Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), cause severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in early childhood and range from a severe form, called Autistic Disorder, to a milder form, Asperger's Disorder. If a child has symptoms of these disorders, but does not meet the specific criteria for either, the diagnosis is called Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Other rare, very severe disorders that are included in the ASD are Ret syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder.
All children with ASD demonstrate deficits in social interaction,
verbal and nonverbal communication,
repetitive behaviors or interests, and
they will often have unusual responses to sensory experiences,
such as certain sounds or the way objects look. Each of these symptoms runs the gamut from mild to severe. They will
manifest in each individual child differently. For instance, a child may have little trouble learning to read but exhibit
extremely poor social interaction. Each child will display communication, social, and behavioral patterns that are
individual but fit into the overall diagnosis of ASD.
Children with ASD do not follow the typical patterns of child development. In some children, hints of future problems may be apparent from birth. In most cases, the problems in communication and social skills become more noticeable as the child lags further behind other children the same age. Oftentimes between 12 and 36 months old, the differences in the way they react to people and other unusual behaviors become apparent. Some parents report the change as being sudden, and that their children start to reject people, act strangely, and lose language and social skills they had previously acquired. In other cases, there is a plateau, or leveling, of progress so that the difference between the child with autism and other children the same age becomes more noticeable.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are some possible indicators of Autism Spectrum Disorders?
What does it mean to be "on the spectrum"?
What is the difference between Autism and Asperger's Disorder?
