How do I detect if my child is autistic?

How do I detect if my child is autistic?

Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) manifest early in a child's life, probably before the age of 3 years, but unfortunately they are not always identified at these ages. There are varying degrees of autism, and those with less cognitive impairment may reach school age without being identified.

The DSM-IV-R, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, includes within this group the following disorders: Autistic Disorder, Rett Syndrome, Child Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger Syndrome and Generalized Developmental Disorder not specified.

There is much variability in the expression of these disorders and also in the degree of affectation of the child, so that although not all the symptoms described as classic, it can not be affirmed that it does not have an ASD.

Classic Symptoms of an ASD

The prototype pattern of these disorders is characterized by:
a) Apparent normality in the first 8 or 9 months of development, accompanied by expressive tranquility or passivity, not well defined.

b) Lack of communication with intentionality to ask for and to share interests, between 9 and 17 months.

c) Delay in the qualitative development of language , with less motor retardation.
Thus there are 3 classic areas of affection of ASD, social relations , imagination and fiction skills and communication.

Imagination Skills

The alteration in the abilities of imagination and of fiction, manifests in the necessity to have a completely controlled and predictable environment, not leaving things to chance. They also have an excessive interest in certain subjects, games, parts of objects. They reveal and resent with any minimum change in routines or plans, even if this change qualify as banal, and also with changes in reference people.

Communication

In ASDs communication skills are clearly altered. They usually do not look into the eyes, do not smile, or do it irregularly or excessively. Language only understands it literally, does not understand jokes or irony, nor do they understand the tonal and non-verbal aspects of language.

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They have complete difficulty expressing their emotions, as well as to grasp and understand the emotions of others.

In the case of Asperger's Syndrome, however, the cognitive level and the use of verbal communication, usually have an average level.

Social relationships

This alteration manifests itself very variably within the autistic spectrum. Usually we find it difficult to empathize, to know what to expect from others or what to expect from them.

They have alterations in aspects such as learning social norms, roles, norms of behavior, the significance of different environments, etc.

Autism Warning Signs

The signs that can make us suspect the existence of an ASD are the following:

Alterations of social interaction, emotional response and play:

- Lack of social smile *
- Lack of interest in social interaction games. *
- Does not respond when called by name. *
- Shortage of emotional expressions accompanied by eye contact.
- Absence of spontaneous imitation. *
- Low interest in other children.

Alterations in communication and language:

- Do not look where others point. *
- Does not alternate the look between an object and an adult (joint attention). *
- Absence of communicative gestures. *
- Absence of functional or symbolic play.
- Regression in the use of words or phrases and social involvement.

 Restricted interests and repetitive motions:

- Absence or scarce active visual exploration of the environment.
- Tendency to be visually fixed in certain stimuli or objects (eg, lights)
- Repetitive movements or postures of the body, arms, hands or fingers.
- Muscle tone, posture and abnormal movement patterns. *
- Tendency to sub or over reacting before stimuli (eg, sounds)
* Signs that may occur before 12 months in the child.

Detection and Intervention

The detection process can begin in different ways. Sometimes, in most cases, it will be the parents who observe that "something is not going well", I either take it to the pediatrician or take it to a psychologist . At other times teachers or caregivers are the ones who give the alarm. Other times are health systems, with reviews of the child detected through the pediatrician or the pediatric nurse.

Through any of the different routes, the diagnosis should be made based on the interview with the parents, direct observation of the child and psychological tests such as questionnaires, inventories and tests.

If you see signs such as those described above, take a specialist (family doctor, pediatrician, psychologist or psychiatrist) to evaluate, confirm or discard the diagnosis, and in case of confirmation, plan an intervention , in which you will be a key piece.

Today the intervention in autism is approached from different fronts and different therapies. The integration of the same is the one that obtains better results, adapting them to the characteristics of each case.

There are many therapies such as sensorimotor (auditory integration, sensory integration, Irlen lenses), therapies to improve communication, psychoeducational and psychological treatments (behavioral intervention, improvement of social skills, expressive psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy ...)

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