How to Recognize Signs of Autism in a Child
Autism is a mysterious disorder that begins in early childhood and disrupts many aspects of development, making it difficult for the child to establish social relationships and communicate in a typical way.
What Causes Autism?
About fifty years ago, it was believed that autism was caused by inadequate parenting. It turned out that this belief was incorrect – writes the portal Biti roditelj.
Modern medical research points to clear biological causes of autism, which means that parents should no longer blame themselves. Biological factors include genetic influences, viral infections, and complications during pregnancy and childbirth that can cause subtle brain damage. It is often associated with signs of neurological impairment, intellectual disability, and certain pathological conditions (e.g., epilepsy). The fact that autism is diagnosed equally often across different cultures suggests that social factors are unlikely to be the cause.
Do Children with Autism Come from Certain Social Strata?
Research has shown that this disorder occurs equally across all social classes. Likewise, it appears in all cultures. Data on the prevalence of autism from different countries indicate that 2–4 children out of every 10,000 develop autism, with 3–4 boys for every girl affected.
Do Children with Autism Have Normal Intelligence?
There is a widespread belief that children with autism have normal intelligence. However, the fact is that when intelligence tests are administered, about two-thirds score below the average level.
How Is the Diagnosis Made?
Autism is a behavioral syndrome, which means that it involves a group of abnormal behavioral patterns. A diagnosis of autism is made only when there is a combination of three key types of behaviors:
Abnormal social relationships and development
Inability to develop normal communication
Restricted and repetitive interests and activities
To make a diagnosis, all three symptoms must be present together, and they must appear by the age of 36 months.
How to Recognize the Signs of Autism?
The most important warning sign in identifying autism is the inability to establish social relationships with other people. Such behavior is often described with phrases like, “It seemed like he was retreating into his shell and living inside himself,” or “When he entered the room, he didn't notice people at all and immediately went to the objects…” A lack of eye contact, treating people as objects, absence of culturally appropriate behavior, lack of empathy, and resistance to changes in routine are characteristic signs of autism spectrum disorder.
In addition to social difficulties, language problems represent another major group of issues. These include abnormalities in speech such as echolalia (repeating words or phrases immediately after hearing them), metaphorical language, and blending words into new words.
The third area that helps in early identification of autism is a lack of imagination, often linked to obsessive behavior. These repetitive behaviors are noticeable, rigid, and persevering.
Problems with social development, communication, and flexible thinking are recognizable signs that should alert parents. A team assessment of the child is conducted in specialized institutions by a group of experts – a child psychiatrist, neurologist, speech therapist, psychologist, and ENT specialist – after which treatment guidelines are determined.
Marijana Petrović, specialist in medical psychology
