Autism - Medtick
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Autism

What is it?

Autism is a condition where there is a disorder of the development of their brain.

  • As result have difficulty to socialise/interact , nonverbal communication, or developing, maintaining and understanding relationships with others as well as showing  restrictive unusual and/or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities.
  • This condition (with the exception of Rett syndrome-a genetic condition occurring almost exclusively in girls) which causes slowing of head growth, intellectual disability and loss of purposeful hand use.
  • It is more common in boys than girls.
There is no link between vaccines and autism

Signs of autism:

Young children

  • Not responding to their name
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Not smiling when you smile at them
  • Getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
  • Repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
  • Not talking as much as other children
  • Not doing as much pretend play
  • Repeating the same phrases

Older children

  • Not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling
  • Unusual speech, such as repeating phrases and talking ‘at’ others
  • Liking a strict daily routine and getting very upset if it changes
  • Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
  • Getting very upset if you ask them to do something
  • Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
  • Taking things very literally – for example, they may not understand phrases like “break a leg”
  • Finding it hard to say how they feel

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Diagnosis Tests

  • Neuroimaging i.e.
    • MRI
    • Diffusion tensor imaging
    • Computed tomography
    • Positron emission tomography scanning
    • SPECT (single-photon emission CT) scanning
  • Electroencephalography
  • Psychophysiologic assessment
  • Polysomnography
  • Genetic Testing

Medscape

Cause

Syndromes

Several environmental factors seem to be associated with a diagnosis of autism, including:

  • Advanced parental age
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Shorter gestation
  • Post-partum bleeding
  • Maternal stress
  • Insufficient dietary folate (lack of folic acid in diet and taking vitamin folic acid)
  • Maternal infection (e.g. rubella)
  • Maternal use of valproic acid in pregnancy
  • Foetal alcohol syndrome – female drinking alcohol during pregnancy
    • Symptoms of baby include:
      • Small head
      • Flat face
      • Small eye opening
      • Epicanthal folds (skin fold of the upper eyelid covering the inner corner of the eye)
      • Short nose
      • Low nasal bridge
      • Smooth Philtrum (Flat skin surface, with no ridge formation in the central region of the upper lip between the nasal base and upper vermilion border)
      • Thin upper lip
      • Underdeveloped jaw
      • Genital malformations
      • Heart (cardiac) defects
      • Infants often experience alcohol addiction withdrawal symptoms , this  may include tremors and/or convulsions, irritability, increased muscle tone, muscle and/or whole body spasms, increased respiratory rate, abdominal swelling (distention) and/or vomiting
      • Joint abnormalities
  • Low birth weight
  • Hypoxia
  • Presence of a learning disability
  • Parental psychotic or affective disorder
  • Birth defects
  • ADHD

Pharmaceutical Journal

Symptoms

(Symptoms may start at from birth to first year old but parents may notice that something is not right until  the child is an age of 2 or 3 years old)

General symptoms

  • Intellectual impairment (such as trouble with thinking, reasoning, or abstract concepts)?
  • Language delays, or lack of language entirely?
  • Motor problems, such as difficulty walking, clumsiness, or low tone?
  • Large heads (approximately 25 percent of children with ASD have large heads)?

Infant symptoms

  • May respond abnormally to being touched?
  • Instead of cuddling when they are picked up, they may stiffen or go limp?
  • Smiling at the sound of their mother’s voice?
  • Pointing out objects to catch someone’s attention?
  • Reaching out to others with their hands?
  • Attempting one-syllable conversations?
  • May not maintain eye contact?
  • May appear unable to distinguish parents from strangers?
  • Typically show little interest in others?

 

Toddler symptoms

  • Disodered play?
  • Usually ignores other children and prefers to play alone?
  • Usually does not engage in make-believe play?
  • May spend hours:
    • Repeatedly laying out objects in lines?
    • Sitting silently in an apparent trance-like state?
    • Concentrating on only one object or topic?

Children and Adult symptoms

  • Fails to respond to his or her name or appears not to hear you at times?
  • Has difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues, such as interpreting other people’s facial expressions, body postures or tone of voice?
  • Resists cuddling and holding, and seems to prefer playing alone, retreating into his or her own world?
  • Has poor eye contact and lacks facial expression?
  • Doesn’t speak or has delayed speech, or loses previous ability to say words or sentences (disordered speech)?
  • May not speak much or may remain silent?
  • Doesn’t appear to understand simple questions or directions?
  • Doesn’t express emotions or feelings and appears unaware of others’ feelings?
  • Doesn’t point at or bring objects to share interest?
  • Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items?
  • When the child does speak, the words may be an echo of what another person said?
  • Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items?
  • Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm and may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech (Speech patterns may be different)?
  • Repeats words or phrases verbatim, but doesn’t understand how to use them (Instead of saying, “I want a sandwich,” the child may ask, “Do you want a sandwich?”)
  • Repetitive behaviors:
    • Repeating the same phrase or a particular motion?
    • Clapping, finger snapping, rocking, swaying and hand flapping are common?
  • Abnormal behaviors:
    • Develop obsessive routines (such as rocking, spinning-turning around before entering a room or hand flapping,Wanting to take the same route to school every day)?
    • Become intensely preoccupied with something (becomes disturbed at the slightest change)?
    • Has problems with coordination or has odd movement patterns, such as clumsiness or walking on toes, and has odd, stiff or exaggerated body language?
    • Is unusually sensitive to light, sound or touch, yet may be indifferent to pain or temperature?
    • Doesn’t engage in imitative or make-believe play?
    • Fixates on an object or activity with abnormal intensity or focus?
    • Has specific food preferences, such as eating only a few foods, or refusing foods with a certain texture?
    • Become hyperactive, aggressive, destructive or impulsive?
    • Intentionally injure themselves (such as biting or head-banging)?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

This condition may be associated with:

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Autism in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

Diet, Exercise and Body Manipulations

Diet

  • Consider probiotics  particularly Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus strains.

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