How to recognize autism in a young child?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the latest reports on the incidence of autism in children are 1 child out of every 150. Autism is a serious developmental disorder, when the child is locked in himself and it seems that no information from the outside world reaches him. Most children with autism may look "normal" in appearance, but they show behavior that is perplexing compared to children of the same age. Autism also affects a child's ability to communicate.

More on Childhood Autism

Recent studies show that the best result is treatment in those children who have been taken early medical intervention. Today in medical practice, the diagnosis of "autism" is possible at about the age of three. Autism is difficult to diagnose at an early age, because adequate tests have not yet been developed. The fact is that autistic behavior is similar to the behavior or symptoms of other diseases that are similar to autism.

Autism and heredity

Researchers in the United States have found new evidence for a link between autism and maternal autoimmune disorders. Old studies have already pointed to the link between autism and autoimmune disorders of the mother, such as type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. But a new study, published in the online edition of Pediatrics, describes the relationship between autism and celiac disease.

Celiac disease (or gluten enteropathy) is an autoimmune disease that affects people's ability to digest gluten and protein from wheat, rye, barley, or food.

According to the results of the study, in mums with autoimmune disorders, the risk of having a child with autism increases threefold. The study also showed that mothers with a hereditary disease of type 1 diabetes are more at risk of having a child with autism.

This study may allow the global medical community to take one step closer to recognizing the causes of autism.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

Five behaviors that point to autism

The National Institute for Child Health and Development in the United States warns of five characteristics of child behavior that require further evaluation to determine child autism. These five types of behavior include:

1. The child does not pronounce syllables for a year
2. He has no babble until 12 months
3. A child does not make any gestures for a year (does not point at anything with his finger, waving his arms, not enough toys)
4. A child does not speak a single word for up to 16 months
5. The kid does not speak a single sentence until two years old.

It is important to remember that if your child shows any or all of these signs, it does not mean that he has autism. This simply means that medical research is needed to determine the slowdown in the child's development in time.

[8], [9]

Below is a list of several examples of early signs of autism.

• Language and speech delays
• A child can not explain what he wants
• The child does not take anything with his fingers
• The kid spends a lot of time building up cubes or laying out things in a certain order
• The child is not interested in other children
• The child behaves like a deaf in the company of people
• The child does not smile when he smiled
• The baby has a bad eye contact or refuses contact with the eyes
• The loss of any developed skill or language

[10],

New research on the appearance of children with autism

According to a new study by the University of Missouri, children with autism may have wider eyes and not very distinct features.

Analyzing 3-D images of children with autism and comparing them with images of children without psychological and physical disorders, the researchers found some common features in the facial features of children with autism. In a study of boys with autism, scientists found that autistic children:

• broad face with wide eyes
• the middle part of the face (cheeks and nose) is nominally shorter
• a wider mouth and nasolabial septum (the distance between the nose and upper lip)

The lead author of the study, Christina Aldridge, said: "Children with other disorders such as Down's syndrome and the alcoholic parents' child syndrome have very clear facial features." Autism is much less striking. You can not distinguish these kids from the crowd of children, but you you can define them mathematically. " This study can lead scientists to discover how autism develops.

If you suspect that your child may be delayed in development, immediately consult a doctor. Many children with autism continue to live a full life. There are special programs that can help these children and their families better understand the disease, like autism, and cope with this disorder.