If you enjoy this post, please share it using the buttons in the post, or email it to a friend, we'd really appreciate it!The diagnosis of autism is usually made when a specific number of criteria are met in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ?IV (DSM-IV) are met. But because the range of normal behavior is so great most physicians don?t want to place a medical label on a child prior to the age of 3 or 4 lest the child just be slow to develop.
Parents may suspect that their child is different and fear autism or other Pervasive Developmental Disorders not otherwise specified. Parents who believe there may be a disability should talk with their physicians about their concerns outlining reasons why they believe their child?s development isn?t normal.
Autism is a serious diagnosis that has lifelong consequences. But, with early intervention many of the behaviors can be positively affected to the point that the person would appear normal to the untrained eye. Older children and adults who have high functioning autism may have some oddities in their behavior and may have difficulty making friends but will be able to live independently and be employed.
As a baby there are several things that parents can watch for that may indicate a problem in the upcoming months. These behaviors include responding to their name. In later years videotaped studies show that children with autism may respond to their name only 20% of the time. However, at an early age not responding to their name or selective response to sounds can also indicate a hearing deficit.
Another criteria may be imitation of others behaviors and facial expressions. As an infant as young as 8 to 10 months babies will imitate clapping, facial expression and laughing with their mother and caregiver. It is the basis of many of the infant games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake. Children who are autistic will respond less to imitation than other children.
Does the baby respond socially to others? At an early age children will begin to smile and respond to others. When a typically developing infant sees another baby cry they may begin to cry themselves or look concerned. A somewhat older infant may crawl nearer to the individual who is distressed and pat them. Researchers and families note that these behaviors aren?t evident in children with autism. They seem to be unaware of the feelings and emotions of others.
A typically developing infant will attempt to engage their caregiver in joint attention activities such as pointing at objects or ?showing? them a toy. This joint activity usually begins around age 1. Watching the caregiver and baby an onlooker may notice that the baby watches the caregiver and then watches what the caregiver is watching. This isn?t the case in children who have autism. These children seem unaware of the involvement of their caregiver in their environment. They don?t often show a toy to their parents.
Other possible differences in activities include the baby doesn?t have meaningful gestures by the time they are one, they don?t speak at all by 16 months, they lose social or language skills, have poor eye contact with caregivers, don?t seem to know how to play with toys, are attached to one toy or object and doesn?t smile. At times these children appear to be hearing impaired because they exhibit selective hearing.
The road to a diagnosis can be difficult and time consuming. According to the American Academy of Neurology it can be 2 to 3 years after parents notice the first symptoms before an official diagnosis is made. This is, in large part, because of the concern of labeling a child.
However, early intervention can also improve the outcome of the children who have autism. This means that parents and physicians walk a tight line between labeling a child who may not be autistic and developing a treatment protocol that can help reverse some of the behaviors that have a negative impact on the child?s life.
Parents who believe that their child may have autism, or a similar disorder, should not wait to have a diagnosis delay potential treatment. Treatments that involve physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy at an early age will not impede the progress of a typical infant and will only help the progress of an infant with autism. Getting those therapies paid for by insurance companies only means a diagnosis of developmental delay without the label of autism.
It?s important for parents to continue to seek out a medical diagnosis that satisfies their questions and gives them the treatment recommendations needed to move forward. Don?t wait for a definitive diagnosis before starting to treat the symptoms and behaviors that are evident. Early intervention will only improve the chance that the child will be able to overcome many of their developmental disabilities.
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