Autism causes are still a mystery however evidence is pointing to the fact that there are huge unexplained increases in incidence of autism ( over 287%) and that very often it happens in clusters i.e. groups of children are diagnosed with autism in the same geographic area.
Suggestions as to why this is the case are debatable. Theories are based on chromosome abnormalities. This may mean the siblings of a child with autism are 75 times more likely to develop it themselves. Another school of thinking is that there is some damage from the environment and Dr Andrew Wakefield has presented evidence to support his argument that vaccines are at least a contributing factor. especially the MMR vaccine.
Autism can vary in the way it effects people and also the severity. Diagnosis is placed on something referred to as the ‘Autistic Spectrum’. Milder forms of the condition include Asperger’s syndrome.
The types of symptoms that come with autism might include difficulties in communicating socially and not being able to relate with others in appropriate ways. Autism affects the ability to form friendships and relationships. Very often in the developmental stages of childhood, play is affected and sometimes people with autism find it difficult to connect with the ‘real world’ so to speak.
Very often the diagnosis of autism isn’t made until the child grows older and there may be showing signs of not developing at check ups and usually this is indicated by their social behaviour. When the child starts school these symptoms are often perceived as behaviour problems such as possessive or repetitive behaviours, often they have difficulty in adapting to changes in routine. Their coordination may be poor either with movement or holding pens and such like. In some cases the child may have difficulty in making friends at school and in part this is due to the inability to read non-verbal communication form others and respond appropriately. In many cases the child develops other learning difficulties that can then follow them through life. However children with autism may be gifted in a certain area like art, mathematics or music for example.
In desperation many parents turn to prescribed medication to help the problem. However there are side effects with drug administration and often the side effects can be as challenging as the initial problems. There are however many natural approaches to supporting someone with autism and these are highly affective when used with the individual behaviours of the person concerned in mind.
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