Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder

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. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity.

 

The severity specifiers may be used to describe succinctly the current symptomatology (which might fall below level 1), with the recognition that severity may vary by context and fluctuate over time.

Level 3 - Requiring very substantial support

Severe deficit in verbal and non-verbal social communication skills cause severe impairment in functioning, very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others.

Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty in coping with change, great difficult changing focus and/or interference by repetitive behavior.

Level 2 – Requiring substantial support

Marked deficit in verbal and non-verbal social communication skills cause impairment in functioning, limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others.

Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty in coping with change, great difficult changing focus and/or interference by repetitive behavior may be noticeable to a casual observer.

Level 1 – Requiring Support

Without supports in place, deficit in verbal and non-verbal social communication skills cause impairment in functioning, limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others.

Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty in coping with change, great difficult changing focus and/or interference by repetitive behavior in one or more contexts.

Features

The features of Autism include:

1.     Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people

2.     Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors

3.     Symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life

Symptoms

·        Making little or inconsistent eye contact

·        Tending not to look at or listen to people

·        Rarely sharing enjoyment of objects or activities by pointing or showing things to others

·        Having facial expressions, movements, and gestures that do not match what is being said

·        Having an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song or flat and robot-like

·        Having trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions

·        Repeating certain behaviors or having unusual behaviors. For example, repeating words or phrases, a behavior called echolalia

·        Getting upset by slight changes in a routine

·        Being more or less sensitive than other people to sensory input, such as light, noise, clothing, or temperature

Diagnosis

1.     Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts

2.     Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities

3.     Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period

4.     Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning

5.     These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay.

Treatment

A doctor may use medication to treat some symptoms that are common with ASD. With medication, a person with ASD may have fewer problems with:

·        Irritability

·        Aggression

·        Repetitive behavior

·        Hyperactivity

·        Attention problems

·        Anxiety and depression

People with ASD may be referred to doctors who specialize in providing behavioral, psychological, educational, or skill-building interventions. There are many social services programs and other resources that can help people with ASD.