Autism Symptom
Autism symptom may appear during infancy and the disorder is usually diagnosed by the age of 3. The child's development appears normal until about 2 years old and then develops autism symptom. Autism symptom occurs in various combinations, from mild to severe.
Autism symptom may first be noticed in the young children with autism, as they usually have impaired language development. Autism symptom may include difficulty expressing needs (i.e., use gestures instead of words) and may laugh, cry, or show distress for unknown reasons. Children with autism symptom may develop rudimentary language skills that do not serve as an effective form of communication.
Children with autism symptom may develop abnormal patterns of speech that lack intonation and expression and may repeat words or phrases repetitively (called echolalia). Some children with autism symptom learn to read.
Children with autism symptom do not express interest in other people and often prefer to be alone. Autism symptom may include resist changes in their routine, repeat actions (e.g., turn in circles, flap their arms) over and over, and engage in self-injurious behavior (e.g., bite or scratch themselves, bang their head).
If autism symptoms are present or some other developmental disability is suspected, the child's physician will usually refer the child to a variety of specialists, including a speech-language pathologist, who performs a comprehensive evaluation of his or her ability to communicate and designs and administers treatment.
No one treatment method has been found to successfully improve communication in all individuals who have autism symptom. The best treatment begins early, during the preschool years, is individually tailored, targets both behavior and communication, and involves parents or primary caregivers. For the child with autism symptom, the goal of therapy should be to improve useful communication. For some, verbal communication is a realistic goal. For others, the goal may be gestured communication. Still others may have the goal of communicating by means of a symbol system such as picture boards. Treatment should include periodic in-depth evaluations provided by an individual with special training in the evaluation and treatment of speech and language disorders, such as a speech therapist.
Occupational and physical therapists may also work with the individual to reduce unwanted behaviors that may interfere with the development of communication skills in the child with autism symptom. Autism symptom of may increase in severity when the child enters adolescence and often decrease in severity during adulthood.
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