Understanding some of the Autism Symptoms for children will help to find appropriate intervention as soon as possible. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological disorder that reportedly effects up to 1 in 150 toddlers. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized as a spectrum disorder because the degrees of the disorder can vary dramatically. ASD presents in the forms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Aspergers and severe Autism.
To date there is no known cure of Autism, with research continuing there are suggestions that genetic pre curses to the disorder may exist. Early diagnosis and intervention offers the best outcome for the child. Parents who are concerned that their child may have signs of the disorder should seek a diagnosis as early as possible.
It can be very difficult for parents of babies and toddlers to see the signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, as they are still developing but there are some definite early warning signs that parents can look out for.
Signs of ADD and ADHD are a little more obvious for parents to detect. Children suffering from ADD and ADHD often have very short attention spans, are extremely over active the majority of the time and very difficult to feed. Their world just seems to have too much in it and not enough time to see and touch it all.
If you are recognizing these early warning signs of ADD or ADHD in your child one thing that may be considered is their diet. There is much research to suggest that children with ADD and ADHD can be affected greatly by the foods that they consume. Chemical additives in the food and drinks they consume can have a dramatic effect on their disposition. Not to be confused with a sugar high, some additives in foods can exacerbate their agitated and uncontrollable restlessness. Eliminating these chemicals from the diet and replacing them with fresh foods and natural alternatives will go a long way to helping toddlers control their behavior.
Within the spectrum is Autism itself, this condition has no known cure and can affect a child dramatically for the rest of their life. This severity of this condition varies from very mild to severe. Some of the obvious warning signs for Autism include; your child not responding to his or her name, your child not responding to a smile with a smile, and an inability to be comforted with physical affection.
Children with Autism often lack the ability to understand human emotions. They have difficulty interpreting facial expressions and body language of others. This can often lead to frustration for both parents and children. Other warning signs include the constant repetition of words and movements or obsessing over one particular toy or object. If your child is showing any one of these early signs of Autism you should consider seeking out the medical opinion of a pediatrician. Early diagnosis and intervention can greatly improve the outcome for the child as their brain is still developing.
Speech delay is another common symptom for children suffering from ASD. The devastating reality for parents with children with Autism is that most children with Autism begin life following a normal path of development. The gradual loss of their fine motor skills and speech can be unexpected and very confusing. Many parents describe this experience as ‘losing their child’ to the disorder. It is heartbreaking and devastating.
There are many ways that you can support your child if they are suffering from early signs of ASD. Introducing a gesture based sign language early on can help to maintain their ability to communicate, especially if the condition deteriorates rapidly and their speech is lost. Sign language that has been developed for babies and toddlers can be useful to help them with their communication, as they may not have the dexterity or attention span for adult sign language as yet.
If your child has been learning baby sign language from an early age and can communicate through this means, it is a skill that will prove invaluable if you later discover that your child has a speech delay or worst cases is likely to lose their speech altogether. When a child has regressed in their speech development because of Autism, the skills they have developed with sign language will be retained, allowing the parent and child a means of communication. It is important to recognize the Autism symptoms in children as early as possible so there is no delay in seeking help.
Author Resource:
Lisa Baade is the author of Toddler Interpreter, A Parent's Guide to Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies and Toddlers. Download your free Baby Sign Language poster from Toddler Interpreter’s Blog. http://www.toddlerinterpreting.com
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