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The causes and treatment of autism

Autism in children: symptoms, signs and treatment

Autism is a disease associated with a violation of a person’s social adaptation, speech function, and mental development. In the early diagnosis of autism in children, treatment can have noticeable results, and the main focus of therapy is the education and socialization of the child.

 With the recognition and treatment of autism in Russia, the situation is not simple, timely diagnosis and correction of autism becomes primarily the task of parents.

 Back in the middle of the last century, autism was a rather rare ailment. But over time, more and more children suffering from it come to light. 

The statistics cited in the USA, where this disease is closely involved, are indicative. In the 1970s, there was a ratio of one autistic per 10 thousand children, 15 years ago - one for 250 children, now - one for 88 children or one autistic for 52 boys and 250 girls. In Russia, there are no official data on the number of autistic children: such a calculation is not carried out.

 By rough standards, there are tens of thousands of “children of rain” in our country, and we differ little from America. 

The increasing incidence of autism in children raises serious concerns, but is still not motivated. Scientists agree only on the fact that autism is provoked by a complex of factors, and not by a single reason. 

Among the possible incentives for autism are the following: gene modifications; organic lesions of the central nervous system (encephalitis, abnormal development of the brain); hormonal disruptions, metabolic disorders; exposure to viral and bacterial infections; mercury poisoning (including when vaccinating a child); excessive use of antibiotics; chemical effects on the mother during pregnancy.

 Whether these factors really can be the cause of autism in children has not been fully identified. But it is clear that with a hereditary predisposition to this disease, any serious effect on the child can lead to autism, including severe fright or an infection. 

Signs and symptoms of autism in children In order to recognize autism in a child in time, it is necessary to carefully monitor its behavior, to fix manifestations atypical for children of the same age.

 Of course, this task is primarily for parents. In a broad sense, autism is a group of diseases that have some common symptoms (autism spectrum disorders). They are especially clearly found when the child reaches the age of one and a half to two years. Here they are: Speech impairment . 

Some autistic children do not speak at all, while others are far behind their peers in speech development. 

Children under the age of 12 months do not walk, they can make the same sounds, at 2 years old they have an extremely poor vocabulary (about 15 words), by 3 years they are almost unable to combine words. 

But autistic children can repeat the words and phrases heard somewhere, like an echo, invent their own words (neologisms), while many do not use speech for communication.

 Autists speak of themselves in the third person, do not use appeals and personal pronouns. Lack of emotional contact with people , primarily with parents. 

Toddlers with autism do not look people in the eye, do not reach for their parents in arms, do not smile. Autists often resist parents' attempts to pick them up and caress.

 By behavior, such children are similar to deaf or blind: they do not distinguish parents from other people, they do not notice that someone is turning to them. Problems in socialization . 

Among others, a child with autism experiences severe discomfort, and over the years, anxiety. "Children of the Rain" can run away and hide if someone is actively addressing them. 

They do not know how to play with peers, they cannot build friendships, because they do not understand the emotions of other people, the rules of the games. Autists prefer solitude, which protects them from strong feelings about their inability to communicate. 

Attacks of aggression . Any disorder, failure can cause an outbreak of anger in a child, provoke a tantrum, a physical attack. 

Aggression in autistic children can be directed at others and at themselves, the latter was recorded in 30% of patients. Weak interest in toys . 

A child with autism does not know how to play with different objects, cars, dolls. Such children are usually not capable of symbolic actions, that is, they cannot depict some objects with the help of others because of poorly developed abstract thinking. 

For example, if mom asks to make her tea in a toy bowl, the child will not bother with a spoon in an empty cup or cannot replace a spoon with a wand, he can only repeat someone’s actions, seen and heard. 

The manifestation of autism in children is also the non-standard use of toys: for example, a child does not roll a car, but spins its wheel for hours. Another option is adherence to only one toy or part thereof, to the same small objects. Stereotypic behavior, fear of change .

 Autistic children tend to do the same things for a long time: repeating the same word, running in circles, swaying from side to side, looking at rotating objects, twirling something, etc. 

They are characterized by compulsive behavior, that is, adherence to certain rules, routine. If this routine is violated, they are very worried, resist, fall into aggression. Such a reaction can be both when moving to another apartment, or if someone rearranges toys on a shelf. 

Each case of the disease is individual: childhood autism can have all of the above symptoms, and can be manifested only by some features of behavior and speech. 

There are milder forms of the disease in which autistic graduates from school, works, and creates a family. Such cases are common in the United States and the West, where autism is promptly recognized by doctors. 

There are not only behavioral, but also physical and physiological signs of autism in children. It cannot be said that all of them have autism, but there is some tendency towards these characteristics of the body. Too sharp or, conversely, blunt sensory perception. 

Cramps. Weakened immunity. Irritable bowel syndrome. The growth of bacteria and yeast in the digestive tract. Pancreatic dysfunction. 

Diagnosis of autism in children In order to suspect an autism spectrum disorder, the child must have three symptoms simultaneously: difficulties in social interaction; communication disorders; repetitive, stereotyped behavior. It is important to note that with childhood autism (classical), all these signs appear in the first three years of a child’s life.

 For a more accurate diagnosis, a specialist in these types of diseases or a neuropsychologist conducts a study according to the criteria of two international classifications of mental disorders and diseases: ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, developed by WHO in 1992) and DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorder , or the Handbook for the Diagnosis and Statistics of Mental Disorders, updated by the American Psychological Association in 2013) For medical diagnosis, a child must have at least six symptoms from these classifications d. 

The decision is made by observing the child in a familiar environment, interviewing parents. 

For these purposes, standardized documents are also used. Parents are asked questions from the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised Questionnaire (ADI-R, Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised), and anamnesis data are collected from the Autism Diagnostic Monitoring Scale (ADOS), which also prescribes certain actions by the parents.

 Hospitalization uses the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). These are only basic methods of diagnosis, but they are mainly used in the USA and Europe. In Russia, the diagnosis of childhood autism is difficult due to the lack of standards and appropriate training of medical personnel. 

The pediatrician is usually not able to suspect autism for the atypical behavior of the child, and parents rarely report such facts. 

Normally, in cases of suspected childhood autism, it is necessary to undergo a medical commission, where, in addition to the attending physician, there must be a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, it is desirable to have a specialist in autism spectrum diseases, as well as parents and carers (if the child is attending kindergarten). 

When diagnosing autism, it is very difficult to differentiate it from diseases with similar symptoms, especially for early childhood. Confusion in diagnoses is another problem in Russian medicine.

 The problem is serious, because autism in children is treated completely differently from mental retardation or schizophrenia, and improper treatment will forever deprive autism of hope for a normal life.

 Differential diagnosis of autism with other diseases Childhood autism (or Kanner’s syndrome) is different from other types of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most notably Asperger syndrome.

 This is a milder form of the disease in which the child’s intellectual and speech development does not lag behind the age norm, but he still experiences difficulties in communicating and understanding other people. Another form of ASD is highly functional autism, which differs from classical autism in the normal level of IQ in patients. 

Children's disintegrative disorder , or a regressive form of autism in children. This is the most dangerous type of autism, but it is in this form of ASD that the highest increase in incidence is observed. 

Disintegrative disorder is detected after 4 years. Prior to this, serious deviations were not observed in the development of the child, and then autism symptoms sharply appear with subsequent regression of development. With enhanced therapy, you can help the child in this case.

 Hearing and visual impairment . If the baby does not look people in the eyes, behaves detachedly, does not answer questions, you should first check whether everything is in order with the senses, especially if there is no ritual behavior. 

Mental retardation . In this case, children more easily interact with the world, make emotional contact, play with toys, in early childhood they often do not differ in their propensity for uniform movements, and do not have speech disorders specific to autism.

 Schizophrenia . It is difficult to differentiate with autism, as their symptoms are very similar. Nevertheless, childhood schizophrenia is a much more rare disease that occurs after reaching the age of three.

 With schizophrenia, children experience hallucinations, delusional states, intelligence, and speech while they suffer less than with autism. 

Hospitalism (deprivation syndrome). In hospitalism, mental and physical retardation is a consequence of the child’s isolation from the mother, which occurs in children who have been in orphanages since birth or who suffer from indifference and cold parents. 

The sooner autism in a child is detected, the greater the effect of the therapy of the disease, allowing a person to become part of society. 

Treatment and correction of autism in children There are many professional methods and rehabilitation programs that describe how to treat autism in children. 

Among the most popular are “Applied Behavior Analysis”, “Game Time” (Floor Time), TEASSN and others, developed in the USA. And in all cases, therapy is based on teaching children specific behavioral scenarios, actively communicating with them. 

In this context, how much it will be possible to reduce the manifestations of autism in a child depends on the efforts of his parents. So far, there are few specialists in this country who are closely involved with autism using existing behavioral methods.

 Nevertheless, it is necessary to find a knowledgeable psychiatrist. In correctional educational institutions, such children are not given sufficient attention, but autistic work should be carried out comprehensively: in the psychiatrist’s office, in schools, and in kindergartens. 

And in any case, individual therapy is primarily a concern for parents, no matter in which country they live. 

There are a number of basic recommendations for parents on correcting autism in children: Inoculating the child with the necessary life skills should be based on a very frequent repetition of the same actions.

 Even if a child, for example, learned to brush his teeth, later you need to “go through” this lesson with him again and again. 

An autist should have a strict daily routine that parents should not break. A sharp change in the situation and habits of the child is prohibited. 

You need to communicate with your child as often as possible, spend a lot of time with him. 

You can learn to establish contact with the child with the same stubborn repetition, frequent appeal to him, but you can not raise your voice, scold and punish the child.

 With early childhood autism, frequent emotional contacts with the baby will help: pick up, caress, download, play with him, speak affectionate words. It is possible to communicate using the exchange of cards, pictures in those cases when speech interaction is difficult. 

You can not let the child overwork, you need to take breaks between classes, games, allowing him to stay in solitude. 

Regularly do physical exercises with the child, this will help relieve stress, strengthen his physical development.

 Do not suppress the initiative of the child and do not rush him in the implementation of actions.

 Parents should show remarkable patience and consistency in the training and education of the autistic, creating the most relaxed atmosphere for him at home. To do this, you should take care of your mental well-being, taking rest breaks, visiting a psychologist for advice on raising a child.

 Parents help is required in the adaptation of autism not only at home, but also on the street, in kindergarten, at school. 

Persistently, but gently overcoming his resistance, unwillingness to communicate, parents ultimately make it clear to the child that it is possible for him to communicate in words, play with peers, and so on. 

Drug treatment for autism Drug therapy for a disease such as autism does not exist. Drug treatment is resorted to, if necessary, to eliminate individual symptoms.

 Medicines are prescribed mainly to eliminate inappropriate behavioral reactions: auto-aggression and aggression aimed at other people, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders (irresistible desires), increased motor activity. In such cases, antipsychotics and psychostimulants are prescribed. 

But overdoing with the use of psychotropic drugs with autism is impossible. Suppressing the signs of autism in children, making their life seem safer, such treatment leads to a further regression of intellectual and speech abilities. 

Dysbacteriosis resulting from intestinal malfunction in autistic children involves treatment with probiotics that create beneficial microflora in the intestines. 

The lack of vitamins, minerals and certain amino acids detected by analysis is compensated by the use of drug complexes containing vitamins: C, E, B6, B12; minerals: zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, molybdenum, chromium, manganese; acids: folic and lipoic.

 Therapy with polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids contained in flaxseed, fish oil, reduces irritation in the intestines , and has a calming effect on the psyche. 

The introduction of the hormone secretin, insufficiently secreted by the patient’s pancreas , can improve its general condition, concentration. 

Digestive enzymes allow you to normalize stool , better absorb food. The abundance of yeast and pathogenic bacteria, low resistance of the body and dysbiosis make it necessary to treat with candidiasis, antibacterial and antiparasitic drugs. Immunostimulating therapy will be useful in almost every case of autism.

 Children suffering from autoimmune diseases require special treatment with the introduction of steroids, immunoglobulin. 

With an increased content of heavy metals in the body, chelation is sometimes used, that is, the removal of these metals from the body with the help of special drugs (for example, dimercaptosuccinic acid, or DMSA). 

Manifestations of autism can facilitate a special diet. To do this, you need: refuse food containing casein (milk) and gluten (wheat, rye, oats, barley), do not use foods that contain preservatives and dyes, stick to a yeast-free diet, reduce sugar intake, eat more fiber foods to drink a lot of water, give priority to protein foods over carbohydrate.

 Regardless of diet, in children with autism, a serious imbalance in the content of many substances can be detected: Deficiency of vitamins A, E, C, B6, B12, B3, folic acid, magnesium, taurine, trace elements: zinc, selenium, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, vanadium.

 Deviations in the level of adrenaline, norepinephrine, dopamine, an increased concentration of opiate-like hormones (endorphins). The increased content of mercury, tin, aluminum, arsenic, antimony in the body.

 The treatment of childhood autism, both behavioral and drug, is very individual in all cases. Before taking any medications, you need to conduct tests to determine the problems associated with autism. 

How to treat autism, only a doctor can professionally decide; with diets and drug therapy, you need to monitor their effectiveness - such funds do not help all children.