefore, it is easier for many autists to be low-functioning than to be in a state in which they cannot get the desired result.

Autism means that a person develops in a different way and has problems with communication and interaction with other people, as well as unusual types of behavior, such as repetitive movements or enthusiasm for very highly specialized interests. However, this is only a clinical definition, and this is not the most important thing to know about autism.

So ... what should an ordinary person know about autism? There are a lot of misconceptions, important facts that people don’t even suspect about, and several universal truths that are always ignored when it comes to disability. So let's list them.

1. Autism is diverse. Very, very diverse. Ever heard the saying: "If you know one autistic person, then you know ... only one autistic person"? It's true. We like completely different things, we behave differently, we have different talents, different interests and different skills. Gather a group of autistic people and look at them. You will find that these people are just as different from each other as are neurotypic people. Perhaps autistic people differ from each other even more. Each autistic person is individual, and you can’t make any assumptions about him only on the basis of his diagnosis, except for "Perhaps this person has problems with communication and social interaction." And, you see, this is a very general statement.

2. Autism does not determine a person’s personality ... but it is still a fundamental part of our essence. Some have kindly reminded me of the missing second paragraph on this list, so I just added it! I miss something every now and then ... especially if it’s about something like "If it’s written that it is a list of ten items, then there should be ten items." The thing is that it’s hard for me to perceive the whole picture, and instead I constantly focus on details like “Did I make a spelling mistake?” If I didn’t already have a pervasive developmental disorder, then I would be diagnosed with a disorder of attention like ADHD - in my head I have not only autism. In fact, autism is just one of many things, and most of them are not diagnoses. I am an autist, but I also have huge problems with organizing my actions and switching to a new task, which people with ADHD usually have. Reading is excellent for me, but there are serious problems with arithmetic, but not with the score. I am an altruist, an introvert, I have my own opinion on any matter, and I hold moderate views in politics. I am a Christian, student, scientist ... How much of everything is included in identity! However, autism paints all this a bit, as if you are looking at something through stained glass. So if you think that I would be the same person without my autism, then you are clearly mistaken! Because how can you remain the same person if your mind begins to think differently, learn differently, and you have a completely different view of the world? Autism is not just a supplement. This is the very basis for the development of the personality of an autistic person. I have only one brain, and "autism" is just a shortcut that describes the features of this brain.

3. Having autism does not make your life meaningless. Disability in general does not mean that your life is meaningless, and in this regard, autism is no different from any other disability. The limitations in communication and social interaction, coupled with learning difficulties and sensory problems that are peculiar to us, do not mean that the life of an autistic person is worse than the life of a neurotypic person. Sometimes people assume that if you have a disability, then your life is by definition worse, but I think they are just too inclined to look at everything from their own point of view. People who have been neurotypical all their lives begin to think about what they would feel if they suddenly lost their skills ... while in reality you need to imagine that they never had these skills, or that they developed different skills and a different view of the world. Disability itself is a neutral fact, not a tragedy. With regard to autism, tragedy is not autism itself, but the prejudices associated with it. No matter what kind of limitations a person has, autism does not prevent him from being part of his family, part of his community and a man whose life has inherent value.

4. Autistic people are capable of love to the same extent as any other people.   Love for other people does not depend on the ability to speak fluently, understand the expression of strangers or remember that when you try to make friends with someone, it is better not to talk about wild cats for an hour and a half without stopping. We may not be able to copy other people's emotions, but we are capable of the same compassion as everyone else. We simply express it differently. Neurotypics usually try to express sympathy, autists (at least those who are similar to me, as I said - we are very different) try to fix the problem that initially upset the person. I see no reason to believe that one approach is better than another ... Oh, and one more thing: although I am asexual myself, I am in the minority among people in the autism spectrum. Autistic adults with any form of autism can fall in love, marry, and start a family. Several of my friends with autism are married or have dates.

5. The presence of autism does not prevent a person from learning. Actually does not interfere. We grow and we learn throughout life, just like any other person. Sometimes I hear people say that their autistic children have recovered. However, in reality they only describe how their children grow, develop and learn in a suitable environment. They actually devalue the efforts and achievements of their own children, attributing them to the latest drug or other treatment. I have come a long way from a two-year-old girl who cried sobbing almost round-the-clock, constantly running around in circles and creating violent tantrums from the touch of woolen fabric. Now I am in college, and I have almost achieved independence. (I still can’t stand the woolen fabric). In a good setting, with good teachers, learning will be almost inevitable. This is what autism research should focus on: what is the best way to teach us what we need to know about this world that is not adapted for us.

6. The origin of autism is almost entirely genetic.   The hereditary component of autism is about 90%, which means that almost every case of autism can be reduced to a certain combination of genes, be it the “nerd genes” that were transmitted from your parents, or these are new mutations that occurred only in your generation. Autism has nothing to do with the vaccines you have been given, and it has nothing to do with what you eat. Ironically, despite the arguments of the opponents of vaccines, the only non-genetic cause of autism proven is the congenital rubella syndrome, which occurs when a pregnant (usually unvaccinated) woman gets rubella. People, do all the necessary vaccinations. They save lives - millions of people who die every year from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines would agree.

7. Autistic people are not sociopaths. I know, you probably don’t think so, but still this should be repeated again. "Autism" is often associated with the image of a person who absolutely does not care about the existence of other people, while in reality, this is simply a communication problem. We do not care about other people. Moreover, I know several autists who are so panicky afraid to accidentally say "something is wrong" and hurt other people's feelings, which as a result are constantly shy and nervous. Even nonverbal autistic children show the same affection for their parents as non-autistic children. In reality, autistic adults commit crimes much less frequently than neurotypes. (However, I do not think that this is due to our innate virtue. After all, very often a crime is social activity).

8. There is no “autism epidemic."   In other words: the number of people diagnosed with autism is growing, but the total number of autistic people remains the same. Studies conducted among adults show that the level of autism among them is the same as among children. What are the reasons for all these new cases? Just with the fact that now milder forms of autism are also diagnosed, including thanks to the recognition that Asperger's syndrome is autism without speech delay (previously you were not diagnosed if you could speak). In addition, people with mental retardation began to be included (as it turned out, in addition to mental retardation, they very often have autism). As a result, the number of diagnoses of mental retardation has decreased, and the number of diagnoses of autism has accordingly increased. Nevertheless, the rhetoric about the “autism epidemic” had a positive effect: thanks to it, we learned about the real prevalence of autism, and we know that it is not necessarily severe, and we know how it manifests itself, which allows children to receive the necessary support from a very young age.

9. Autistic people can be happy without healing.   And we are not talking about some second-class happiness according to the principle "something is better than nothing." Most neurotypists (unless they are artists and children) will never notice the beauty in the location of cracks in the asphalt of the pavement, or how great colors play on spilled gasoline after rain. They probably will never know what it feels like completely and completely surrendering to a certain topic and studying everything that is possible about it. They'll never know
the beauty of the facts that were brought into a particular system. They probably will never know what it feels like to wave their hands in happiness, or what it feels like to forget about everything because of the sensation of a cat's fur. There are wonderful aspects in the life of autists, as, most likely, they are in the life of neurotypists. No, understand me correctly: this is a difficult life. The world is not adapted for autistic existence, and autistic people and their families face stranger prejudices every day. However, happiness in autism does not boil down to "courage" or "overcoming." This is just happiness. You don’t have to be normal to be happy.

10. Autistic people want to be part of this world.   We really want this ... just on our own terms. We want to be accepted. We want to go to school. We want to work. We want to be heard and heard. We have hopes and dreams about our future and the future of this world. We want to contribute. Many of us want to start a family. We are different from the norm, but it is diversity that makes this world stronger, not weaker. The more ways of thinking, the more ways to solve a particular problem will be found. The diversity of society means that when a problem arises, we will have different minds at hand, and one of them will find a solution.

There are more and more babies diagnosed with autism every day. This prevalence of the disease is associated primarily with improved diagnosis. Often, talented and gifted babies in Russia are missed with a diagnosis of autism. Such children require special attention and must necessarily be socialized in society.

What it is?

In simple words, “autism” is a mental disorder or disease characterized by changes in the psyche, loss of social adaptation in society, and altered behavior. Typically, a child has a persistent violation of the interaction within society.

Often, autism is not diagnosed for a long time, as parents attribute changes in behavior to the characteristics of the character of the baby.

The disease can indeed be mild. In this case, identifying the first characteristic signs and recognizing the disease is a very difficult task not only for parents, but also for doctors.

In Europe and the United States, the diagnosis of autism is much more often established. This is due to the presence of excellent diagnostic criteria,   which allow the commission of doctors to accurately diagnose even with mild disease severity or in complex clinical cases.

In autistic babies, various changes occur in the cerebral cortex. They appear immediately after birth. However, they can appear much later, after many years. The disease proceeds without periods of persistent remission. With a long course of the disease and the use of various psychotherapeutic techniques that can improve the behavior of an autistic baby, parents can see some improvements.

To date, no specific treatment has been developed. This means that a complete cure of the disease, unfortunately, is impossible.

Prevalence

The statistics of autism incidence in the USA and Europe differs markedly from Russian data. This is primarily due to the high detectability of sick children abroad. Foreign doctors and psychologists use numerous questionnaires and diagnostic behavioral tests, which allow them to accurately determine the correct diagnosis in children of any age.

In Russia, the statistics are completely different. Often, not all babies have the first symptoms of the disease on time and at an early age. Russian children who suffer from autism often remain simply withdrawn babies.

Symptoms of the disease are "attributed" to the characteristics of the character and temperament of the child, which leads to serious consequences. Such children subsequently poorly integrate into society, cannot find themselves in the profession, or they fail to create a good and happy family.

The prevalence of the disease is not more than 3%.   Most often, boys have autism. Usually this ratio is 4: 1. Girls from families where there are many cases of autism in relatives can also have this mental illness.

Most often, the first vivid symptoms of the disease are detected only by three years. The disease, as a rule, manifests itself even at an earlier age, but up to 3-5 years, in most cases remains unrecognized.

Why are babies with an autism spectrum disorder born?

To date, scientists have not decided on a common opinion on this issue. In the development of autism, many experts consider several genes guilty, which cause a violation in the work of some parts of the cerebral cortex. Often when analyzing cases, it becomes apparent pronounced heredity.

Another theory of the disease is considered mutational.   Scientists believe that the cause of the disease can be a variety of mutations and breakdowns in the genetic apparatus of a particular individual.

Various factors can lead to this:

• the effect of ionizing radiation on the fetus during pregnancy of the mother;
• infection with bacterial or viral infections of the fetus during fetal development;
• exposure to hazardous chemicals that have teratogenic effects on the unborn child;
• chronic diseases of the nervous system in the mother, in which she took various symptomatic psychotropic drugs for a long time.

According to American experts, such mutagenic effects quite often led to various disorders characteristic of autism.

Especially dangerous is such an effect on the fetus during the first 8-10 weeks from the moment of conception. At this time, the laying of all vital organs takes place, including those responsible for the behavior of the zone of the cerebral cortex begin to form.

The gene or mutational disorders that underlie the disease ultimately lead to the appearance of specific damage to individual sections of the central nervous system. As a result of this, the coordinated work between the various neurons responsible for social integration is disrupted.

Also, there is a change in the functions of mirror cells of the brain, which leads to the appearance of specific symptoms of autism, when a baby can repeatedly perform a similar action and pronounce individual phrases several times.

Kinds

Currently, quite a few different classifications of the disease are used. All of them are divided according to the variants of the course of the disease, the severity of manifestations, and also taking into account the stage of the disease.

There is no single working classification that would be used in Russia. In our country, the development and streamlining of specific criteria for the disease, which will underlie the diagnosis of the disease, is currently underway.

Autism can usually occur in several forms or variants:

1. Typical.With this option, the signs of the disease appear quite clearly already in childhood. Toddlers are more reserved behavior, lack of involvement in games with other children, poorly make contact even with close relatives and parents. To improve social integration, a whole range of different psychotherapeutic procedures and the help of a child psychologist, who is well versed in this problem, are required.
2. Atypical.This atypical variant of the disease occurs at a much later age. As a rule, after 3-4 years. This form of the disease is characterized by the manifestation of not all specific signs of autism, but only some. Atypical autism is diagnosed quite late. Often, untimely diagnosis and delayed diagnosis leads to the development of more persistent symptoms in the child, which are much worse for therapy.
3. Hidden.Accurate statistics on the number of babies with this diagnosis are not available. With this form of the disease, the manifestation of the main clinical symptoms is extremely rare. Very often, kids are considered simply overly introverted or introverted. Such children practically do not allow strangers into their own inner world. Communicating with a child diagnosed with autism is very difficult.

How is a light form different from a severe one?

Autism can occur in several forms in severity. The mildest form is found in most cases. It is characterized by violations of social adaptation, when the baby does not want to make contacts or communicate with other people.

It is important to understand that he does this not because of modesty or excessive isolation, but simply because of the manifestations of the disease. Such kids, as a rule, start talking late.

Self-disorders with a mild form of the disease practically do not occur. Kids can make contact with people closest to them. Usually a child chooses several family members who, in his opinion, treat him with more care and attention. Autistic babies have poor body contact. Usually the child tries to deviate from the hug or does not like kisses.

Toddlers with more severe illnessin every possible way try to avoid contact with other people. Even touching or embracing from close relatives can cause them severe psychological trauma. Only the closest, according to the child, people can touch him. This is a very important clinical sign of the disease. A kid with autism is very sensitive to any interference in his personal space from a very young age.

Some severe variants of the disease are characterized by mental inclinations to harm themselves. Such babies may even bite themselves or make various injuries at an older age.

Such a manifestation is not common, but it requires urgent consultation of a psychiatrist and the appointment of special medications that reduce the manifestations of aggression in relation to one's own personality.

A mild form of the disease often remains undiagnosed, especially in Russia.Manifestations of the disease are simply attributed to the features of the development of the child or the uniqueness of his character. Such children can grow and carry the disease already into adulthood. The course of the disease can vary at different ages. However, the classic violation of social integration is observed almost constantly, without remission.

Severe forms of the disease, which often manifest themselves in complete forced isolation of the baby from the outside world, are much easier to identify.

The behavior of a child with severe autism is manifested by a pronounced unwillingness to communicate with any people. Such kids are more likely to be alone. This brings them peace and does not violate their usual way of life.

Failure to provide therapeutic psychotherapy can lead to a worsening of the condition and complete social maladaptation of the child.

Symptoms and first signs

Manifestations of the disease can be checked already in the first years of a child's life. With a thorough and careful analysis of the behavior of the baby, even at a very young age, you can identify the first characteristic signs of autism syndrome. There are special psychological traits and features for this disease.

The main characteristics of the disease can be divided into several main categories:

• Reluctance to create new social contacts.
• Disturbed interests or the use of special games.
• Repeating typical actions repeatedly.
• Violation of speech behavior.
• Change in intelligence and different levels of mental development.
• Change in one's own sense of personality.
• Violation of psychomotor functions.

Unwillingness to create new social contacts manifests itself in babies from birth.At first, the children are reluctant to respond to any touch from the side of the closest people. Even the hugs or kisses of parents do not cause positive emotions in babies with autism. Such children from the outside seem overly calm and even “cold”.

Kids practically do not respond to smiles and do not notice the “grimaces” that their parents or close relatives make. They often fix their gaze on some object that is of great interest to them.

Newborns with Autism Syndrome for hours they can look at a toy or look at one point all the time.

Kids practically do not feel the expressed joy from new gifts. Children of the first year of life can be absolutely neutral to any new toys. Most often, it is difficult to get a smile from such kids in response to a gift. In the best case, the autistic kid will simply turn the toy around for a few minutes in the handles, after which it will be postponed indefinitely.

Children over one year of age are very selective in their choice of people close to them.   Usually they choose no more than two people.This is due to the reluctance to create close contacts, as this leads to severe discomfort for the baby.

Usually they choose one of their parents as a “friend”. It can be both dad and mom. In some cases - grandparents.

Autistic children have practically no contact with their peers or babies of a different age. Any attempt to disturb their own comfortable world can bring such discomfort to such children.

They try to avoid any traumatic situation for their psyche. Autistic kids have virtually no friends. Difficulties with acquiring new friends they experience throughout life.

The first serious problems in these babies appear at the age of 2-3 years. Usually at this time, children are sent to kindergarten. As a rule, the disease is detected there, since it is simply impossible to not notice the characteristic manifestations of the disease.

When visiting a kindergarten, the behavior of autistic babies stands out sharply.They seem more closed than other children, can stay away, play with the same toy for hours, performing some stereotyped repetitive movements.

Children with autism are more alienated. Most babies ask for almost nothing. If they need something, then they prefer to take it on their own without outside help.

Kids up to three years old can get used to the potty poorly.

If you ask the child to give you a toy or some object, then most often he will not give it into his hands, but simply throw it on the floor. This is a manifestation of a disturbed perception of any communication.

Autistic kids are not always completely passive in a new unfamiliar team. Often, when trying to introduce a sick child into a new society, he may experience bright negative outbursts of anger or aggression towards others. This is a manifestation of a violation or intrusion into the borders of one’s own and so cozy, and most importantly, safe inner world for kids with autism. The expansion of any contact can lead to violent outbreaks of aggression and a deterioration in mental well-being.

Disturbed interests or use of special games

Very often, children with autism remain indifferent to any active recreational activities. They are, as it were, in their own inner world. Entrance to this personal space for other people is usually closed. Any attempts to teach a child to play very often lead to the complete failure of this venture.

Autistic babies pick 1-2 favorite toys,with which they spend a huge amount of time. Even with a large selection of different toys, they are completely indifferent to them.

With careful observation of the game of a child with autism, one can notice a strict repetition of the sequence of actions that he performs. If a boy plays with boats, then very often he builds all the ships he has in one line. A child can sort them by size, by color, or by some special signs for him. He performs this action every time before the game.

Strict ordering is often manifested in babies with autism in everything. This is a manifestation of a world that is comfortable for them, in which all objects stand in their places and the absence of chaos.

All new items that appear in the life of an autistic baby cause him severe psychological trauma. Even the rearrangement of furniture or toys can cause a baby to have a severe attack of aggression or, conversely, put a child into a state of complete apathy. It is better that all objects stand in their places constantly. In this case, the baby will feel more comfortable and calm.

For girls who have autism, a change in the form of the game is also characteristic. Pay attention to how the baby plays with her doll. During such a lesson, she will perform all movements and actions according to the established algorithm every day. For example, she will first comb her hair, then wash the doll, then change clothes. And never the other way around! All in a strictly established sequence.

This systematic action in children with autism is due to the peculiarity of impaired mental behavior, and not to character. If you try to clarify with the baby why every time he does the same actions, you will not receive an answer. The child simply does not notice what actions he performs. For the perception of his own psyche, this is absolutely normal.

Repeating common actions

Not always the behavior of a baby with autism is very different from the way a healthy child communicates. Such children from the outside look absolutely normal, since the appearance of the kids practically does not change.

Children with autism often do not lag behind in physical development and do not differ at all in external signs from their peers. However, a closer observation of the child’s behavior reveals a few actions that differ from normal behavior.

Often, children with autism can repeat different words or combinations of several letters or syllables. Such disorders can occur in both boys and girls.

This symptom can manifest itself in different ways:

• Repeating the count or sequential naming of numbers.   Often, autistic babies count multiple times throughout the day. Such an occupation gives the child comfort and even positive emotions.
• Repetition of previously spoken words.   For example, after the question “how old are you?”, The baby can repeat “I am 5 years old, 5 years old, 5 years old” several dozen times. Very often, such babies repeat one phrase or word at least 10-20 times.

In other cases, children with autism can perform the same action for a long time. For example, they repeatedly turn off and on the light. Some babies often open or close water taps.

Another feature may be the constant wringing of the fingers or the same type of movement with legs and handles. Such typical actions, repeated many times, bring babies peace and tranquility.

In more rare cases, babies can perform other similar actions, for example, sniff various objects. Many scientists attribute this to the fact that disturbances occur in those areas of the cerebral cortex that are active for the perception of odors. Sense of smell, touch, vision and taste perception - these areas of sensory perception in a baby with autism are also often damaged, and various manifestations appear.

Speech Disorders

Speech disorders occur in babies with autism quite often. The severity of manifestations is different. With a milder form of the disease, as a rule, speech disturbances are slightly expressed. With a more severe course, a complete delay in speech development and the acquisition of persistent defects can be observed.

The disease can manifest itself in different ways. Often, children with autism start talking late. As a rule, after a child speaks the first few words, he may be silent for a long time. The baby’s vocabulary consists of just a few words. Often he repeats them many times throughout the day.

Kids with autism are poorly expanding their vocabulary. Even remembering the words, they try not to use a large number of different combinations in their speech.

A feature of speech behavior in a baby older than two years is the mention of objects in the third person.   Most often, the child will call himself by name or will say, for example, "girl Olya." The pronoun "I" from a child with autism is almost never heard.

If you ask the baby if he wants to swim, then the child can answer "he wants to swim" or call himself by the name "Kostya wants to swim."

Very often, children with autism do not answer the direct questions that are addressed to them. They can be silent or leave the answer, transfer the conversation to other topics or simply ignore it. This behavior is associated with a painful perception of new contacts and an attempt to invade personal space.

If the baby is harassed with questions or too many questions are asked in a short time, then the child can react even very violently, showing aggression.

The speech of older children often includes many interesting combinations and phrases.They perfectly remember various tales and proverbs.

A child with autism can easily memorize an excerpt from Pushkin’s poem as early as five years old or declare a complex poem.

These children often have a tendency to rhyme. At a younger age, babies are very pleased to repeatedly repeat various rhymes.

The combination of words may seem completely pointless, and in some cases even crazy. However, for children with autism, the repetition of such rhymes gives joy and positive emotions.

Change in intelligence and different levels of mental development

For a long time it was believed that children with autism are mentally retarded. But this is a huge mistake! A large number of autistic babies have the highest IQ.

With proper communication with the child, you can notice that he has a high level of intelligence.   However, he will not show it to everyone.

The peculiarity of the psychic development of autism is that it is very difficult for him to concentrate and be purposeful in achieving specific goals.

The memory of such kids has the property of selectivity. Not all events will be remembered by the child with equal ease, but only those that, according to his personal perception, will be closer to the inner world.

Some babies show defects in logical perception. They poorly perform tasks for the construction of an associative series.

The kid perceives ordinary abstract events well,can easily repeat a sequence or chain of events even after a long time. Violations of long memory in children with autism are not observed.

Toddlers with a higher level of intelligence integrate very poorly in school. Often such a child becomes an “outcast” or “black sheep”.

The impaired ability to socialize contributes to the fact that autistic children are even more distant from the outside world. As a rule, such kids have a penchant for various sciences. They can become real geniuses if the right approach is applied to the child.

Different variants of the disease can occur in different ways. In some cases, in children there is a decrease in intellectual abilities. They are unsatisfactory in school, do not answer teachers' questions, poorly solve difficult geometric tasks that require good spatial and logical abilities.

Very often, for such children, special training is needed with the use of special pedagogical programs that are designed specifically for kids with autism.

It is important to note that any deterioration in the condition can occur in a child suddenly when exposed to any provoking reason. Often, they can be severe stress or peer attacks.

Autistic children suffer such provocative events very hard. This can even lead to severe apathy or, conversely, cause violent aggression.

See the next video for teaching children with autism spectrum disorders.

Change in self-esteem

If any contact with other people is disturbed, autists often project any negative events onto themselves. This is called auto-aggressiveness. This manifestation of the disease in varying degrees of severity is quite common. Almost every third child with autism suffers from this adverse manifestation of the disease.

Psychotherapists believe that this negative symptom occurs as a result of a disturbed perception of the boundaries of their own inner world. Any threat to personal safety is perceived by the sick child overly acutely. Kids can cause themselves various injuries: bite themselves or even deliberately cut themselves.

Even in childhood, the child is disturbed by the feeling of limited space. Such kids often fall from the arena, previously swaying heavily. Some children may unfasten themselves and fall to the ground.

Usually such a negative and painful experience will cause a healthy baby not to do such actions in the future. A child with autism, even despite the pain received, will still repeat this action again and again.

Rarely enough, the baby shows aggression towards others. In 99% of cases, the manifestation of such a reaction is self-defense. As a rule, kids are very keen on any attempts to invade their personal world.

Inept actions in relation to a child with autism or even a simple desire to make contact can cause a baby to have an attack of aggression that provokes internal fear.

Disorders of psychomotor functions

Quite often, in children with autism, an altered gait occurs. They try to tiptoe. Some babies may bounce while walking. This symptom occurs daily.

All attempts to make comments to the baby that he walks incorrectly and needs to walk differently do not cause him a response. The child remains true to his gait for a long time.

Kids with autism do not notice the changes that appear in his daily life. Older children try to choose routes familiar to him. A child who has autism will almost always choose the same path to school without changing his own habits.

Toddlers often remain true to their taste preferences.Such children should not be accustomed to a certain regimen of meals. Anyway, a child with autism will have his own idea and even a whole system in his head about what and when he should eat.

Making the baby eat an unfamiliar product will be next to impossible. They remain faithful to their taste preferences throughout life.

Key characteristics by age

Up to a year

Toddlers with autism will respond poorly to any attempt to access them, especially by name. Children do not babble or pronounce the first words for a long time.

The emotions of the child are quite depleted. Gesticulation is also significantly reduced. The kid who is sick with autism gives the impression of a very calm child who cries a little and practically does not ask for pens. Any contacts with parents and even mom do not deliver strong positive emotions to the child.

Newborn babies and infants practically do not express various emotions on their faces.   Such kids seem even a little renounced. Often, when trying to make the baby smile, he does not change his face or perceives this attempt rather coldly. Such kids are very fond of considering various subjects. Their gaze dwells on some subject for a very long time.

Toddlers often try to choose one or a couple of toys with which they can spend almost all day. For games, they absolutely do not need any of the outsiders. They feel great alone with themselves. Sometimes attempts to invade their game can cause a panic attack or aggression.

Children of the first year of life who suffer from autism practically do not call for adult help. If they need something, then they try to take this item on their own.

Intellectual disorders at this age, as a rule, do not happen. Most babies do not lag behind their peers in terms of physical or mental development.

Up to 3 years

At the age of 3 years, the symptoms of limiting your own space begin to manifest themselves to a greater extent.

Playing on the street, the kids categorically refuse to play in the same sandbox with other children.All items and toys that belong to a child with autism belong only to him.

Such children from the outside seem very closed and “on their minds”. Most often, by the age of one and a half years they can only utter a few words. However, this is not the case with all babies. Often they repeat various verbal combinations that do not carry a large semantic load.

After the child has spoken the first word, he may suddenly become silent and practically not speak for a sufficiently long time.

Autistic babies almost never answer the questions they ask. Only with the people closest to them can they utter a few words or answer in a third person a question addressed to them.

Very often, such children try to look away and do not look at the interlocutor. Even if the child answers the question, he will never use the word “I”. Autistic kids define themselves as “he” or “she." Many kids just call themselves by name.

For some babies, manifestations of stereotypical actions are characteristic.They can sway strongly in a chair. Parents' comments that doing this wrong or ugly do not cause a child any response. This is not due to the desire to demonstrate their character, but simply to a violation of the perception of their own behavior. The kid really does not notice and does not see anything wrong in his action.

Some babies may have problems with fine motor skills. When trying to take any small objects from a table or floor, the child does this very awkwardly.

Often, babies cannot squeeze their palms well.   Such a violation of fine motor skills without fail requires special classes that are aimed at improving this skill.

In case of untimely correction, the child may have a violation of the letter, as well as the appearance of gestures, unusual for an ordinary baby.

Autistic kids love to play with faucets or switches. They also enjoy opening and closing doors. Any similar movements cause the child excellent emotions.   He can perform such actions as long as he wants, until his parents intervene. When performing these movements, the baby absolutely does not notice that he performs them repeatedly.

Autistic kids eat only those foods that they like, play on their own and practically don't get to know other children. Many people around mistakenly consider such kids too spoiled. This is a huge mistake!

A child who has autism, under the age of three years, absolutely does not see any differences in their behavior relative to the behavior of others. He simply tries to limit the boundaries of his inner world from any outside interference.

It was previously believed that children with autism have certain facial features. Often such features were called aristocratic forms. Autists were thought to have a thinner and elongated nose. However, this is not at all true.

To date, the relationship between the features of the structure of the face and the presence of autism in the child has not been reliably established. Such judgments are mere speculation and do not know how to scientific evidence.

From 3 to 6 years

At this age, there is a peak in the incidence of autism. Children begin to be taken to kindergarten, where violations in social adaptation become noticeable.

Kids with autism perceive morning trips to a preschool educational institution without expressed enthusiasm. They would be more willing to stay home than to leave their usual safe home.

A child with autism is practically not acquainted with new friends. In the best case, he has one new acquaintance who becomes his best friend.

A large number of people will never accept a sick child into their inner world. Very often, such children try to close themselves even further, to escape from a traumatic situation.

The child is trying to come up with some kind of magical story or fairy tale explaining why he should go to this kindergarten. Then he becomes the protagonist of this action. However, visiting the kindergarten does not give the baby any pleasure. He does not get along well with his peers and practically does not obey teachers.

All things in the personal locker of the baby are usually stacked by him strictly in order. This becomes clearly visible from the side. Such kids cannot stand any chaos and scattered things. Any violation of the ordering of the structure can cause an attack of apathy, and in some cases, aggressive behavior.

Attempts to force a child to meet new babies in a group can cause him extreme stress.

Children with autism should not be blamed for the fact that they perform some kind of similar actions for a long period of time. You just need to pick up the "key" for such a child.

Often, kindergarten teachers simply cannot cope with a “special” baby. Teachers perceive many features of impaired behavior as excessive spoiling and character traits. In these cases, compulsory work of a medical psychologist is required, who will work daily with a child in a preschool institution.

Over 6 years old

Toddlers with autism in Russia attend regular schools. In our country, there are no specialized educational programs for such children. Typically, autistic children learn well. They have a tendency to various disciplines. Many guys even show the highest level of proficiency in the subject.

Such kids often focus on a single subject. In other disciplines, which do not find a response in the inner world of the child, they can have very mediocre performance.

Kids with autism concentrate rather poorly, and also have an insufficient concentration of attention on several objects at once.

Often in such children, if the disease was detected at an early stage and there were no strong defects from fine motor skills, brilliant abilities for music or creativity are found.

Kids can spend hours playing various musical instruments. Some children even independently compose various works.

Children, as a rule, try to lead a fairly closed lifestyle. They have few friends. They practically do not attend various entertainment events, which can be attended by a huge number of people.   Finding a home is more comfortable for them.

Very often, babies have a commitment to certain foods. In most cases, arising in early childhood. Kids with autism eat at the allotted time according to their own schedule. All meals are accompanied by the performance of a particular ritual.

They often eat only from their usual plates, try to avoid dishes of new colors. All cutlery is usually laid out by the child on the table in a strictly defined sequence.

Kids with autism can very successfully graduate from school, showing excellent knowledge in one discipline.

Only in 30% of cases, children suffering from this disease lag behind the school curriculum and have poor academic performance. As a rule, such children were diagnosed with autism rather late or had not had a good rehabilitation program to reduce the adverse symptoms of the disease and improve social adaptation.

Problems

Very often, in children with autism, there are not only behavioral disorders, but also various pathological manifestations of the internal organs.

Gastrointestinal Disorders

Manifested in the form of possible diarrhea or constipation, which are practically independent of the food that the child receives. Children with autism have special taste preferences. A gluten-free diet is effectively used to normalize adverse manifestations and stool disorders. Such a diet, in which the amount of gluten is limited, contributes to the smooth functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and reduces the negative symptoms of indigestion.

You can learn more about the autism diet by watching the following video.

Sleep disorders

Kids have almost the same activity day and night. It is very difficult to put such children to bed. Even if they fall asleep, they can oversleep for only a few hours. Very often, babies wake up very early in the morning. In the daytime, they can give up sleep. In some cases, under the influence of strong psycho-traumatic situations, insomnia may intensify or nightmare dreams may appear, which further contribute to the violation of the general well-being of the child.

When is a psychiatrist consultation needed?

Seek the help of a doctor immediately if the parents suspect the first signs of the disease in their baby. Only a psychiatrist will be able to accurately establish the diagnosis and recommend the necessary therapeutic treatment.

As a rule, all children diagnosed with autism should be monitored periodically by a doctor.   Do not be afraid of this doctor! This does not mean at all that the child has severe mental disorders. Such observation is important primarily for the prevention of the development of unwanted long-term symptoms of the disease.

In our country, children who are diagnosed with autism practically do not undergo any specialized rehabilitation programs. European specialists and doctors from the United States apply a whole range of different psychotherapeutic techniques that can improve the quality of life of a child with autism many times over.

From the very young age, medical psychologists, professional physical education instructors, defectologists and speech therapists work with the kids. Throughout life, such a patient is necessarily observed by a psychiatrist.

At what age is the disease most often diagnosed?

According to statistics the largest number of cases of newly registered disease occurs at the age of 3-4 years.   It is at this time that the symptoms of social maladaptation of the baby begin to manifest itself clearly.

There are scientific assumptions that suggest that when developing more advanced diagnostic criteria, it will be much easier to identify cases of autism in children at an earlier age.

Determining the first manifestations of the disease in newborns is a very difficult task even for an experienced pediatric doctor. A full examination and diagnosis requires the organization of a full-fledged medical examination, which usually involves at least 5-6 different specialists with skills and knowledge on the treatment of autism in children.

Diagnostics

Diagnosing the disease is difficult enough. In Russia, the diagnosis of "autism" will most often be made upon detection of the following psychological disorders:

• social maladaptation of the child in the environment;
• expressed difficulties with establishing new communications and contacts with other people;
• repeated repetition of typical actions or words over a long period of time.

If the course of the disease proceeds in a typical or classic form, then the above symptoms occur in 100% of cases. Such babies require a mandatory consultation with a psychiatrist, and if necessary, an extensive consultation with specialists from related specialties who work with autistic children.

During a more detailed examination, doctors try to determine the presence or absence of not only the main signs, but also additional ones. To do this, they use several classifications of diseases.

When autism is used:

• ICD-X is the main working document for Russian specialists.
• DSM-5 or Diagnostic Statistical Manual of mental disorders is used by psychiatrists around the world, including in Europe and the United States.

According to these medical guides, a child with autism should have at least six symptoms in it. To determine them, doctors resort to various questionnaires, which assess the condition of the baby in a playful way. Such a study is carried out in the most gentle way so as not to injure the disturbed children's psyche.

An interview with parents is also required. This study allows us to clarify the presence and nature of violations in the behavior of the child that cause them concern.

Several psychiatrists and a medical psychologist conduct interviews with parents at once. Such diagnostic methods are mainly used only in Europe and in the USA. In Russia, unfortunately, the diagnosis of autism is in an extremely deplorable state.

Kids with this disease remain unexplored for a long time.

Over time, their negative manifestations of social maladaptation intensify, apathy and inability to establish contacts with people around them can increase. In our country, working diagnostic criteria have not yet been developed by which such a diagnosis would be easily established.   In this regard, there are few cases of establishing the correct and timely diagnosis.

Is home testing possible?

It is almost impossible to conduct a full examination of the house. During such testing, you can get only an approximate answer. The diagnosis of autism can only be made by a psychiatrist. To do this, he uses several different tests that are used to diagnose the disease, as well as various other methods to clarify the degree and level of damage.

When conducting testing at home, parents can often get a false result. Very often, an information system automatically analyzes responses without applying a differentiated attitude to a specific child.

To make a diagnosis, a multi-stage medical examination is required for the presence of autism in the baby.

How to treat?

No specific treatment for autism has been developed at this time. Unfortunately, there is no special pill or magic vaccine that would reliably protect the baby from the possible development of the disease. A single cause of the disease has not been established.

The lack of understanding about the primary source of the disease does not allow scientists to create a unique medicine that would completely cure babies with autism.

The treatment of this mental illness is carried out comprehensively, taking into account the symptoms that have arisen. Such psychotropic drugs are prescribed only by a psychiatrist.They are written out on special prescription forms and are issued under strict registration in pharmacies. The appointment of such drugs is done in courses or for the entire period of deterioration.

All treatment methods can be divided into several groups:

• Drug treatment.In this case, various medications are prescribed to eliminate the adverse symptoms that occur in various stages of the disease. Such drugs are prescribed by a doctor only after examining the baby and the possibility of additional examinations.
• Psychological counseling.An autistic child psychologist must work with a child. Using various psychological techniques, the specialist will help the baby cope with the emerging outbreaks of anger and auto-aggression, as well as improve the inner feeling when integrated into a new team.
• General health-improving treatments.Kids with autism are not at all contraindicated in sports. However, they should be engaged in special groups with professional instructors or trainers who are trained in the elements of working with “special” children. Such children can show excellent results and achieve good sports achievements. Success is only possible with the right pedagogical approach.
• Speech therapy classes.   With a baby under 3 years old, a speech therapist must conduct classes. At such lessons, children learn to speak correctly, refuse to use multiple repetitions of words. Speech therapy classes can improve the baby’s vocabulary, add even more words to his vocabulary. Such educational games help children to better adapt to new teams and improve their social adaptation.

Drug treatment

Prescribing various medicines on an ongoing basis is not required for babies with autism. Such drugs are used only to eliminate the negative manifestations of the disease. In this case, untimely treatment can lead to the development of various adverse effects and even worsen the condition of the baby.

Most often with autism, babies are prescribed the following drugs.

Psychotropic drugs and antipsychotics

They are used to treat attacks of aggressive behavior. They can be prescribed for a course or once to eliminate a violent outbreak of autoaggression. Psychiatrists choose various drugs that can eliminate the negative symptoms of the disease. For example, the antipsychotic drugs “Rispolept” and “Seroquel” allow you to cope with acute attacks of strong aggression and calm the baby.

It is important to note that the appointment of antipsychotic drugs on an ongoing basis is carried out only in severe cases of the disease. In this case, the severity of symptoms is excessively high.

Prolonged use of any antipsychotic medication can be addictive and cause various side effects. In order to prevent this, doctors resort to the appointment of a course application.

To eliminate panic attacks or improve mood, the doctor may prescribe special drugs that affect the level of endorphins. These drugs also have a number of contraindications. They are used only when various psychological methods of correcting behavior were carried out, but they were not successful and did not lead to an improvement in the well-being of the child.

Probiotics for the treatment of dysbiosis

In children with autism, in 90% of cases, doctors register persistent irritable bowel syndrome or dysbiosis. In this case, the microflora in the gastrointestinal tract is disturbed. It contains practically no useful lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, but microorganisms of the pathogenic flora reproduce very well. Very often, these children also show increased growth of yeast.

To eliminate these adverse symptoms, doctors resort to the appointment of various drugs enriched with lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Kids are prescribed: "Bifidobacterin", "Acipol", "Linex", "Enterol" and many others. The appointment of these funds is carried out after an additional study - bacterial feces and a test for dysbiosis. Drugs are prescribed for course administration. Usually it is designed for 1-3 months of daily use.

In addition to medicines, it is absolutely necessary to include fresh sour-milk products with a high content of microorganisms useful for the intestine in the diet of a child with dysbiosis.

You can also make them at home. In this case, the useful properties of the product are not lost, and you can safely give it to the baby.

The effect of the use of dairy products occurs, as a rule, by the end of the first week.

Vitamin therapy

In children with autism, there is a pronounced and almost constant deficiency of a number of vitamins: B1, B6, B12, PP. To eliminate this condition requires the appointment of a complex of biologically active substances. Such vitamin-mineral preparations can eliminate the deficiency of any vitamins, as well as normalize the trace element within the body.

Since babies with autism are very committed to some kind of diet, their diet is often very monotonous. This leads to insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals from outside.

In order to improve this condition, the daily addition of various vegetables and fruits to the diet is required, especially in the summer. These products contain a high content of various vitamins and minerals, which is vital for the baby.

Sedatives

They are used to eliminate anxiety. Very often, when exposed to a strong psycho-traumatic situation, a sick child may experience a severe panic state. In this case, psychiatrists prescribe psychotropic drugs that can effectively eliminate this manifestation. Course prescribing of such drugs is not required. A single dose is enough.

Very often, children with autism do not sleep well.   It's hard for them to fall asleep. The duration of sleep can be no more than 6-7 hours a day.

For a small child, this is not enough. To improve night sleep, as well as normalize the circadian rhythm, doctors recommend the use of mild drugs that calm the nervous system and contribute to rapid falling asleep.

It is safe for kids to use various herbs that have a sedative effect. Such natural medicines practically do not cause side effects and do not have numerous contraindications. To normalize sleep, decoctions of lemon balm or mint are used. You can give these herbs to the baby in the form of tea. It is better to drink such a sedative medicine no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Prescribing sedative drugs is allowed only with severe sleep disturbances.Typically, such drugs are prescribed for a rather long time. It is not advisable to use these agents in milder forms of the disease, since they may have a pronounced tranquilizing effect or be addictive. The appointment of drugs is done by a psychotherapist after a preliminary examination.

Psychologist's help

The use of various psychological techniques is an important element in the treatment of children with autism. American experts who conduct daily classes with sick babies recommend conducting such classes at least 2-3 times a week.

It is better that the psychologist also has a medical education. In this case, this can quickly orientate him when the condition worsens and send the baby for a consultation with a psychiatrist.

The psychologist does not prescribe medication. He treats with just a word.Usually, for babies with autism, the first meeting with a specialist is very important. It is at this time that one can understand: will such classes be successful and will the child and the psychologist find a common language.

In order to penetrate the inner world of a child with autism, a psychologist must make friends with him very delicately. Only in this case, the baby will make contact.

Often, treatment may not bring a pronounced positive effect in the absence of primary contact between the autistic baby and the psychologist.

All classes are held in a specially equipped room. Often, to work with children with autism, all lessons are held in only one room. This helps to create a more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for the child.

Psychologists try not to move or rearrange the toys for no reason, as this can bring pronounced mental discomfort to the baby.

Usually, game forms for conducting classes are selected.During such games, children are as open as possible and can show real emotions. The duration of each lesson is usually no more than an hour.

With longer communication, the baby may experience severe fatigue and unwillingness to make contact with a specialist.

Work with babies who have autism is usually carried out throughout the life of the child. In this case, only the types and forms of psychological techniques change.

Very often, psychologists become real family members or very close friends.In America, there have been several cases of family treatment of psychologists. In this case, not only the child, but also one of the parents suffered from autism.

It is important to note that family activities also have a good therapeutic effect.

Classes with a psychologist with kids up to 3-5 years old are often held together with one of the parents.   Usually, the parent with whom the baby has a closer relationship is chosen. The psychologist in a playful way creates various everyday situations that can occur in everyday life. During such a game, he teaches the baby how to react to new people. Children learn to communicate better with other kids, and also acquire new useful skills that can be useful to them every day.

Lessons

To improve the integration into society of a child with autism, it is necessary to carry out additional activities that will help him in this. Usually, such a complex of various activities is compiled in conjunction with a child psychologist or on the recommendation of a psychiatrist.

Usually, before choosing a hobby that will be interesting for the baby, a good analysis of his abilities and a qualitative assessment of the level of health and physical development are required. Not all kids with autism will perform the same tasks with the same interest. The right choice of classes to a large extent improves the prognosis of treatment and favorably affects the mental and mental development of the baby.

Usually, children with autism are recommended various corrective exercises that can improve the social integration of the baby in society. Sport is recommended for kids.However, you can not choose all sports training. For autistic kids, calm sports are more suitable: swimming training, playing chess or drafts, golf. Choosing is worth those sports that require concentration on any one subject.

Sports that require high speed or a high risk of injury are best left. Kids with autism should not engage in running, jumping, boxing or various power wrestling.

Team games are also not suitable.   It is better to give preference to more relaxed sports that will help strengthen the baby's health and have a positive effect on his nervous system.

Autistic babies are very warm about different animals. In such children, doctors often note even a certain "cult" of animals. An autistic kid can have a collection of kittens or dogs. Direct contact and contact with pets can cause strong positive emotions in the baby and even improve the prognosis of treatment.

Children with autism can benefit from spending time with different animals. Doctors recommend hippotherapy or dolphin therapy. Such contacts with animals will bring the baby great joy and will have a positive impact on its development.

When the baby touches any living creature, special endorphin molecules begin to be produced in the cerebral cortex, which cause him a sea of \u200b\u200bpositive emotions.

If possible, such activities with animals should be carried out as often as possible.It is better that the child has the opportunity to constantly monitor living creatures and communicate with them. During communication with a dog or cat, the baby learns to communicate with the environment. This positively affects his ability to make new contacts and improves social adaptation in society.

What toys to buy?

Often parents puzzle over what kind of gift to give their baby, whose doctors have found autism. It seems that every new toy practically does not bring any joy to the child. However, this is not quite true. Every child with autism has his own personal addiction to a particular type of toy.

Often boys choose different planes or ships, and girls choose different animals or dolls. It is important to note that autistic babies may be delighted with donated animals.   The main thing is to determine which particular animal your child likes. Usually this is no problem: an autistic kid will never let go of his favorite toy in the form of a beast.

If a plush dog that was once presented is the most beloved of the child, then any other dogs will also cause great delight.

Babies diagnosed with autism are not at all prone to hoarding. They only need 2-3 different toys for a state of comfort and happiness. A huge number of different gifts can even scare them!

Children under three years old should choose toys that improve the fine motor skills of their fingers.Usually, children with autism do poorly any tasks related to drawing or modeling.

You can try to interest the baby in collecting various jigsaw puzzles consisting of large and bright details. Designers are perfect, from the elements of which you can build numerous combinations of shapes.

In adolescence, it is better not to buy computer games for a child. Most of these toys can cause a baby to have a spontaneous attack of aggression, or vice versa, increase apathy.

Very often, children with autism love to play computer games, as this does not require any real contact with the outside world. However, the consequences can be very negative.

Can autistic people have healthy children in the future?

Scientists note a pronounced genetic pattern in the possibility of inheritance of the disease. There are also theories about the presence of special genes that are responsible for the development of the disease in babies in whose families cases of autism have been previously identified.

Autistic children may have healthy children.   Inheritance of genes occurs even at the stage of intrauterine development. If the baby was born in a family where only one of the parents has autism, then he may well be healthy.

If both parents have autism, the chance of having a sick child is 25%, and the probability of having a child carrier of this gene is 50%. This disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.

If more than one baby is born in such families, then the risk of giving birth to sick babies may increase. It also increases with the influence of various provoking factors on the unborn child during fetal development in the body of a pregnant mother.

To determine latent autism in newborns, the heel method is used.   It suggests the presence of this mental illness in the baby. It is usually carried out by autistic parents or in cases where there is a suspicion of the possibility of developing a disease in a born child.

Is the child given a disability?

In Russia, the diagnosis of autism provides for the establishment of a disability group. However, it is not for all babies. In our country, special medical and social criteria are applied that take into account various factors.

The decision to establish a group is made strictly collegially. This involves specialists from several specialties at once: a psychiatrist, psychologist, and rehabilitologist.

In order for a child to have a disability group, all the necessary medical documentation must be submitted to the medical and social examination bodies. The child’s card must contain the conclusions of the psychiatrist and child psychologist who observed him. In this case, medical experts may have a more informative picture of the duration of the disease.

Before undergoing medical and social examination, the baby is often prescribed additional tests and examinations. This can be either various laboratory tests or specialized brain studies that can clarify the nature and extent of violations. Usually, in our country, EEG or electroencephalography of the brain is prescribed.

Using this method, it is possible to establish various violations of the conduction of nerve impulses in the cerebral cortex. The method is quite informative and quite often used in children's psychiatric and neurological practice.

The test results allow doctors to establish the nature and extent of the disorders resulting from the disease.

Not all forms of autism may have a disability group.   As a rule, it is determined in the presence of persistent disorders of nervous activity, which lead to severe maladaptation of the baby.

The level of mental development and intelligence also significantly affect the prognosis of the course of the disease and the establishment of the group.

Often, disability is established after three years. Cases of the establishment of a group at an earlier age in Russia are practically not found and are episodic in nature.

Autism is a disease that in most cases occurs without persistent periods of remission. This leads to the fact that the disability group, as a rule, set for life.

Children with disabilities for mental illness must undergo a whole range of rehabilitation measures. Speech therapists, psychologists, and rehabilitation therapists are involved with such kids. The rehabilitation course is usually designed for a sufficiently long period, since the treatment of the disease is carried out throughout the life of a person with autism.

Parents who have faced the establishment of a disability group for their baby often notice some difficulties when conducting a medical and social examination. Most often they note: a huge amount of pre-prepared medical documentation and long lines for examination. Disability groups were not always established during initial treatment. Often, only from the second or third attempt, medical experts made a positive decision about the presence of disabling signs in the child.

Establishing a group is a very complex and often controversial task. However, for babies with autism, this step is often forced, but really necessary. To conduct full-fledged classes with a child, sufficiently large financial costs are required:training with a psychologist, consultations with a speech therapist, hippotherapy courses, the use of special psychotropic drugs. All this without a disability group becomes very difficult and financially burdensome for many families.

For parents raising autistic babies, the main thing is to understand that this disease will remain with the baby for life. Unfortunately, it’s currently impossible to cure autism.

Autistic kids, with the right approach, are developing well and are not even completely different from their peers. Only a few strangers can notice that the baby is slightly different from others. However, they often believe that such a child is simply too spoiled or has a bad character.

In order to improve the quality of life of the baby and help him in social adaptation, use the following tips:

• Try to communicate with your child correctly. Autistic babies categorically do not perceive an increased tone or abuse. It is better to communicate with such children in the same calm tone, without using curses. If the baby did something wrong, try not to react excessively violently and aggressively, but simply explain to the child how to make this action true. You can show this also as a kind of game.
• Both parents should be involved in raising a child.Even though, as a rule, the baby chooses to communicate with dad or mom, they both must participate in his life. In this case, the child feels more comfortable and receives the correct idea of \u200b\u200bthe organization of the family. In the future, when creating his own life, he will be largely guided by the principles laid down in childhood.
• It can be difficult to teach kids with autism to potty.Usually child psychologists help with this. In a playful way, they create a similar everyday situation and work out the correct sequence of actions with the baby. For self-study at home, remember that you should accustom the child to the potty gradually and consistently. Never raise your voice and do not punish the baby if he did something wrong. In the case of an autistic child, this measure will not lead to a positive result.
• Learning to read a child with autism is possible only with daily activities with him.Try to choose training books without overly vivid pictures. A huge number of varied colors can alert and even scare a child. Choose editions without colorful pictures. Training is best done in a playful way. So the baby will perceive this process as a normal game.
• During a strong tantrum, the baby should be carefully reassured.   This will be better done by that member of the family with whom the child has closer contact. If the child is overly aggressive, then try to quickly take him to the nursery. The familiar environment will help the baby calm down easier. Never raise your voice at a child trying to shout at him! This will not lead to anything good. Explain to the baby that he has nothing to fear, and you are there. Try to switch your attention to another event or subject.
• Make sure to get in touch with the autistic baby.Only with the people closest to him is the child communicating calmly. To do this, never ask your baby a million questions. Frequent hugs will also not lead to contact. Try to spend more time with your baby just by watching his games. After a while, the child will perceive you as part of his game, and it will be easier to make contact.
• Accustom your child to the correct daily routine.Typically, autistic babies are well aware of a well-organized routine. This creates a feeling of complete comfort and security. Try to have the child fall asleep and wake up at the same time. Be sure to follow the feeding regimen. Even on weekends, keep your baby’s daily routine.
• Be sure to undergo regular examination and observation by a child therapist and psychologist.Such consultations are very important for assessing the prognosis of the disease and determining the dynamics of the condition of the child. Typically, small patients with autism should visit a psychotherapist at least twice a year. With deterioration in well-being - more often.
• Organize proper nutrition for your baby.   Given the characteristics of disturbed microflora, all babies with autism need to eat fermented milk products. They must be as fresh as possible. It is in this case that the concentration of beneficial lactobacilli and bifidobacteria will be sufficient. Only such products will be beneficial for the child and improves his digestion.
• From the very first days of a child’s birth, try to take care and affection for him more often.Autistic babies react very poorly to various bodily manifestations of love and tenderness. However, this does not mean that this is not necessary. Doctors advise more often to hug a child and kiss. This must be done without causing him mental pressure. If the baby is not in the mood, it is better to postpone the hug for a while.
• Give your baby a new friend.Most autistic children are very fond of pets. Communication with furry animals brings the baby not only positive emotions and favorably affects the course of his illness, but also has a real therapeutic effect on tactile sensitivity. A cat or dog will become true friends for the baby and will help him easier to establish contacts not only with animals, but also with new people.
• Do not scold the child! A child with autism perceives any voice increase very painfully. The reaction may be the most unpredictable. Some babies fall into a strong apathy and become more indifferent to everything that happens in everyday life. Other children may experience an overly strong attack of aggression, which will even require the use of medications.
• Try to choose an interesting hobby for the kid.Very often, children with autism paint or play musical instruments beautifully. Studying in a specialized art school will help the kid achieve high professional success. Often these kids become real geniuses. Be sure to monitor the load that falls on the baby. Excessive enthusiasm can lead to severe fatigue and impaired attention.
• Do not move furniture in the children's room or throughout the apartment.   Try to keep all the toys and items that belong to the child in their places. Strong rearrangements can cause a child with autism, these bouts of panic and excessive aggression. Acquire new items carefully, without attracting much attention to this.

  Autism is not a sentence. This is just a disease that requires increased and special attention to the baby who is sick with this mental illness.

  The right approach to organizing life and establishing personal contact helps these children feel more secure and improves the prognosis of the course and development of the disease.

  Moms and dads should remember that a baby who is diagnosed with autism requires your attention and care every day throughout his life. Such children are often called "special", since they need to build a unique approach.

  Children with autism, with good rehabilitation, integrate quite well in society and are quite successful in later life.

  Useful videos

  Yana Summ (ex-wife of Konstantin Meladze) in the next video on my own experience   talks about what you should pay attention to suspect autism in a child.

  You will learn a lot of nuances about autism by watching the programs of Dr. Komarovsky and "Live Healthy."

  In preparing the article, materials from the site "autism-test.rf" were used.

There is not a single known reason for the autism spectrum disorder, but it is generally accepted in the scientific community that this is caused by disturbances in the structure and functions of the brain. This was established during studies that illustrate the differences in the shape and structure of the brains of autistic children compared with ordinary babies. There is also enough evidence to support the theory that some babies are born with a predisposition to autism, but scientists still cannot determine what serves as a “trigger”. That's why the researchers suggested that irregular segments of the genetic code could be the main causes of autism.

Is it possible to determine the causes of autism

In recent years, however, information has appeared that has not even been considered before. Despite the fact that the causes of autism are not fully defined, and it is likely that scientists will never find the main one, researchers suggest that autism may be the result of modern human life. There are a number of significant studies that should be an alarming bell in the scientific and medical communities.

It should be noted that autism represents a wide range of disorders, but they cannot be perceived as disabilities. Some may appear due to malformations at a critical stage. Others may be caused by a minor evolutionary leap. You need to understand that the spectrum is really huge, and many children with a diagnosis of autism have not had a brain scan. Their diagnosis was made after observation and taking into account social trends.

Toxins in the environment

Since autism is strongly correlated with malformations during the critical stage, especially during the embryo developmental stage, scientists have discovered that some of the strongest predictors of autism are related to the environment. At all stages of pregnancy, the fetus is extremely vulnerable to any toxins that affect the mother: for example, prescription drugs, or pesticides in the environment.

So Andrei Rzhetsky, professor of genetic medicine and human genetics at the University of Chicago, indicates that some substances significantly alter normal development. A few years ago, he published a study according to which autism and intellectual disability are associated with exposure to harmful environmental factors on the fetus during its development. It was found that lead, drugs, as well as a huge number of other synthetic substances (pesticides, mercury, aluminum) adversely affect the fetus. These substances have also been associated with congenital malformations of the male genital organs, which correlates strongly with autism.

This is only one of many important studies that should be an alarming signal to the scientific and medical community. It shows that preventative measures can be crucial in the fight against autism. Parents who want to reduce the risk of having a baby with autism should be aware of this risk.

The problem of genetics or the environment?

It should be understood that autism goes far beyond genetic problems. There are many toxins in our environment that affect the development of the nervous system and brain. Polychlorinated biphenyls, lead, mercury, aluminum, brominated antipyrins, pesticides are just a few of the many examples. Cases of autism have increased significantly in recent decades. So it's time to take a look at our environment.

If we focus even on one of the many dozens of toxins we are exposed to daily, it will be easy enough to understand why the risk of having a baby with a diagnosis of autism is constantly increasing. Add dozens of other toxins that are equally problematic, and the picture becomes clearer.

Pesticide exposure

Let's take a look at pesticides, because billions of tons of these substances enter our food and environment every year. You must understand that all pesticides are very complex mixtures of active ingredients. These components are designed to increase the economic benefits of the product. However, information on the composition of these components is not always publicly available.

A study was conducted at the University of California, according to which pregnant women living in close proximity to land and farms that use chemical pesticides are two-thirds more likely to have a baby with autism or other developmental disorders.

The study examines the relationship between pesticides, including organophosphates, which were used during the pregnancy of study participants, and a later diagnosis of autism in children.

Thus, phosphates affect the course of pregnancy and increase the risk of autism. The effects of pesticides on people who live in agricultural regions can be problematic, especially during pregnancy, as the developing fetal brain is more vulnerable to such substances than an adult.

The effect of other toxins

As you can see, pesticides in the environment cause great concern. But we talked only about those that go into food. But there are also air fresheners, prescription drugs, fluoride, as well as many other pollutants that contribute to the development of autism. This is probably why scientists still cannot determine the root cause of this disease. Given the amount of toxins that we succumb to every day, it becomes clear that we are dealing with several factors, which in combination are a serious cause for concern.

Vaccine?

There is a theory that vaccination can also cause an increase in autism in recent years. Of course, it cannot be argued that we found one direct cause of autism, but it is still important to identify several factors that work together and make this disorder so common.

Despite skepticism, there are many doctors who believe that vaccination attitudes should be redefined.

There are many studies that have identified the dangers of vaccine ingredients. For example, aluminum, which is also used in vaccines, can cause a large number of neurodegenerative disorders, one of which is autism.

The issue of vaccine safety is becoming even more relevant, given that no adequate clinical studies have been conducted to establish the safety of all its components.