Autism

The text is presented for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor. Recommended reading: “Why not self-medicate?”. Autism is a mental disorder that occurs when there is a disturbance in the functioning of the brain and is expressed in a lack of communication and social interaction. It is manifested by constantly repetitive actions on the part of the patient, as well as by limiting the scope of interests. In simple terms, autistic people tend to withdraw into their own world, not welcoming intervention in it in any way.

In another way, this disease is called Kanner’s syndrome, infantile autism, autistic disorder, Kanner’s autism or childhood autism. It has a code in ICD-10 – F84.0. It usually develops in childhood. Children with autism show all the pronounced symptoms of the disorder as early as three years old.

Doctors classify autism as one of the diseases of the nervous system, but there is another popular belief that this is not a disease, but a condition characterized by abnormalities in the development of the child.

Autism can occur not only in young children, but also in adults and most often manifests itself as one of the symptoms of schizophrenia. A disease that occurs in an adult is called atypical autism. The reasons for its appearance, as in childhood, are also not fully understood.

The condition, in which the symptoms and signs of the disease are mild and weak, has been defined as the autism spectrum.

History of the development of the disease

The concept of “autism” first appeared in the distant 1910, when Eigen Bleuler, a psychiatrist from Switzerland, used it to describe the symptoms of schizophrenia. The basis for it was the Greek word αὐτός, which means “himself” in translation. The description of the symptom sounded like the patient’s departure into his own imaginary world, the intrusion into which by any external influences was perceived as unbearable importunity.

It was not until 1938 that the Austrian pediatrician and psychiatrist Hans Asperger first used the word, describing one of the symptoms of a child’s mental personality disorder, very similar to schizophrenic autism. It was then that the term acquired a more modern meaning. However, it was not until 1981 that Asperger’s syndrome was recognized as an independent disease.

And in 1943, the psychiatrist Leo Kanner, after conducting research on eleven children, noted that they had a similar pattern of behavior, in connection with which he used the name “early infantile autism.” In his work, such basic manifestations of the disease as withdrawal into oneself and an uncontrollable desire for constancy were identified.

In the XNUMXs and XNUMXs, there was already evidence that the problem of autism was hereditary. And today, the genetic origin of the disease is considered as one of the root causes of its occurrence.

And although in the modern world there is a fairly well-developed movement aimed at the normal perception of such children by society, many people still have a negative attitude towards autistic patients. Even some doctors still adhere to outdated views on this disease, which greatly complicates the treatment of patients.

Much has changed with the advent of the Internet, thanks to which autistic people form various communities that save them from communicating with external stimuli. This allowed them to find remote work that does not involve verbal communication and emotional interaction.

Significant changes have also taken place in the social and cultural sphere: some people with the disease are uniting in search of a possible cure for the disease, while others claim that autism is a lifestyle.

World Autism Awareness Day, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 2007, is celebrated on April XNUMX every year. This made it possible to draw attention to this problem, to tell the society who autists are, and how to find the right approach to them. Various information and information about the disease primarily focuses on the importance of early diagnosis of the disease and the need for examination.

autism statistics

Most often, the development of autism is associated with pathological changes in human genes, which means that the disease is transmitted from generation to generation. But the genetic component of the disease is so complex that it is impossible to pinpoint the exact cause. In one case, it is believed that the sources lie in the interaction of various genes, in the other – in special mutations. Sometimes the development of the disease is associated with congenital personality defects.

The prevalence of autism is rather difficult to track, primarily due to the fact that during its study approaches to the diagnosis of the disease have changed significantly. General statistics show that about one percent of children suffer from autism spectrum disorders, and girls among them are four times less than boys. After the XNUMXs, the number of people who fell ill increased significantly, but this does not necessarily mean that the disease is progressing rapidly. Most likely this is due to changes in diagnostic methods.

Classification of the disease

To date, the classification of autism is not unambiguous. The fact is that scientists and medical workers classify this disease in their own way. Therefore, we will briefly consider the most common varieties of the disease, divided into types due to the occurrence:

• Kanner syndrome or classic multifunctional autism;
• Asperger’s syndrome;
• endogenous paroxysmal autism that occurs against the background of schizophrenia;
• Rett syndrome;
• autism with chromosome aberrations;
• residual-organic variant of autism;
• autism of unknown origin.

In addition, there are types of autism, which are classified according to the severity of the disease, the nature of its manifestation, as well as the interaction of patients with the outside world. There are the following variants of adult autism:

1. First group. This includes patients whose contacts with the outside world are practically absent;
2. Second group. Patients belonging to this category are very self-contained, often devoting all their time to the same occupation. Such patients very often do not feel the need for rest and sleep, even with prolonged wakefulness.
3. Third group. It unites people who ignore social norms and orders because of their non-perception.
4. Fourth group. This includes older patients who are prone to a prolonged sense of resentment towards the whole world around them, due to the inability to overcome their daily problems.
5. Fifth group. Such patients are distinguished by a high intellectual level. Often they successfully adapt in modern society, interact on an equal footing with the people around them. They are brilliantly trained, master various professions and often work in the field of intellectual labor.

Often in the latter group there are people who have the so-called congenital “genius gene” – savant syndrome or savantism. It is activated due to the processes that occur in the brain of autistic people, and therefore autism is often called the disease of geniuses. This phenomenon can be both congenital – genetically determined, and acquired. The most common secondary savantism that developed against the background of childhood autism or Asperger’s syndrome. Such patients achieve great success in their professional activities. However, they have certain difficulties in the social sphere, and they often face misunderstandings from relatives and friends. Such autism is sometimes referred to as high-functioning. Considering the levels of intelligence, one can also distinguish between low and medium functional. A distinction is made between syndromic and non-syndromic autism, with the former characterized by the patient’s characteristic severe mental retardation or congenital syndrome manifesting physical symptoms. Occurs in medical practice partial and deep autism.

It is also possible to single out atypical autism, which is characterized by a later manifestation – after three years and the absence of at least one of the three criteria characteristic of childhood autism.

In the medical field, it is customary to distinguish between true and false autism. The characteristic of true autism lies in the pathologies of the psyche, while false autism is not a disease. Such children are simply closed and unsociable from birth, but these are only manifestations of their character traits.

Classification of early childhood autism by severity

To date, there are four groups of early childhood autism, which differ in the severity of the disease:

1. The first and most severe form of the disease. It is characterized by complete detachment, when the child is absolutely not interested in what is happening around him. He does not respond to feelings of discomfort, affectionate words of relatives, wet diapers, and even to hunger. They avoid all physical contact and can’t stand it when they look into their eyes.
2. The next form of the disease is characterized by active rejection of the reality surrounding them. Such children are subject to very careful selectivity when communicating with the outside world. Usually they communicate only with close people, sometimes only with their parents. This form of the disease is characterized by the manifestation of selectivity not only in contacts, but also in clothing, and even in food. The intervention of strangers in the life of a child leads to the emergence of strong fears, to which they react with aggression or auto-aggression. Children with this form of autism often use the same words in conversation, repeating phrases and movements. But, nevertheless, such patients are more socially adapted than patients belonging to the first group.
3. The third degree of the disease is characteristic of children who tend to close in on themselves, to go into their own invented world. Thus, they hide from the outside world. Their activities and hobbies are looped: they can play the same game for years, draw the same pictures and talk on the same topics. In some cases, their interests are dark and intimidating, sometimes with an admixture of aggression.
4. The fourth, mild degree of autism combines children who experience serious difficulties in interacting with reality and the outside world. Patients are extremely vulnerable, emotionally sensitive and vulnerable. They try to avoid all psychologically negative contacts, they are afraid of any relationship. Also, such children react strongly to the assessment of other people.

At the same time, it should be noted that properly organized work makes it possible for children to move from a severe to a milder degree of the disease, and often help to adapt in the social sphere and its environment.

Autism in adolescence is much more severe than in patients of younger and preschool age. Older children often develop psychosis, depression and unmotivated aggression due to the disease.

Causes of the disease

Until recently, the most common cause of the disease was considered a genetic predisposition, due to which dysfunctional changes occur in the brain, leading to the onset and development of autism. Today, the hypothesis that autism is a complex mental disorder caused by various causes, most often acting on a person simultaneously, is gaining more and more momentum. Factors in the development of the disease include:

• the presence of severe infectious diseases, especially in fetal development (measles, rubella, chicken pox);
• congenital disorders in the brain;
• low birth weight;
• intrauterine fetal hypoxia, premature pregnancies, severe labor activity;
• childhood schizophrenia;
• traumatic brain injury in a child;
• advanced age of parents;
• radiation exposure and intoxication of the body.

You can also identify additional reasons that can cause the onset and development of this disease:

• drinking and smoking;
• prenatal stress;
• low-quality food, pesticides;
• heavy metals and exhaust gases;
• solvents;
• vaccines.

Many people attribute this disease to early childhood vaccinations or racial predisposition, but there is no evidence for these theories to date.

Acquired autism, which develops due to improper upbringing of the child or lack of attention from parents, should also be singled out separately. This disease can also occur in adults. Most often, the reasons for its appearance in such cases are considered to be:

• chronic depressive disorders;
• the presence of traumatic brain injury;
• psychological diseases.

In general, the pathogenesis of this disease is not yet fully understood. The risk of occurrence is quite high in children who have experienced severe emotional stress or trauma, faced with violence and humiliation in the family, complete neglect by their parents – psychogenic autism.

Symptomatology of the disease

The symptomatology of this disease is manifested in a combination of behavioral and physiological factors.

Behavioral autism comes in a variety of forms depending on the age of the child.

The presence of autism disorder in newborns and children under six months of age can be identified by the presence of the following symptoms:

• constant nervousness and strong crying, excessive activity of the baby;
• increased passivity, weak and unexpressed interest in the outside world, or its complete absence, minimal physical activity, the practical absence of crying;
• delay in the development of the child;
• accelerated head growth;
• lack of response to the voices of parents;
• refusal to breastfeed;
• there is no concentration and focusing of the gaze on various objects and faces;
• rejection of maternal or paternal touch.

Signs of autism in a child from two to eleven years old are:

• refusal of visual contact with the interlocutor;
• immunity to one’s own name;
• unwillingness to communicate with other children, the constant desire to be alone;
• refusal to talk with older people;
• panic states when changing the usual environment;
• certain difficulties in learning and acquiring various skills;
• showing interest in a certain type of activity (music, computer, fine arts, mathematics);
• repetition of the same gestures, sounds or words in a systematic manner.

Symptoms indicating the presence of autism in children after eleven years:

• depressive disorders with manifestations of aggression;
• violation of speech function;
• tendency to repetitive actions;
• communication with fictitious interlocutors;
• denial of the need to communicate with other people;
• negative manifestations with any changes;
• increased anxiety, overexcitability, excessive nervousness;
• strong attachment to certain objects;
• pathological fears and panic conditions;
• systematic adherence to invented rituals.

The severity of the development of autistic disorders in an adult woman or man is directly related to their course in childhood. They usually have the following symptoms:

• ignoring generally accepted norms of behavior;
• paucity of facial expressions, gestures and vocabulary;
• lack of emotions and intonation;
• non-perception of emotional and sensory changes in the behavior of other people;
• unwillingness to contact with others;
• serious difficulties in building friendships or love relationships.

Symptoms of the disease also vary depending on its various types and forms.

Kanner’s syndrome, or childhood autism, most often occurs in children under the age of three. Violations in this case are manifested in communications and behavior. The socialization of the child also suffers to a large extent. In such patients, obvious aggression towards themselves and others, unmotivated and frequent outbursts of anger can be traced. Medical and psychological factors are represented by sleep disturbance, the presence of pathological fears, malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract.

Features inherent in atypical autism:

• the manifestation of the disease at a later age, after the child reaches three years;
• violation of social interaction;
• developmental delay;
• stereotyped behavior that occurs with a certain frequency.

Asperger’s syndrome or high functioning autism differs from other types of the disease:

• no delay in speech development;
• cognitive abilities are developed above the norm.

This syndrome is also characterized by the appearance of stereotypes, a passion for any one occupation. Often these patients experience clumsiness.

Rett syndrome is considered one of the most severe manifestations of the disease. It is characterized by the following symptoms:

• inhibition of speech development;
• loss of acquired skills;
• loss of muscle tone;
• severe progressive deterioration of motor function and motor skills;
• seizures of an epileptic nature.

The symptoms of such a disease by the age of five or six years of a child’s life are very similar to the last stages of severe diseases of the central nervous system. Unfortunately, Rett syndrome cannot be corrected.

Stages of autistic disorder

As the disease develops and progresses, the patient goes through the following stages of the disease:

1. Acute, initial stage. Or a stage of psychosis. Its duration usually ranges from one to six months. The patient has a decrease in activity, a change in the emotional background, detachment from the surrounding reality, withdrawal into oneself, inhibition of development.
2. The regressive stage, the duration of which is from six months to a year. Regressive autism is characterized by a continued decrease in activity, loss of previously acquired skills, loss of speech, the appearance of motor stereotypes: unclenching and clenching fists, raising arms to shoulder height or above the head, constantly laying fingers behind each other, the presence of primitive actions characteristic of the early period of development, a sharp muscle tension followed by a wave of the arms.
3. The catatonic stage lasts from one and a half to two years. It is characterized by the appearance of disorders characterized by excessive motor activity with stereotypy and negativism inherent in autism: running in circles, swinging from side to side, constant circling, climbing furniture.

By the end of the last stage, as a rule, the child shows improvement. At the same time, neuroses and mental disorders, hyperactivity and impulsivity may appear in him. But at the same time, the damaged development is restored again, which can be seen by the patient’s reaction to others, the regeneration of speech in the form of sounds or some syllables during emotional outbursts, and also by the appearance of self-service skills that were previously lost.

Features of the development of autists

The mechanisms of development in autistic people are significantly different from ordinary people. Therefore, generally accepted criteria cannot be applied to them.

Intelligence and thinking in patients with autism are significantly reduced, characterized by the inability to concentrate and the inability to focus on any specific action. The level of intelligence in patients with high-functioning autism is usually average or slightly above average. There is a certain percentage of children with autism who manifest Savant’s syndrome, which distinguishes them by talent in some highly specialized field. Also, with any type of autism, there is a significant severity in learning.

Speech in patients with autism is full of cliches, constantly repeating phrases and words. They begin to speak much later than their peers, build sentences incorrectly, confuse personal pronouns. Often, when talking about themselves, they use the pronouns “he”, “she” or “you”.

The physical development of autistics is accompanied by the presence of constantly repetitive movements, violations of fine and large motor skills, coordination, a heavy gait is characteristic, often turning into impulsive running. Their movements may be lethargic or constrained, hands do not take part in physical activity.

The perception of autistics is inhibited, it is quite difficult for them to process information, especially when it is received simultaneously. From such patients it is impossible to wait for a quick response or any lightning-fast reaction. The sensory mechanism of perception works depending on the situation in which the patient is located. Information presented in a familiar and calm environment is most easily perceived. It must be remembered that what ordinary people do not pay attention to can cause severe irritation in autistic people. It can be a bright light, and the flickering of a lamp, and various smells, and certain sounds.

Diagnosis of the disease

It is very difficult to diagnose this disease, especially in the early stages. After all, in ordinary children, a developmental lag and detachment from unfamiliar people can be traced. Diagnosis of autism should occur at a time when parents noticed the first signs of the formation of deviations in the child, the most typical of which is the patient’s distorted perception of the surrounding reality.

This disease can also be suspected during intrauterine development. A competent specialist will notice deviations already in the second trimester of pregnancy, when the intensive growth of the body and brain of the fetus may be a sign of autism.

The diagnosis of autism is made without fail by the doctor, conducting various diagnostic tests, as well as a test for the level of intelligence. The specialist is obliged to check the speech functions of the child, the lack of communication and the versatility of his interests. The social activity of the patient is also important.

At this stage, psychological and pedagogical diagnostics takes place.

In case of any doubt, an analysis is carried out to exclude other possible diseases: mental retardation, speech or hearing disorders, as well as cerebral palsy – the so-called differential diagnosis. Most often, a consultation with a speech therapist is prescribed, as well as an examination by an ophthalmologist or audiologist. In some cases, an ultrasound or MRI of the brain is performed.

Often at an early age it is not possible to diagnose autism in a child, but over the years its manifestations become more distinct. But even later treatment subsequently leads to a significant improvement in the patient’s condition.

Treatment of autism and teaching methods for children with autism

Autism is not completely curable. The main goal in the treatment is to help in the formation of social contacts, improving self-service skills. Well proven:

• speech therapy;
• play and behavioral therapy;
• occupational therapy;
• family therapy;
• using different development models.

Correctional work in autism is aimed at taking psychotropic, anticonvulsant drugs, antipsychotics and antidepressants.

Autistic children are taught separately from healthy children. For them, there are special institutions where various teaching methods are used.

Preventive measures for autism

Prevention of the disease is as follows:

• breastfeeding the baby, if possible, without replacing it with artificial feeding;
• the use of high-quality hygiene products during pregnancy and lactation;
• use by the child only purified drinking water;
• compulsory vaccination;
• avoid the use of low-quality products;
• stay close to the baby at all times.

Compliance with these simple rules will avoid the risk of autism, or significantly reduce the possibility of its development.

Consequences of the disease

Autism is considered an incurable disease. But competent correction allows to achieve long-term remission. Predicting the outcome of the treatment is quite difficult and doctors give different predictions: some autistic people live an independent life, others require constant monitoring by a doctor and are also dependent on others. Autism does not affect life expectancy, but such patients rarely live to old age, since in most cases there is no one to take care of them. Although autism itself is not dangerous, it can have negative consequences, so it is important to see a doctor and start treatment as soon as possible.

The presence of the disease allows you to have a disability, which can later be removed, thanks to qualified and timely assistance.

How to live with an autistic child

Obviously, it is quite difficult for parents who have an autistic child to lead a normal and familiar life. Many even quit their jobs so that they can fully deal with a sick baby. What recommendations and advice do psychologists give to cope with this difficult disease? A reminder for parents of autistic children is the following points:

1. Create a favorable environment in the family in order to calm the sick little patient as much as possible and give him a feeling of coziness and comfort.
2. To learn to understand the child, his speech and actions, in order to subsequently contribute to his better adaptation in the social environment.
3. To provoke involvement in collective activities through non-verbal games. Puzzles, puzzles, constructor are well suited for this.
4. Constantly repeat the material covered with the baby.
5. When playing games, it is necessary to focus the child’s attention on the correctness of his actions, and do this constantly for better memorization.
6. Only achievable goals should be set before the child and patiently treat possible whims and tantrums.
7. Learn to recognize the emotions of others. To do this, it is good to use cartoons or theatrical performances.

In addition, you need to take children to specialized groups for those suffering from autism, where they are taught to develop communication skills.

In conclusion

Autism is a severe and incurable psychological disease that most often develops in childhood. Sometimes adult patients are also affected. With timely diagnosis and qualified treatment, people with such a diagnosis live a full life, get a well-paid job, marry and have children.

Autism is not a sentence, and in no case should you despair when a child has a disease. On the contrary, every effort should be made to help him cope with the problem.

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