April was Autism Awareness Month. Given the increasing number of children with autism, as well as my personal journey having a son with autism, I thought I would give you the latest thoughts on autism.
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of life. It is a neurological disorder that affects the brain and is called a spectrum disorder because it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees.
What are the symptoms?
They vary for each child, but the common threads to make a diagnosis include:
• Impairment in social interaction — Individuals with autism often have trouble interacting with others, making eye contact (it took several pictures at Aperture Studio before Max would look at the camera), understanding feelings of others, developing friendships, and/or lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements (lack of showing, pointing, bringing objects to you).
• Impairment in communication — Individuals with autism may have delay in or total lack of spoken language, inability to sustain a conversation with others, repetitive use of language (constantly repeating lines from a video) or lack of spontaneous make-believe play.
• Repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors, interests and activities — These activities may include a preoccupation with a restricted pattern of interest that is abnormal in intensity or focus (lining up objects in a specific order), inflexible routine or rituals (Max must have the doors closed to the bathroom, bedroom, and closet before he gets into bed), stereotyped and repetitive motor movements (hand flapping), and/or preoccupation with parts of objects (spinning the wheels on a car vs. playing with the car).
How common is autism?
Autism occurs in 1 in 150 births (CDC, 2007) and affects boys four times more often than girls (not sure why, but may be hormonal protection for girls). Autism tends to run in families and affects all racial, ethnic, social and educational levels.
What causes autism?
There is no known single cause. Researchers are examining many theories including the link between genetics and medical illnesses such as autoimmune diseases and digestive disorders. Research is also focusing on a genetic disorder that makes some children born with a susceptibility to autism more likely to have symptoms appear with exposure to environmental toxins (vaccinations, viral infections, heavy metals, etc).
How is it diagnosed?
There are no medical tests to diagnose autism. A diagnosis is based on observations from many individuals including parents, doctors, caregivers and therapists. Besides parents, pediatricians and other primary care practitioners play the primary role in watching for developmental delays. They often perform developmental screening aimed at identifying children who need more intensive diagnosis or assessment. While the pediatricians have valid developmental tools, they value parental concerns about language, cognitive and emotional-behavioral issues you may have. Don't be afraid to speak up if you have a concern.
Dr. Susan Bane is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist at Greenville OB/GYN, a division of Physicians East, and an adjunct professor in East Carolina University's Department of Exercise and Sport Science.
This column on autism will continue in the next issue of Her magazine.
