These are just a few examples of the symptoms an individual with autism may experience. Any individual could have some, all, or none of these symptoms. Keep in mind that having these symptoms does not necessarily mean a person has autism.
Autism and BAME people
Autistic people may be severely impaired in some respects but average, or even superior, in others. Current treatments for ASD seek to reduce symptoms that interfere with daily functioning and quality of life. ASD affects each person differently, meaning that people with ASD have unique strengths and challenges and different treatment needs.2 Treatment plans usually involve multiple professionals and are catered to the individual. Many people with ASD benefit from treatment, no matter how old they are when they are diagnosed. People of all ages, at all levels of ability, can often improve after well-designed interventions. World’s largest autism fundraising event dedicated to supporting the needs of people with autism and their families throughout their life’s journey. Change to routine can also be very distressing for autistic people and make them very anxious.
As diagnosis is increasingly being given to people with higher functioning autism, there is a tendency for the proportion with comorbid intellectual disability to decrease over time. In a 2019 study, it was estimated that approximately 30-40% of people diagnosed with ASD also have intellectual disability. Recent research has suggested that autistic people with intellectual disability tend to have rarer, more harmful, genetic mutations than those found in people solely diagnosed with autism. Autistic people may also experience difficulties with verbal communication. Differences in communication may be present from the first year of life, and may include delayed onset of babbling, unusual gestures, diminished responsiveness, and vocal patterns that are not synchronized with the caregiver. In the second and third years, autistic children have less frequent and less diverse babbling, consonants, words, and word combinations; their gestures are less often integrated with words.
Several parent-mediated behavioral therapies target social communication deficits in children with autism, but their efficacy in treating RRBs is uncertain. Various anxiety disorders tend to co-occur with ASDs, with overall comorbidity rates of 7–84%. They are common among children with ASD; there are no firm data, but studies have reported prevalences ranging from 11% to 84%. Many anxiety disorders have symptoms that are better explained by ASD itself, or are hard to distinguish from ASD’s symptoms. Exposure to air pollution during child pregnancy, especially heavy metals and particulates, may increase the risk of autism. Some, such as the MMR vaccine, have been completely disproven. A young autistic boy who has arranged his toys in a rowASD includes a wide variety of characteristics.
What is the difference between autism and ADHD?
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Among these approaches, interventions either treat autistic features comprehensively, or focalize treatment on a specific area of deficit. There’s no way to prevent autism spectrum disorder, but there are treatment options. Early diagnosis and intervention is most helpful and can improve behavior, skills and language development. Though children usually don’t outgrow autism spectrum disorder symptoms, they may learn to function well. Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior.
Two versions of the vaccine causation hypothesis were that autism results from brain damage caused by either the MMR vaccine itself, or by mercury used as a vaccine preservative. Some people with ASD show unusual or notable abilities, ranging from splinter skills to rare talents in mathematics, music, or artistic reproduction, which in exceptional cases are considered a part of the savant syndrome. One study describes how some people with ASD show superior skills in perception and attention relative to the general population.
It’s also possible for a person to have both autism and ADHD. Families who have autistic loved ones may be concerned about what life with ASD looks like for an adult. A 2017 literature review concluded that the male-to-female ratio for autistic youth was actually closer to 3 to 1. Autistic children may find that certain exercises can help in easing frustrations and promoting overall well-being. If your child is autistic, you may have to work closely with their teachers to ensure they succeed in the classroom.