Autism Spectrum Disorders And Their Characteristics

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of a neurodevelopmental condition which affects communication and behavior of a child. Autism although diagnosed at any age, is a
‘childhood disorder’, whose symptoms usually surface as the child grows. In spite of extensive studies, the precise root cause of Autism still remains obscure.

Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Called as a ‘spectrum’ disorder, patients with Autism spectrum disorder have a range of symptoms.  According to professional neurosurgeons and therapists, people with ASD show
signs of:

• Difficulty while communicating with others
• Limited or no interest and in surroundings
• Indulgent in repetitive behavior or self-stimulatory behaviors such as rocking their body, spinning hands in circles (stimming)
• Echoing speech – repeating the question asked to them
• Inability to perform activities of the daily routine in school and at home
• Lack of eye contact
• The need to be alone
• Sometimes finding it difficult to convey needs & appropriate emotions
• The difficulty sometimes in understanding emotions
• Speech delay
• Providing unrelated answers
• Get upset over minor changes in daily routine
• Obsessive interests
• Sharp reactions to high sound, smell, taste
• Inappropriate response to situations
• Difficulty in cultivating Social Skills

ASD causes individuals discomfort sometimes in social situations, which can make it difficult for them to do everyday things, such as:

Inability to interact with their peers or children of their own age
Finding it extremely stressful to participate in group activities
Not being able to convey toilet or hygiene needs
Difficulty in sharing things
Inability to display facial expressions sometimes
Avoiding or resisting physical contact
Difficulty in reciprocating and displaying feelings
 

Causes 

Although the exact cause of ASD still remains to be discovered, research suggests that genes and the environment can be the possible causes of ASD. Some of the risk factors include:

Having an older sibling with ASD
Older parentage
Having certain genetic conditions like Down’s syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and
Rett syndrome
Problematic births or a very low birth weight
There is currently no cure or standard treatment for ASD. But, there are many ways to increase the patient’s ability to learn new skills and to be independent.

How does Autism Connect come handy? 

Autism Connect is built with the idea of presenting all the information there is to know as soon as your child is detected with Autism. Not only does it answers questions such as,
“What are Autism Spectrum Disorders?” “What are the symptoms of ASD?”, it also offers the means to go about working around this diagnosis and supporting your child achieve the best they can, by handing you over with all the tools you’ll need. You will find a carefully curated list of Therapists, Professionals, Parent Support Groups, Autism Associations,
Rehabilitation Centers, Centers which offer Newer Treatment Options, Child Psychologists, etc., all under one roof. For your convenience, this listing has been done location-wise, so that you can find what you’re looking for, nearest to you. We have also charted out an entire list of treatment options, which would help optimize your child’s development.

You can find this information on our website, www.autismconnect.com

Also read: Discovering The Treatment Options For Autism Spectrum Disorders

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