Autism with children

Causes, Treatment, and help for parents.

Introduction.

It is always an overwhelming feeling that invades someone whose child has been diagnosed with autism. It is so because raising an autistic child comes with a lot of challenges. You need to educate yourself about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), to be financially fit for the ‘new needs ’of the child, to adopt the best treatment possible for the child.

It is because we know that the situation is quite challenging that we wrote this article to contribute our little quota about the next steps to take when your child has been diagnosed autistic. In this article, we will discuss the following:

• What is Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children?
• What causes Autism Spectrum in Children?
• What are the available treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children?
• What is the available helps for parents having an autistic child in the USA?

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological disorder that affects an individual ability to communicate properly (difficulty in speech) and to relate normally with other people.

This condition is generally detected before the second birthday of the child. The diagnosis is based on the known signs and symptoms of the diseases. There is no laboratory test to ascertain if a child has ASD or not.

There are many forms of ASDs and the most common include: Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) and Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD).

Common signs and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

There are many signs of symptoms of ASD. No all the signs can manifest in one individual because ASD manifests itself in children in different ways. However, when more than 2 or 3 of the following symptoms are manifested in its child, it calls for immediate medical attention. One thing is clear, early diagnosis will always give the child to lead a normal life.

• Repetition of the same words or gestures over and over again.
• Rigidity of character
• Social isolation
• verbal communication problem; speech difficulty.
• Avoidance of eye contact.
• Lack of a long time focussing or overfocussing on one thing.
• Lack of interest in some activities or/and people.

What Causes Autism?

Eliminating the Source: What Causes Autism

Many people which they could know and prevent autism. Unfortunately, there are not scientific causes of autism. Most scientist simply state that autism is due to genes abnormality.

When we have an ASD patient, the best we can do is to relax and learn how to handle the situation. With patience, application and prayers we can help the child to still live a near-normal life.

There myths according autism is due to bad parenting. Some said that cold parenting, malnutrition or bad treatment culdbe the reason behind ASD. All these myths are false. It is however true that food allergies occur in many autistic children and some need to take special daily vitamins.

ASD is primarily a brain disorder. Most patient have a larger brains. These brain are constructed differently than the normal counterpart.

ASD patient also show immune deficiency. Many studies confirmed this.

Generally we can say that autism is a genetical disorder. Although autism is not the parents’ fault, it is most likely that autism was found elsewhere on your family tree, and it is not uncommon for parents to raise more than one autistic child.

Some people even linked autism to vaccines. This is still to be confirmed by the ongoing research. Parents should not neglect the potential benefits of vaccines because of the fear of autism.

Below is the recap of some possible factors that could lead to autism. the list is not exhaustive.

The genetic factor.

The exact cause of Autism is not known. However, the result of many studies concludes that the main cause could be a genetic factor. This means that if someone in the family is autistic, there are chances that many more people coèuld be autistic in the times to come.

The metabolic factor

Apart from the genetic factor, there may be metabolic or biochemical factors that can cause ASD.

The environment.

Some studies think that the environment can as well be a cause of ASD. Particularly environments packed with some viruses or heavy metal dust.

Drugs

Drugs such as valproic acid and thalidomide can expose a child in the womb of a pregnant woman to ASD.15–16. So pregnant women out to avoid such drugs.

Treatment for Children With Autism

As previously mentioned, when ASD is quickly diagnosed, the child stands a chance to lead a near-normal life if the parents take the necessary steps.

The proposed treatments for autism are intentioned for the symptoms that are associated with the disorder. The ASD itself cannot be treated. There several types of treatment that could be tried. Each of them is aimed at modifying the behavior of the child. Some of these treatments can be very successful if we work with the right experts and if we use the right tools.

There are several types of therapy that could be engaged among which:

• Medication
• And, alternative therapies such as Dieting, Psychology and Education, Music Therapy,

Medication is maint to alleviate ASD symptoms such as depression, anxiety, seizures, or hyperactivity.

Dieting has the purpose of removing heaving metal from the blood of the autistic patient.

Dieting has some concerns. Two of the main concerns are glutton and casein. Gluttons are carbs substances such as rice, oats, wheat, etc while caseins are dairies such as cheese, milk, etc. The large molecules of these substances can pass through the intestine wall and infect the bloodstream. Intake of these substances should be reduced to a minimal level.

Many parents are comfortable with this type of treatment because of the empirical results obtained by some other parents with autistic children. However, there is no scientific base to the claims and in some cases, death has been associated with this therapy.

If you want to try dieting as a way of tackling autism, seek medical advice.

Help for Parents of Children With Autism

1. If you are in the USA, Get in contact with the existing Programs for Autistic Program in your state. These are the links: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html or http://ectacenter.org/contact/ptccoord.asp.
2. Know the right of the child. This is the link to the legal provision for autistic kids: The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for Children With Special Educational Needs
3. Join a parent’s hub. It will be very beneficial to exchange with other parents having children with autism. here is the link to the hub: Parents’ hub
4. Take the challenge to train your child. Beyond all the external help you may get, you still the one to give the primary training to the child. To this end, you need some specials tools (Software, Videos, Special Games,)for autistic children as well as material (blanket, lamps, etc)to lessen the external stimuli which can worsen the child's mental disorder. Do you need more resources ( Blanket, Tools, Books) to help that Autistic Child? Watch these videos.
5. Educate yourself. Get as much knowledge about ASD as possible. knowing will help you to better understand your child's needs and help him the best way possible. One of the ways you can get tailored information on a regular basis is by joining our mail list.

The Terrible Teens — Dealing with Autistic Teenagers

Teenage years comes with a lot of changes in the life of an individual.Teenage years are the ages of puberty. It is challenging for many parents to handle these teenage years.

Autistic children also experience puberty. They might not behave exactly as the ‘normal’ children, bt they will still experience major hormonal changes. For some austisctic children it can make them better and for some it can make them worse.

There are cases where puberty comes with the onset of seizures for some autistic children. And, these new experiences can continue from here onward.

Don’t be dismay with the new experience of the child. The shaking is not necessarily something bad. Almost a quarter of autistic children experience seizures, but many go undetected because they are not textbook versions of seizures. The new hormones in the child can even help the child to improve in some areas where she has been very challenged before. Such an area can be in social skills-relating with people.

The seizures can be taken care of medically. In some cases, the seizure might not even be outwardly manifest. The hidden type of seizures can be characterized by a loss in function. So, be very observing about the autistic child during puberty.

One key thing about puberty is you must learn to monitor the associated changes in your child. Puberty is a difficult time for any individual. It is a transition from childhood to adulthood. You need to be patient and understanding with your child.

The Unfortunate Epidemic: Sexual Abuse in the Autistic World

It is sad to know the rate at which autistic children are sexually abused. They can be abused in form of outright rape or simply in a relationship.

It should also be clearly known to parents having children with ASD that these children can particularly enjoy sex. This gives them a sense of belonging. Because of this, they can be easily controlled in a relationship. The most important thing to remember is that autistic people experience sexuality in much of the same way that others do, no matter how high functioning they may be. Consequently, it shouldn’t be taboo for parents to teach sexuality to their autistic child.

Parents should not only be saying ‘No’ to their child without providing any meaningful explanation. This relevant for ‘normal’ as well as for autistic children. Your child should understand that his body is sacred and should be treated as such. There are ‘forbidden zones’ that shouldn’t be touch by strangers.

Teach your child about rape and potential consequences. If your child communicates non-verbally, teach him or her clear signs to show a person to stop what they are doing. Autistic people can often not understand that others have their own thoughts and emotions-they believe that everyone thinks and feels what they do. Because of this, many are shocked to find that “bad” people in the world will take advantage of sexual situations.

When your child understands that his/her body is sacred She/he will start respecting her/his body. This education can best be provided only by the parents of the child.

Do you need more resources ( Blanket, Tools, Books) to help that Autistic Child? Watch these videos.

Conclusion.

In this article, we have learned the following key things:

• Autism is a neurological disorder that affect a person ability to communicate and relate normally with others.
• Autism is not a clinical diseases as the other conventional diseases, so it cannot be prevented.
• Autism is primarily a genetic disorder. Factors such as genetic, metabolic, environmental, and drugs can lead to autism. Details about those factors have been outlined in this review.
• Parents can get help from Some intervention in their states. They must also be aware of the right of autistic children. Links to those resources have been provided.
• Parents might also need some practical tools and object to train and help their children. here is a: list of such tools and material.
• Autistic children experience puberty as the other children. The hormone changes can be accompanied by an onset of seizures or can make the child improved in social skills.
• Autistic children are sometimes abused sexually. Parents should be aware of this and teach their children accordingly about sexuality.

We believe that by following the advice in this review and by leveraging the resources recommended, parents can help children with autism to lead a prosperous and fulfilled life.

References:

1. Lord C, Risi S, DiLavore PS, Shulman C, Thurm A, Pickles A.external icon Autism from 2 to 9 years of age. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006 Jun;63(6):694–701.
2. Bai D, Yip BHK, Windham GC, Sourander A, Francis R, Yoffe R, Glasson E, Mahjani B, Suominen A, Leonard H, Gissler M, Buxbaum JD, Wong K, Schendel D, Kodesh A, Breshnahan M, Levine SZ, Parner ET, Hansen SN, Hultman C, Reichenberg A, Sandin S. Association of Genetic and Environmental Factors With Autism in a 5-Country Cohort. external icon JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Jul 17. doi: 10.1001/JAMA psychiatry.2019.1411. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Sztainberg Y, Zoghbi HY. Lessons learned from studying syndromic autism spectrum disorders. external icon Nat Neurosci. 2016 Oct 26;19(11):1408–1417. doi: 10.1038/nn.4420. Review.

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