Autism Spectrum Disorders

How is ASD diagnosed?

Making the correct diagnosis requires a detailed discussion about your child’s early development, medical and psychological assessment, and a comprehensive assessment of your child's social and communication skills and intellectual abilities. Some of this will be done by watching your child in different settings e.g. school. There is no single test (blood test or brain scan) for ASD. However, several different tests may be carried out to exclude other conditions (e.g. hearing tests and blood tests).

For a diagnosis of autism, there must be evidence of unusual development in the first 3 years of life. Some higher functioning people on the autism spectrum who have intellectual ability in the average range and no delays in learning to talk may be categorized as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many often have intense interests such as train timetables, buses or dinosaurs. The exact cause of ASD is still unknown, although research shows that a combination of genetic and environmental factors may account for changes in brain development. There is an increased risk of ASD and other developmental difficulties in the brothers and sisters of children with ASD. The characteristics of children and young people with ASD will vary depending upon their age, developmental level and how severely they are affected.

How common is ASD?

They affect approximately 1 in 100 children and young people.

How does ASD affect a child?

The difficulties are also likely to change over time. Parents are usually (but not always) the first to have some concerns about their child’s development, and difficulties may be noticed from as early as infancy. Overall, the problems and behaviours can be divided into three main areas:

Difficulties with communication

• Children and young people with ASD have difficulties with both verbal communication (speaking) and non-verbal communication (eye contact, expressions and gestures). Some children may not be able to talk at all or have very limited speech.
• Some have good speech and language skills, but still have difficulty using their speech socially or to sustain a conversation. Their use of language may be overly formal or 'adult-like'. They may talk at length about their own topics of interest, but find it hard to understand the back and forth nature of two-way conversations.

Difficulties with social interaction

• Children and young people with ASD have difficulty understanding the 'social world', for example, they often have difficulty recognizing and understanding their feelings and those of people around them. This in turn can make it difficult for them to make friends. They may prefer to spend time alone, or appear insensitive to others because of their difficulties understanding social rules and expectations.

Difficulties with behaviour, interests and activities

• Children and young people with ASD often prefer familiar routines (e.g. taking the same route to school every day, putting their clothes on in a particular order), and tend to have difficulties dealing with change, which they find difficult and distressing. They may also have unusual intense and specific interests, such as in electronic gadgets or lists of dates. They might use toys more like 'objects' to line up, for example. They may have unusual responses to particular experiences from their environment such as tastes, smells, sounds and textures. For example, they could be very sensitive to the sound of a hair dryer, or the feel of certain materials against their skin. Some children show unusual repetitive movements such as hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complicated whole-body movements.

What are the treatments for ASD?

• Medication
• Behavioral, Psychological, and Educational Therapy
• Recommended Issues:
  • Treatment for ASD should begin as soon as possible after diagnosis.
  • Early treatment for ASD is very important because proper care can reduce individuals’ difficulties.
  • Working closely with professionals is an important part of getting the right treatment program.

There are various approaches available to help with communication and learning, and for children with ASD, it is often better to intervene as early as possible. Usually, there will be several people involved in the care of a child with ASD, such as a speech and language therapist, psychologist, occupational therapist and a child psychiatrist.

There might also be specialist courses on parenting, parent support groups, advice on how to help the wider family and more general advice about benefits, for example, from local child health services and independent organizations such as the National Autistic Society.