Autism is the fastest growing disability within our country. DSM-IV-TR includes five Pervasive Development Disorders (PDD): Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). It is defined by IDEA as a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before the age of three that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. There is no medical test to diagnose autism. Any diagnosis should be based on observation of social interaction, communication, and activities of each individual child. There are some tests that can be done to identify other diagnoses that are associated with autism.
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One-third of the people diagnosed with autism remain non-verbal and have an intellectual disability. Having autism also carries other medical and mental health issues. A few are seizures, sleep disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and gastrointestinal disorders. Symptoms and Early Red Flags of Autism are no big smiles or joyful expressions by six months, no back and forth sharing of sounds and other facial expressions by 9 months, no babbling by 12 months, no words by 16 months, no meaningful word phrases by 24 months, lack of eye contact, does not respond to their name, points or gestures to communicate, and makes noises to get attention. There are certain characteristics that are connected to autism such as hand flapping, rocking, spinning in circles, head banging, staring at lights, tapping ears, lining up toys, and repeating words. These are just a few of the
One-third of the people diagnosed with autism remain non-verbal and have an intellectual disability. Having autism also carries other medical and mental health issues. A few are seizures, sleep disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and gastrointestinal disorders. Symptoms and Early Red Flags of Autism are no big smiles or joyful expressions by six months, no back and forth sharing of sounds and other facial expressions by 9 months, no babbling by 12 months, no words by 16 months, no meaningful word phrases by 24 months, lack of eye contact, does not respond to their name, points or gestures to communicate, and makes noises to get attention. There are certain characteristics that are connected to autism such as hand flapping, rocking, spinning in circles, head banging, staring at lights, tapping ears, lining up toys, and repeating words. These are just a few of the