Signs, symptoms, and treatment of autism in children

Babies who have been diagnosed with autism are becoming more and more every day. This prevalence of the disease is associated primarily with improved diagnosis. Often, talented and gifted children in Russia miss the diagnosis of autism. Such children require special attention and must necessarily be socialized in society.

In simple words, “Autism” is a mental disorder or disease characterized by mental changes, loss of social adaptation in society, and altered behavior. Usually, a child has a persistent disruption of interaction within a society.

The disease can actually be mild. In this case, to identify the first characteristic signs and recognize the disease is a very difficult task not only for parents, but also for doctors.

In Europe and the United States, the diagnosis of autism is much more common. This is due to the presence of excellent diagnostic criteria, which allow the commission of doctors to accurately diagnose even with mild illness or in difficult clinical cases.

In autistic babies, various changes occur in the cerebral cortex. They appear immediately after birth. However, they can appear much later, after many years. The disease proceeds without periods of stable remission. With a long course of the disease and the use of various psychotherapeutic techniques that can improve the behavior of an autistic child, parents can see some improvements.

To date, no specific treatment has been developed. This means that the complete cure of the disease, unfortunately, is impossible.

Statistics on the incidence of autism in the United States and Europe differs markedly from Russian data. This is primarily due to the high detectability of sick children abroad. Foreign doctors and psychologists use numerous questionnaires and diagnostic behavioral tests that allow them to accurately enough make the correct diagnosis in children of any age.

In Russia, the statistics are completely different. Often, not all babies on time and at an early age reveal the first symptoms of the disease. Russian children who suffer from autism often remain simply reticent babies.

The prevalence of the disease is no more than 3%. Most often autistic boys are sick. Usually this ratio is 4: 1.Girls from families where many cases of autism are registered with relatives can also get sick with this mental illness.

Most often, the first bright symptoms of the disease are detected only by three years. The disease is usually manifested at an earlier age, but up to 3-5 years in most cases remains unrecognized.

To date, scientists have not decided on a common opinion on this issue. In the development of autism, many experts find several genes guilty, which cause a disorder in the work of some parts of the cerebral cortex. Often when analyzing cases of disease becomes apparent. pronounced heredity.

Another theory of the disease is considered to be mutational. Scientists believe that the cause of the disease can be a variety of mutations and breakdowns in the genetic apparatus of a particular individual.

Various factors can lead to this:

• the effects of ionizing radiation on the fetus during pregnancy of the mother;
• infection with bacterial or viral infections of the fetus during fetal development;
• exposure to hazardous chemicals that have a teratogenic effect on the unborn child;
• chronic diseases of the nervous system in the mother, in which she took various symptomatic psychotropic drugs for a long time.

Such mutagenic effects according to American experts quite often led to various disorders characteristic of autism.

The gene or mutational disorders that underlie the disease ultimately lead to the appearance of specific damage to certain parts of the central nervous system. As a result, coherent work is disrupted between the various neurons responsible for social integration.

Also, there is a change in the functions of the mirror cells of the brain, which leads to the appearance of specific symptoms of autism, when the baby can repeatedly perform a single-type action and pronounce individual phrases several times.

Currently, there are many different classifications of the disease. All of them are divided into variants of the course of the disease, the severity of manifestations, as well as taking into account the stage of the disease.

The only working classification that would be used in Russia is not. Our country is currently developing and streamlining specific disease criteria that will underlie the diagnosis of the disease.

Autism can usually occur in several forms or variations:

1. Typical. In this embodiment, the symptoms of the disease appear quite clearly already in childhood. Kids have more closed-minded behavior, lack of involvement in games with other children, they have poor contacts even with close relatives and parents. To improve social integration, it is necessary to conduct a whole range of various psychotherapeutic procedures and the help of a child psychologist who is well versed in this problem.
2. Atypical. This atypical variant of the disease occurs at a much later age. As a rule, after 3-4 years. This form of the disease is characterized by the manifestation of not all specific signs of autism, but only some. Atypical autism is diagnosed rather late. Often, in time, no diagnosis and delay in setting the diagnosis leads to the development of more persistent symptoms in the child, which are much worse than therapies.
3. Hidden. Accurate statistics on the number of babies with such a diagnosis are not available. In this form of the disease, the manifestation of the main clinical symptoms is extremely rare. Very often, babies are considered simply overly closed or introverted. Such children practically do not allow strangers into their own inner world. Communication with a child diagnosed with autism is very difficult.

Autism can occur in several forms according to severity. The mildest form is found in most cases. It is characterized by violations of social adaptation, when the baby does not want to make contacts or communicate with other people.

Self-infringement in the mild form of the disease almost never occur. Kids can make contact with people closest to them. Usually, the child chooses several family members who, in his opinion, treat him with more care and attention. Toddlers-autists have poor body contact. Usually the child tries to deviate from the hug or does not like kisses.

Children with more severe illness in every possible way try to avoid contact with other people. Even touches or hugs from close relatives can cause them severe mental trauma. Only the closest, according to the child, people can touch it. This is a very important clinical sign of the disease. A child with autism is very sensitive to any interventions in his personal space from a very young age.

Such a manifestation occurs infrequently, but requires urgent consultation with a psychiatrist and the appointment of special medication that reduces the manifestations of aggression towards his own personality.

The mild form of the disease often remains undiagnosed, especially in Russia. Manifestations of the disease are simply attributed to the peculiarities of the child’s development or the uniqueness of his character. Such children can grow up and carry the disease into adulthood. The course of the disease can vary at different ages. However, the classic violation of social integration is observed almost constantly, without remission.

Severe forms of the disease, which are often manifested by the complete forced isolation of a baby from the outside world, are much easier to determine.

The behavior of a child with autism severe severity is manifested by a pronounced reluctance to communicate with any people. Such babies are more likely to be alone. This brings them peace of mind and does not disturb their habitual way of life.

Failure to provide therapeutic psychotherapy can lead to a deterioration and complete social maladaptation of the child.

Manifestations of the disease can be checked already in the first years of a child’s life. A careful and attentive analysis of the baby’s behavior even at the very young age can reveal the first characteristic signs of autism syndrome. For this disease there are special psychological traits and features.

The main characteristics of the disease can be divided into several main categories:

• Unwillingness to create new social contacts.
• Broken interests or use of special games.
• Repetition of typical actions repeatedly.
• Violation of speech behavior.
• Changes in intelligence and different levels of mental development.
• Change your own sense of personality.
• Disturbance of psychomotor functions.

The reluctance to create new social contacts is manifested in babies from birth. At first, the children reluctantly respond to any contact from the closest people. Even embrace or kisses of parents do not cause positive emotions in children with autism. Such children from the outside seem overly calm and even "cold."

Kids practically do not respond to smiles and do not notice the "grimace" that they make parents or close relatives. They often fix their gaze on an object that is of great interest to them.

Newborn babies with autism syndrome For hours they can consider a toy or look at one point continuously.

Kids have little or no pleasure in expressing new gifts. Children of the first year of life can be absolutely neutral to any new toys. Most often, it is difficult to even get a smile from such kids in response to a gift. At best, the autistic child will simply turn the toy around for a few minutes in the pens and then postpone indefinitely.

Children over the age of a very selective approach to the choice of people close to them. Usually they choose no more than two people. This is due to the reluctance to create close contacts, as this leads to pronounced discomfort for the baby.

Usually they choose one of the parents as a “friend”. It can be both dad and mom. In some cases - grandmother or grandfather.

They try in every way to avoid any situation that is traumatic for their psyche. Friends autistic kids have virtually no. Difficulties with acquiring new friends they experience throughout their lives.

The first serious problems such babies appear 2-3 years old. Usually at this time children are sent to kindergarten. As a rule, the disease is detected there, since it is impossible to miss the characteristic manifestations of the disease.

When visiting a kindergarten, the behavior of autistic children stands out sharply. They seem to be more closed than other kids, they can keep away, play for hours with the same toy, performing some stereotyped repetitive movements.

Children with autism are more alien behavior. Most babies ask almost nothing. If they need something, they prefer to take it on their own without outside help.

Kids up to three years old may not learn much about the pot.

If you ask a child to give you a toy or some object, then more often he will not give it up, but simply throw it on the floor. This is a manifestation of the disturbed perception of any communication.

Toddlers-autists are not always distinguished by complete passivity in a new unfamiliar team. Often, when trying to introduce a sick child to a new society, he may have bright negative flashes of anger or aggression towards others. This is a manifestation of the violation or intrusion into the boundaries of their own and such a cozy, and most importantly, safe inner world for children with autism. The expansion of any contact can lead to the strongest outbreaks of aggression and deterioration of mental well-being.

Very often, children with autism remain indifferent to any active recreational activities. They seem to be in their own inner world. The entrance to this personal space for other people is usually closed. Any attempts to teach a child to the game very often lead to a complete failure of this undertaking.

Children with autism choose 1-2 favorite toys, with whom they spend a huge amount of time.Even with a large selection of different toys, they remain completely indifferent to them.

Careful observation of the game of a child with autism can be seen strict repetition of the sequence of actions that he performs. If a boy plays with ships, then very often he builds all the ships he has in line. The child can sort them by size, by color or by some special signs for him. Such an action he performs every time before the game.

All new items that appear in the life of an autistic kid, cause him great mental trauma. Even the rearrangement of furniture or toys can cause a strong attack of aggression in a child or, conversely, introduce a child into a state of complete apathy. It is better that all the objects stood in their places all the time. In this case, the baby will feel more comfortable and calm.

For girls who are autistic, it is also peculiar to change the shape of the game. Notice how the baby plays with her doll. During such a class, she will perform all movements and actions every day according to the established algorithm. For example, she will first brush her hair, then wash the doll, then change clothes. And never the other way around! All in a strictly defined sequence.

Such systematic actions in children with autism are due to the peculiarity of impaired mental behavior, and not character. If you try to clarify with the baby, why he does the same actions every time, then you will not get an answer. The child simply does not notice what actions he produces. For the perception of his own psyche this is absolutely normal.

It is not always the behavior of a child with autism is very different from the manner of communication of a healthy child. Such children look absolutely normal from the outside, since the appearance of the babies remains almost unchanged.

Children with autism often do not lag behind in physical development and are not at all different in appearance from their peers. However, with more careful observation of the child's behavior, it is possible to identify somewhat different actions from the usual behavior.

This symptom may manifest itself in different ways:

• Repetition counting or sequential naming of numbers. Often, autistic kids count many times throughout the day. Such an activity gives the child comfort and even positive emotions.
• Repetition of previously spoken words. For example, after the question “how old are you?”, The child can repeat “I am 5 years, 5 years, 5 years” several dozen times. Very often such babies repeat one phrase or word at least 10-20 times.

In other cases, children with autism may perform the same action for a long time. For example, they repeatedly turn off and turn on the light. Some babies often open or close water taps.

Another feature may be the constant breaking of fingers or the same type of movement with the legs and handles. Such typical actions, repeated many times, bring peace and tranquility to the kids.

In more rare cases, babies can perform other actions of the same type, for example, sniff various objects. Many scientists attribute this to the fact that violations occur in those areas of the cerebral cortex that are active for the perception of odors. Smell, touch, sight and taste perception - these areas of sensory perception in a child with autism are also often damaged, and various manifestations appear.

Speech disorders occur in children with autism quite often. The severity of manifestations is different. In a milder form of the disease, as a rule, speech disorders are expressed slightly. In more severe cases, there may be a complete delay in speech development and the acquisition of persistent defects.

The disease can manifest itself in different ways. Often, kids with autism start talking late. As a rule, after the child utters the first few words, he can be silent for a long time. The baby's lexicon consists of just a few words. Often he repeats them many times throughout the day.

The peculiarity of speech behavior in a child older than two years is the mention of objects in the third person. Most often, the child will call himself by name or say, for example, “Olya's girl”. The pronoun "I" is almost never heard from a child with autism.

If you ask the child if he wants to swim, the child can answer “he wants to swim” or call himself by the name “Kostya wants to swim.”

Very often, children with autism do not answer direct questions that are addressed to them. They can be silent or leave the answer, transfer the conversation to other topics or simply ignore. This behavior is associated with a painful perception of new contacts and an attempt to invade personal space.

The speech of older children often includes many interesting combinations and phrases. They perfectly remember various fairy tales and proverbs.

A kid suffering from autism can easily memorize an excerpt from Pushkin’s poem at the age of five or declare a complex poem.

These children often have a tendency to rhyme. In younger children it is a great pleasure to repeat various rhymes repeatedly.

The combination of words may seem completely meaningless, and in some cases even delusional. However, for children with autism, the repetition of such rhymes brings joy and positive emotions.

For a long time, it was believed that children with autism are mentally retarded. But this is a huge mistake! A large number of autistic babies have the highest level of IQ.

With proper communication with the child, you can notice that he has a high level of intelligence. However, he will show it to not everyone.

The peculiarity of the mental development of autism is that it is very difficult for him to concentrate and be purposeful in achieving specific goals.

Some babies have defects in logical perception. They perform poorly the tasks of building an associative series.

The usual abstract events baby perceives well, can easily repeat the sequence or chain of events even after a long time. There are no long-lasting memory disorders in autistic children.

Kids with higher levels of intelligence are very poorly integrated in school. Often, such a child becomes an “outcast” or “black sheep.”

The impaired ability to socialize contributes to the fact that autistic children are further alienated from the outside world. As a rule, such babies have a propensity for various sciences. They can become real geniuses if the right approach is applied to the child.

Different variants of the disease can occur in different ways. In some cases, children have a decrease in intellectual abilities. They are unsatisfactory in school, do not answer the questions of teachers, poorly solve difficult geometric tasks that require good spatial and logical abilities.

It is important to note that any deterioration of the condition may occur in a child suddenly when exposed to any provoking cause. Often they can be severe stress or peer attacks.

Toddlers with autism suffer such provocative events very hard. It can even lead to strong apathy or, conversely, to cause violent aggression.

For the education of children with autism spectrum disorder, see the following video.

When any contact with other people is broken, autists often project any negative events onto themselves. This is called auto-aggression. Such a manifestation of the disease in varying degrees of severity occurs quite often. Almost every third child with autism suffers from this adverse manifestation of the disease.

Psychotherapists believe that this negative symptom occurs as a result of impaired perception of the boundaries of their own inner world. Any threat to personal safety is perceived by an overwhelmingly sick child. Kids can cause various injuries to themselves: bite themselves or even cut themselves on purpose.

Even in childhood, the child is disturbed by the feeling of limited space. Such babies often fall out of the arena, previously swaying strongly. Some children can come unfastened from the stroller and fall to the ground.

Usually such a negative and painful experience will cause a healthy baby not to do such actions in the future. A kid with autism, even despite the resulting pain syndrome, will still repeat this action again and again.

Improper actions against a child with autism or even a simple desire to make contact can cause an attack of aggression in a child, which provokes inner fear.

Quite often in children with autism there is an altered gait. They try to tiptoe. Some kids can bounce when walking. This symptom occurs daily.

All attempts to make comments to the kid that he walks wrong and needs to walk differently, do not cause him a response. The child remains for a long time true to his walk.

Children with autism do not notice the changes that are manifested in his daily life. Older children try to choose their usual routes. A child who is autistic will almost always choose the same path to school without changing their habits.

Toddlers often stay true to their taste preferences. Such children should not be taught to a certain mode of meals. Anyway, a child with autism will have his own idea and even a whole system in his head, what and when he should eat.

Making the baby eat an unfamiliar product will be almost impossible. They remain faithful to their taste preferences throughout their lives.

Children with manifestations of autism react badly to any attempts to contact them, especially by name. Children for a long time do not babble and do not pronounce the first words.

Emotions of the child are rather poor.Gesturing is also greatly reduced. The kid, who is sick with autism, gives the impression of a very calm child, who cries a little and practically does not ask for pens. Any contact with parents and even mother does not give the child a strong positive emotions.

Newborn babies and infants practically do not express different emotions on the face. Such kids seem even somewhat renounced. Often, when trying to make a child smile, he does not change his face or perceives this attempt cold enough. These kids love to consider various items. Their gaze stops on some object for a very long time.

Kids often try to choose one or a couple of toys with which they can spend almost the whole day. For games they absolutely do not need any of the outsiders. They feel great alone with themselves. Sometimes attempts to invade their game can trigger a panic attack or aggression.

As a rule, there are no violations of the intellect at this age. Most kids are not lagging behind their peers in terms of physical or mental development.

Under 3 years old symptoms of limiting their own space begin to appear to a greater extent

Playing on the street, the kids categorically refuse to play in the same sandbox with other children. All items and toys that belong to a child with autism belong only to him.

Kids refuse to share something and try to get away from any situations that provoke such situations.

Such children from the outside seem very closed and "on their minds." Most often, by the age of a year and a half, they can only pronounce a few words. However, this does not happen to all babies. Often they repeat various verbal combinations that do not carry a large semantic load.

After the child has spoken the first word, he can suddenly become silent and practically do not speak for quite a long time.

Kids with autism almost never answer their questions. Only with the people closest to them can they say a few words or answer a question addressed to them in the third person.

Very often, these kids try to look away and do not look at the interlocutor. Even if the child answers the question, he will never use the word "I". Children with autism define themselves as “he” or “she”. Many kids just call themselves by name.

For some kids are characterized by manifestations of stereotypical actions. They can sway strongly in the chair. Parents' comments that doing so wrongly or ugly does not cause any response in the child. This is not connected with the desire to demonstrate their character, but simply with a violation of the perception of their own behavior. The kid really does not notice and does not see anything wrong in his action.

Some babies may experience problems with fine motor skills. When trying to take any small objects from the table or floor, the child does this very awkwardly.

Often, babies cannot squeeze their palms well. Such a violation of fine motor skills necessarily requires special exercises that are aimed at improving this skill.

If the correction is delayed, the child may experience violations of the letter, as well as the appearance of gestures, which are not typical for an ordinary baby.

Autistic kids love to play with water taps or switches. They also enjoy opening and closing doors. Any movements of the same type cause great emotions in a child. He can perform such actions for as long as necessary until the parents intervene.When performing these movements, the baby absolutely does not notice that it performs them many times.

Kids-autists eat only those products that they like, play independently and practically do not get acquainted with other children. Many people mistakenly think such kids are too spoiled. This is a huge misconception!

It used to be that children with autism have certain facial features. Often such features were called aristocratic forms. Autists were thought to have a thinner and longer nose. However, this is not the case.

To date, the relationship between the features of the structure of the face and the presence of autism in the child has not been reliably established. Such judgments are only speculation and do not know how scientific evidence.

At this age, there is a peak in the incidence of autism. Children begin to be taken to kindergarten, where violations in social adaptation become noticeable.

Children with autism perceive morning trips to the preschool educational institution without great enthusiasm. They would be more eager to stay at home than leave their usual safe home.

The autistic kid barely meets new friends. At best, he has one new acquaintance who becomes the best friend.

The child tries to come up with some kind of magical story or fairy tale explaining why he should go to this kindergarten. Then he becomes the main protagonist of this action. However, visiting the kindergarten does not give the kid any pleasure. He does not get along well with his peers and practically does not obey the educators.

All things in the personal locker of the baby are usually stacked them strictly in order. This becomes clearly visible from the outside. These kids can not stand any chaos and scattered things. Any violation of the ordering of the structure can cause them to have a fit of apathy, and in some cases, aggressive behavior.

Attempts to force a child to meet new kids in a group can cause him great stress.

Often, kindergarten teachers simply cannot cope with the “special” baby. Pedagogical workers perceive many features of disturbed behavior as excessive spoiledness and character traits. In these cases, the obligatory work of a medical psychologist who will work daily with a child in a preschool institution is required.

Children with autism in Russia attend regular schools. In our country for these children there are no specialized educational programs. Usually children with autism learn well. They have a tendency to various disciplines. Many guys even show the highest level of ownership of the subject.

Such kids often focus on one particular subject. In other disciplines that do not find a response in the inner world of a child, they can have very mediocre performance.

Kids with autism are rather poorly concentrated, and they are also characterized by insufficient concentration of attention on several subjects at once.

Kids can spend hours playing various musical instruments. Some kids even independently compose various works.

Children, as a rule, try to lead a rather closed life. They have few friends. They practically do not attend various entertainment events, which can be attended by a huge number of people. Finding a home for them is more comfortable.

Very often, kids have a commitment to certain foods. In most cases, originated in early childhood. Children suffering from autism, eat in a strictly allotted time on their own schedule. All meals are accompanied by the performance of a particular ritual.

They often eat only from their usual plates, try to avoid dishes of new colors. All cutlery is usually laid out by the child on the table in a strictly defined sequence.

Children with manifestations of autism can very successfully finish school, showing excellent knowledge of any one discipline.

Very often in children with autism, there are not only behavioral disorders, but also various pathological manifestations of the internal organs.

Manifested in the form of possible diarrhea or constipation, which are practically independent of the food that the child receives. Children with autism have particular taste preferences. To normalize adverse events and stool disorders, it is effectively used. gluten free diet. Such a diet, in which the amount of gluten is limited, contributes to the harmonious work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and reduces the negative symptoms of indigestion.

You can find out more about autism diet by watching the following video.

Kids have almost the same activity day and night. It is very difficult to put such children to bed. Even if they fall asleep, they can sleep for only a few hours. Very often, babies wake up very early in the morning. During the daytime, they may refuse to sleep. In some cases, when exposed to severe stressful situations, insomnia may increase or nightmares may appear that further disrupt the general well-being of the child.

A doctor should be consulted immediately if parents suspect the first signs of illness in their baby. Only a psychiatrist will be able to accurately diagnose and recommend the necessary therapeutic treatment.

As a rule, all children diagnosed with autism should be monitored periodically by a doctor. Do not be afraid of this doctor! This does not mean that the child has pronounced mental disorders. This observation is important primarily for the prevention of the development of unwanted distant symptoms of the disease.

In our country, children who have been diagnosed with autism, practically do not undergo any specialized rehabilitation programs. European specialists and doctors from the United States use a whole range of different psychotherapeutic techniques that can improve the quality of life of an autistic child many times over.

Medical psychologists, professional physiotherapy instructors, pathologists and speech therapists work with babies from an early age. Throughout life, such a patient is necessarily monitored by a psychiatrist.

According to statistics, The largest number of cases of the first reported disease occurs at the age of 3-4 years. It was at this time that the symptoms of social maladjustment of the baby begin to manifest themselves.

There are scientific assumptions that suggest that when developing more advanced diagnostic criteria, it will be much easier to identify cases of autism in children at an earlier age.

It is difficult to diagnose the disease. In Russia, the diagnosis of "autism" will often be set upon detection of the following psychological disorders:

• social maladjustment of the child in the environment;
• pronounced difficulties in establishing new communications and contacts with other people;
• repeated repetition of typical actions or words over a long period of time.

If the course of the disease occurs in a typical or classic version, then the above symptoms occur in 100% of cases. Such babies require compulsory consultation with a psychiatrist, and if necessary, a comprehensive consultation with the involvement of specialists from related specialties who work with autistic children.

During a more detailed examination, doctors try to determine the presence or absence of not only the main signs, but also additional ones. For this they use several classifications of diseases.

When autism is used:

• ICD-X is the main working document for Russian specialists.
• The DSM-5 or Diagnostic Statistical Manual of mental disorders is used by psychiatrists around the world, including in Europe and the United States.

Also be sure to interview parents. This study allows to clarify the presence and nature of violations in the behavior of the child, which cause them concern.

Several psychiatrists and a medical psychologist conduct interviews with parents. Such diagnostic methods are mainly used only in Europe and in the USA. In Russia, unfortunately, the diagnosis of autism is in a very poor condition.

Kids with this disease for a long time remain unexplored.

Over time, they increase the negative manifestations of social maladjustment, and apathy and inability to establish contacts with other people may increase. In our country, working criteria for diagnosis have not yet been developed, according to which such a diagnosis would be easily established. In this regard, the cases of establishing the correct and timely diagnosis is quite small.

To conduct a full survey at home is almost impossible. During such testing, you can get only an approximate answer. The diagnosis of autism can only be made by a psychiatrist.To do this, he uses several different tests that are used to diagnose the disease, as well as various other methods to clarify the extent and level of damage.

The diagnosis requires a multistage medical examination for the presence of autism in the baby.

Currently, there is no specific treatment for autism. Unfortunately, there is no special pill or magic vaccine that would reliably protect the baby from the possible development of the disease. The single cause of the disease has not been established.

The treatment of this mental illness is carried out comprehensively, taking into account the symptoms that have arisen. Such psychotropic drugs are prescribed only by a psychiatrist. They are written out on special prescription forms and are issued on strict accounting in pharmacies. The appointment of such drugs is made by courses or for the entire period of deterioration.

All methods of treatment can be divided into several groups:

• Drug treatment. In this case, various medications are prescribed to eliminate the adverse symptoms that occur in various stages of the disease. These drugs are discharged by the doctor only after examining the baby and the possible additional examinations.
• Psychological counseling. A child medical psychologist must work with a child with autism. Using a variety of psychological techniques, the specialist will help the child to cope with the emerging outbursts of anger and auto-aggression, as well as to improve the inner feeling when integrating into a new team.
• Restorative wellness treatments. Children with autism are not contraindicated in sports. However, they should be engaged in special groups with professional instructors or trainers who are trained in the elements of working with “special” children. Such children can show excellent results and achieve good sporting achievements. Success is possible only when applying the right pedagogical approach.
• Speech therapy classes. With a baby up to 3 years must conduct a speech therapist. In such lessons, children learn to speak correctly, refuse to use multiple repetitions of words. Speech therapy classes can improve the baby’s vocabulary and add even more words to his vocabulary. Such educational games help children to better adapt to new teams and improve their social adaptation.

Prescribing various medications on an ongoing basis is not required for children with autism. Such drugs are used only to eliminate the negative manifestations of the disease. In this case, the delayed treatment can lead to the development of various adverse effects and even worsen the condition of the baby.

In autism, babies are most commonly prescribed the following drugs.

Used to treat attacks of aggressive behavior. They can be appointed to take the course or once to eliminate a violent outbreak of auto-aggression. Psychiatrists choose various drugs that can eliminate the negative symptoms of the disease. For example, antipsychotics "Rispolept" and "Seroquel" allow you to cope with acute attacks of strong aggression and calm the baby.

Prolonged use of any antipsychotic medication can be addictive and have various side effects. In order to prevent this, doctors resort to the appointment of course application.

To eliminate panic attacks or improve mood, the doctor may prescribe special agents that affect the level of endorphins. These drugs also have a number of contraindications. They are used only in the case when various psychological methods of behavior correction were carried out, but they were not successful and did not lead to an improvement in the child's well-being.

In children with autism, in 90% of cases, doctors register persistent irritable bowel syndrome or dysbiosis. In this case, the microflora in the gastrointestinal tract is disturbed. There are practically no beneficial lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, but microorganisms of pathogenic flora reproduce well. Very often, these children also show an increased growth of yeast.

To eliminate these adverse symptoms, doctors resort to the appointment of various medicines, enriched with lactic acid and bifidobacteria. Babies are prescribed: "Bifidobacterin", "Atsipol"," Linex ","Enterol" and many others. The appointment of these funds is carried out after additional research - baccali feces and test for dysbacteriosis. Drugs are prescribed for course admission. Usually it is designed for 1-3 months of daily use.

You can also make them at home. In this case, the useful properties of the product are not lost, and it can be safely given to the baby.

The effect of the use of fermented milk products occurs, as a rule, by the end of the first week.

In children with autism, there is a pronounced and almost permanent deficiency of a number of vitamins: B1, B6, B12, PP. To eliminate this condition requires the appointment of a complex of biologically active substances. Such vitamin-mineral preparations allow to eliminate the deficiency of any vitamins, as well as to normalize the microelement composition inside the body.

Since kids with autism are very committed to any kind of food, their diet is often very uniform. This leads to insufficient intake of vitamins and trace elements from the outside.

In order to improve this condition, a daily addition of various vegetables and fruits to food is required, especially in summer. These products contain a high content of various vitamins and microelements, which is vital for the baby.

Used to eliminate the alarm. Very often, when exposed to a strong stressful situation, a sick child may experience a severe panic state. In this case, psychiatrists prescribe psychotropic drugs that can effectively eliminate this manifestation. The course of such drugs is not required. Enough only a single dose.

Very often, kids with autism do not sleep well. It's hard for them to fall asleep. The duration of sleep can be no more than 6-7 hours a day.

For a small child, this is insufficient. To improve night's sleep, as well as to normalize the circadian rhythm, doctors recommend the use of soft drugs that soothe the nervous system and contribute to rapid sleep.

It is safe for babies to use various herbs that have a sedative effect. Such natural medicines practically do not cause side effects and do not have numerous contraindications. To normalize sleep, decoctions of lemon balm or mint are used. You can give these herbs to your baby as tea.It is better to drink such a sedative medication no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Appointment of sedative drugs is allowed only with pronounced sleep disorders. Usually such drugs are prescribed for quite a long time. It is not desirable to use these remedies for milder forms of the disease, as they may have a pronounced tranquilizing effect or cause addiction. Prescription drugs makes a psychotherapist after a preliminary examination.

The use of various psychological techniques is an important element in the treatment of children with autism.. American specialists, who conduct daily classes for sick babies, recommend conducting such classes at least 2-3 times a week.

It is better that the psychologist also had a medical education. In this case, it can quickly find his way when the condition worsens and send the baby for a consultation with a psychiatrist.

The psychologist does not prescribe medication. He treats only with the word. Usually for kids with autism, the first meeting with a specialist is very important. It is at this time that one can understand: will they successfully complete such studies and will the child find a common language with the psychologist.

Often, treatment may not bring a pronounced positive effect in the absence of primary contact between an autistic child and a psychologist.

All classes are held in a specially equipped room. Often, to work with children with autism, all lessons are held only in one room. This helps to create a more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for the child.

Psychologists try not to move or not rearrange toys for no reason, as this can bring pronounced mental discomfort to the kid.

Usually selected playing forms of classes. During these games, children are as open as possible and can show real emotions. The duration of each class is usually no more than an hour.

With longer communication, the baby may experience severe fatigue and unwillingness to make contact with a specialist.

Work with children who suffer from autism is usually conducted throughout the child's life. In this case, only the types and forms of psychological methods change.

Very often, psychologists become real family members or very close friends. In America, there are several cases of family visits to psychologists. In this case, not only the child suffered from autism, but also one of the parents.

It is important to note that family activities also have a good therapeutic effect.

Classes at the psychologist with kids up to 3-5 years old are often held together with one of the parents. Usually, the parent is chosen, with whom the baby has a closer relationship. Psychologist in the form of a game creates a variety of everyday situations that can occur in everyday life. During this game, he conducts training the baby how to respond to new people. Children learn to communicate better with other babies, as well as acquire new useful skills that may be useful to them every day.

To improve integration into the society of a child with autism, it is necessary to conduct additional activities that will help him in this. Typically, such a complex of various activities is compiled in conjunction with a child psychologist or on the recommendation of a psychiatrist.

Usually, before choosing any hobby that will be interesting for a child, a good analysis of his abilities and a qualitative assessment of the level of health and physical development are required. Not all kids with autism will perform the same tasks with the same interest. The right choice of classes greatly improves the prognosis of treatment and has a positive effect on the mental and mental development of the baby.

Typically, children with autism are recommended various remedial activities that can improve the social integration of the baby in society. For kids recommended sport. However, you can choose not all sports training. For autistic kids, more relaxed sports are more suitable: swimming training, playing chess or checkers, and golf. It is worth choosing those sports types where concentration of attention on any one subject is required.

Team games - also will not work. It is better to give preference to quieter sports that will help strengthen the health of the baby and have a positive effect on his nervous system.

Children suffering from autism, very warmly refer to various animals. In such children, doctors often note even a certain "cult" of animals. An autistic kid can have a whole collection of cats or dogs. Direct contact and touching of domestic animals can cause strong positive emotions in a baby and even improve the prognosis of treatment.

Children with autism, it is useful to spend time in communication with various animals. Doctors recommend hippotherapy sessions or dolphin therapy. Such contacts with animals will bring a strong joy to the baby and will have a positive impact on its development.

When a baby touches any living creature, special endorphin molecules begin to be produced in the cerebral cortex, which cause him a lot of positive emotions.

If possible, such classes with animals should be carried out as often as possible. It is better that the child had the opportunity to constantly observe living beings and communicate with them. While communicating with a dog or cat, the baby learns to communicate with the environment. This has a positive effect on his ability to make new contacts and improves social adaptation in society.

Often, parents puzzled over what gift to give to their baby, in whom doctors discovered autism. It seems that each new toy practically does not give the child any joy. However, this is not quite true. Every autistic child has his or her own personal predilection for a particular kind of toy.

Often, boys choose different planes or ships, and girls choose different animals or dolls. It is important to note that autistic kids can get excited about donated animals. The main thing is to determine which particular animal your child likes. Usually this does not constitute any difficulty: the autistic child will never let go of the toy he likes in the form of a small animal.

If a once-donated plush dog is the most beloved of a child, then any other dogs will also cause stormy delight.

Children under three years old should choose toys that improve the fine motor skills of the fingers. Usually, children with autism do not perform well enough any tasks related to drawing or modeling.

You can try to interest the kid collecting various jigsaw puzzles, consisting of large and bright parts. Designers are perfect, from whose elements you can build numerous combinations of shapes.

Rugs, which consist of several large parts, are perfect for kids aged 1.5-2 years. The upper surface of such products has small elevations or irregularities.This is necessary so that the legs are massaged while walking. This effect has a beneficial effect on the entire musculoskeletal system of the child. Choose a mat should be more neutral colors, avoiding excessively bright colors.

For older children and especially prone to aggression, you can choose a spinner. This fashionable toy normalizes the nervous system and even allows you to deal with the effects of stress. Kids often like to spin a spinner, since any repetitive actions bring them comfort and even positive emotions.

Very often, children with autism love to play computer games, as this does not require any real contact with the outside world. However, the consequences can be very negative.

Scientists note a pronounced genetic pattern in the possibility of inheritance of the disease. There are also theories about the presence of specific genes that are responsible for the development of the disease in babies, in whose families cases of autism have been previously established.

Autistic people can have healthy children. Inheritance of genes occurs at the stage of fetal development. If the baby was born in a family where only one of the parents has autism, then he may well be healthy.

If both parents have autism, the birth of a sick child is 25%, and the probability of having a child carrying this gene is 50%. This disease is inherited by an autosomal recessive trait.

If more than one baby is born in such families, the risk of the appearance of sick babies may increase. It also increases with the influence of various provoking factors on the unborn child during fetal development in the body of a pregnant mom.

To determine the latent autism in newborns, the “heel” method is used. He suggests the presence of this mental illness in the baby. It is usually conducted by autistic parents or in cases where there is a suspicion of the possibility of developing a disease in a born child.

In Russia, the diagnosis of autism provides for the establishment of a disability group. However, it is not exposed to all babies. In our country, special medical and social criteria are applied, which take into account various factors.

The decision on the establishment of the group is made strictly collegially. Specialists of several specialties are involved in this: psychiatrist, psychologist, rehabilitologist.

In order for a child to have a disability group established, the provision of all necessary medical documentation to the medical and social assessment authorities is required. In the child's card of the baby must be present the findings of a psychiatrist who was observing him, and a child psychologist. In this case, medical experts may have a more informative picture of the duration of the disease.

Before passing the medical and social examination, the baby is often assigned additional tests and examinations. This can be either a variety of laboratory tests, or specialized brain studies that can clarify the nature and extent of disorders. Usually, EEG or electroencephalography of the brain is prescribed in our country.

Using this method, it is possible to establish various violations of the conduction of nerve impulses in the cortex of the hemispheres. The method is quite informative and quite often used in child psychiatric and neurological practice.

Not all forms of autism may have a disability group. As a rule, it is determined in the presence of persistent disorders of nervous activity, which lead to severe maladjustment of the baby.

The level of mental development and intelligence also significantly affect the prognosis of the disease and the establishment of the group.

Autism is a disease that in most cases occurs without persistent periods of remission. This leads to the fact that the group of disabilities, as a rule, is set for life.

Children with disabilities in mental illness must undergo a full range of rehabilitation measures. Speech therapists, psychologists, rehabilitators are engaged in such babies. The rehabilitation course is usually designed for a long enough period, as the treatment of the disease is carried out throughout the life of an autistic person.

Parents who are faced with the establishment of a disability group for their baby, often point out some difficulties during medical and social expertise. Most often they note: a huge amount of pre-prepared medical records and long queues for examination. Not always the disability group was established during the initial treatment. Often, only on the second or third attempt, the medical experts made a positive decision about the presence of disabling signs in the child.

Establishing a group is a very complex and often controversial task. However, for children with autism, this step is often forced, but really necessary. For carrying out full-fledged activities with a child, quite large financial expenses are required: training with a psychologist, consultations with a speech therapist, hippotherapy courses, the use of special psychotropic drugs. All this without a disability group becomes very difficult and financially burdensome for many families.

For parents raising children with autism, the main thing is to understand that this disease will remain with the baby for life. Unfortunately, autism is not currently cured.

With the right approach, the autistic kids develop well and are not even completely different from their peers. Only a few strangers may notice that the baby is a little different from others. However, they often believe that such a child is simply too spoiled or has a bad temper.

In order to improve the quality of life of the baby and help him in social adaptation, use the following tips:

• Try to communicate correctly with your child. Toddlers-autists categorically do not perceive high tone or swearing. It is better to communicate with such children in the same calm tone, without using curses. If the kid did something wrong, try not to react excessively violently and aggressively, but simply explain to the child how to do this right. You can also show this as a kind of game.
• Raising a child should engage both parents. Even though, as a rule, the baby chooses communication with dad or mom, they both have to participate in his life. In this case, the child feels more comfortable and gets the right idea about family organization. In the future, when creating his own life, he will largely be guided by the principles laid down in childhood.
• Teaching kids to a pot with autism is quite difficult. Usually, child psychologists help with this. In the form of a game, they create a similar everyday situation and work out the correct sequence of actions with the baby. For self-study at home, remember that to teach a child to the pot should be gradually and consistently.Never raise your voice or punish your baby if he did something wrong. In the case of an autistic child, this measure will not lead to a positive result.
• Teaching an autistic child to read can only be done with daily exercises. Try to choose educational books without excessively bright pictures. A huge number of various colors can alert and even scare the child. Choose publications without motley pictures. Training is best done in the form of a game. So baby will perceive this process as an ordinary game.
• During a strong tantrum, the baby must be carefully reassured. It would be better to do that family member with whom the child has more intimate contact. If the child is overly aggressive, then try to quickly take him to the nursery. Habitual situation will help your baby to calm down. Never raise a voice on a child, trying to scream to him! This will not lead to anything good. Explain to the baby that he has nothing to fear, and you are there. Try to switch attention to another event or subject.
• Try to make contact with the autistic child. The child communicates calmly only with the people closest to him. To do this, never ask your kid a million questions. Frequent hugs will also not make contact. Try to spend more time with the baby, just watching his games. After a while, the child will perceive you as part of his game, and it is easier to contact.
• Teach your child to the correct mode of the day. Usually, autistic kids perfectly perceive a well-organized routine. This gives them a feeling of complete comfort and security. Try to make the child fall asleep and wake up at the same time. Be sure to follow the mode of feeding. Even on weekends, keep your daily routine.
• Be sure to undergo regular examination and observation by a child psychotherapist and a psychologist. Such consultations are very important for assessing the prognosis of the disease and establishing the dynamics of the child’s condition. Usually, young autistic patients should visit a psychotherapist at least twice a year. With a deterioration of health - more often.
• Organize for your baby proper nutrition. Given the characteristics of impaired microflora, all babies with autism need to eat dairy products. They must be as fresh as possible. In this case, the concentration of beneficial lactobacilli and bifidobacteria will be sufficient. Only such products will be useful for the child and improves its digestion.
• From the very first birthdays of your child, try to show care and affection to him more often. Toddlers-autists react very badly to various bodily manifestations of love and affection. However, this does not mean that it is not necessary to do this. Doctors advise to embrace the child more often and to kiss. This should be done without causing him mental pressure. If the baby is not in the mood, it is better to postpone the hug for a while.
• Give your baby a new friend. Most autistic children are very fond of pets. Communication with furry animals brings the baby not only positive emotions and a positive effect on the course of his illness, but also has a real therapeutic effect on tactile sensitivity. A cat or dog will become real friends for the baby and will help him to establish contacts not only with animals, but also with new people.
• Do not scold the child! Any increase in the voice of an autistic child is very painful. The reaction may be the most unpredictable. Some babies fall into a strong apathy and become more indifferent to everything that happens in everyday life. Other children may experience an overwhelming attack of aggression, which will even require the use of medication.
• Try to choose an interesting hobby for your kid. Very often, children with autism, beautifully draw or play musical instruments. Studying in a specialized art school will help your child achieve high professional success. Often these kids become real geniuses. Be sure to follow the load that falls on the baby. Excessive dedication can lead to severe fatigue and impaired attention.
• Do not move the furniture in the nursery and in the whole apartment. Try to keep all the toys and objects that belong to the child in their places. Strong reshuffles can cause real panic attacks and excessive aggression in an autistic kid. Purchase new items carefully, without attracting much attention to this.
• Do not limit your child to just being at home! Children with autism should not reside within four walls. This will only aggravate the inability to make new friends and acquaintances. Gradually expand the conditions where the baby spends a large amount of time. Try to motivate him to walk, visit close relatives. However, this should be done gradually, without psychological pressure. The baby should be very comfortable in the new conditions.

Autism is not a sentence. This is just a disease that requires increased and special attention to the kid who is sick with this mental illness.

Moms and dads should remember that a kid diagnosed with autism requires your attention and care every day throughout life. Such children are often called "special", as they need to build a unique approach.

Children suffering from autism, with good rehabilitation, are well enough integrated in society and are quite successful in later life.

Yana Summ (former wife of Konstantin Meladze) in the next video on my own experience talks about what you should pay attention to suspect autism in a child.

You will learn a lot of cynics about autism by looking at the programs of Dr. Komarovsky and “Live Healthy”.

In preparing the article, materials of the site "autism-test.rf" were used.