The initial stage of autism in children. Causes of autism in children. What is special about the behavior of a child with autism

Recently, one of the most common diseases related to developmental pathologies is autism. This ailment manifests itself, as a rule, in the first years of life, but there are often cases of an “acquired” disease, when symptoms appear already in adulthood, adulthood. Autism affects in most cases the males, for every 10 cases - 6-7 affected boys or men. The disease is not treatable, therefore, after diagnosis, it remains for life, but with well-chosen treatment, it is possible to make the patient's life easier, teach him to live in society and lead a normal life. The reasons for the development of this phenomenon have not been precisely established, but in most cases they come down to genetic anomalies. To learn more about the disease and its manifestations, read the information below.

What is autism?

Autism is a violation of social interaction, which manifests itself in a disorder of speech, mental development. People with such a diagnosis do not like society, communication, they prefer loneliness, they close themselves in themselves, being carried away by some kind of occupation.

There are several types of autism, each with specific features:

Modern scientists divide the disease into five groups:

• I - patients with autism who are completely isolated from the outside world and do not enter into any interaction with it.
• II - people who plunge headlong into any occupation are characterized by isolation and aloofness. As a result of strong enthusiasm, they may not experience (or not notice) the feeling of hunger, thirst, fatigue for a long time.
• III - patients who do not perceive the norms and rules of behavior in modern society.
• IV - adult patients with a diagnosis of autism who cannot confront problems, solve them, and instead of finding a way out of the situation, they are offended by someone, withdraw into themselves.
• V - intellectually developed autistics, whose Iq level is much higher than that of ordinary people. Often such patients become famous musicians, artists, performers or programmers, successfully adapting to society and accepting its rules.

Causes of Autism

As a rule, autism is congenital and develops in the first years of a child's life, remaining with a person until the end of his days. Scientists are unable to establish the exact causes of the development of the disease, despite the active study of the disease and the study of patients with such a diagnosis. The most likely causes of autism are:

signs of autism

The first symptoms of autism appear in children by the age of 3, during this period it is already possible to distinguish the disease from mental retardation or speech development, from such a disposition or character of the child.
The main signs of childhood autism:

• Violation of speech development: up to 1 year, children do not walk, at 1.5 they do not make articulate sounds, and by 3 they do not begin to speak coherent speech or have a very poor vocabulary.
• Lack of attachment to parents, feelings for them and the manifestation of emotions.
• The presence of a delay in mental and / or physical development.
• The child does not show interest in other children, peers, does not want to play with them.
• Constant desire to play with only one toy, rejection of new games, objects. The inability to distinguish living beings from inanimate objects and vice versa.
• Sometimes inadequate reaction to sounds, light, actions of other people.
• Frequent bouts of aggression that may be directed at others or at oneself, which may lead to self-harm or other negative consequences.

If at least one or more symptoms appear, you should definitely consult with. Such manifestations do not always characterize autism, perhaps this is a manifestation of other diseases, therefore, for an accurate diagnosis, one should consult a qualified specialist.

Autism in adults is very specific, its symptoms are pronounced and clearly visible to outsiders. Often such people have a high intellectual level, a rich inner world, achieve the desired success in their careers, but communication with people does not add up, which causes difficulties at work and in their personal lives. In addition, less than 50% of autistic patients are able to live independently and lead a relatively normal life. Often, autistic people who have achieved success in some industry do not have basic household skills and cannot cope with classic everyday activities.

The main symptoms of autism in adults include:

• Small vocabulary, “favorite” is one phrase or word that the patient repeats in a circle.
• Lack of intonation and emotional coloring of speech.
• Great fear of change, unwillingness to change something in your life. Great attachment to things, habits.
• A person is indifferent to everything around, their experiences, emotions, actions - he lives in his own world, where there is no entrance to outsiders.
• Does not comply with the norms and rules of behavior in society, openly ignores them.
• The autistic person avoids direct eye control or, conversely, does not look away.

Autism Diagnosis

Only a doctor can make a diagnosis of autism after a thorough examination of the patient and differentiation of the disease from others. For help, you should contact a pediatrician (if the patient is under 16 years old), a neurologist.

The following are used as diagnostic methods:

• Conversation with the patient, assessment of the level of his socialization, readiness to make contact, as well as an analysis of his mental abilities, speech development and vocabulary. As a rule, special questionnaires or tests are used for this.
• Conducting screening tests.
• Delivery of laboratory tests (blood, urine) to assess the physical condition of the patient.
• Electroencephalogram, which allows you to evaluate the activity of the brain. It is mandatory to carry out the procedure for the manifestation of epileptic seizures.
• Magnetic resonance imaging reveals structural changes in the brain.

The main method of diagnosing the disease is the constant monitoring of the behavior of the child, which parents should do. Only the identification of regular symptoms and the absence of changes with age can indicate the development of autism.

Autism treatment

The disease is not treatable - this is the conclusion reached by doctors and scientists who have been studying the disease for decades. But there are a number of techniques and some medicines that alleviate the patient's condition, allow him to adapt normally in society. In each case, therapy is supported individually, and the effect depends on the person and the activities with him. It is important to remember that the earlier a correct diagnosis is made, the higher the patient's chances of leading a healthy lifestyle.
The following methods are used as therapy:

• Specially developed techniques that help a child adapt to society or an adult provide an opportunity to learn how to live with such a disease. In particular, all work is based on teaching the patient a certain behavior model in a particular case.
• Regular repetition of the same actions, skills, so that the child can reproduce it himself in the future. For example, this applies to basic household skills - going to the toilet, dressing, brushing your teeth, eating.
• It is important to follow a strict daily routine, so a new habit is developed, the child feels more confident.
• It is strictly forbidden to drastically change the situation, the order of things, the schedule - it is always a shock and psychological trauma for the child. Any changes in the autistic should be carefully prepared and done gradually.
• It is important to provide emotional, bodily contact - frequent hugs, kisses, touches.
• In rare cases, drug therapy is used, which is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of other diseases (epilepsy, schizophrenia). In addition, drugs are actively used that are able to normalize the psychological state of the patient, to moderate physical activity. These include: neuroleptics, psychostimulants.
• Due to the frequent violations of the intestines in autists, patients are prescribed probiotics, which colonize the intestines with beneficial bacteria and alleviate the condition.
• It is extremely important to ensure the intake of useful trace elements, vitamins and minerals.

The effectiveness of treatment by 90% depends on the efforts of parents and people around them. To achieve the maximum result, you should devote a lot of time to the child, follow the recommendations of the doctor and conduct classes with the child. Efforts, desires, love and care will help the child learn to see himself in society and lead a normal life, adapting to society.

For many people, the diagnosis of autism sounds like a sentence.

This is due to the lack of reliable information about this disorder, although in recent years the number of special children has increased several times.

In Russia there are no accurate data on such patients, as many children simply do not receive such a diagnosis. Parents of special children should know what autism is in adults and children and what are its signs.

How to recognize schizophrenia in a child? Learn about it from ours.

What it is?

What is this disease? Autism mental disorder, which is a consequence of the abnormal development of the brain and is expressed in the absence of human interaction with the outside world.

Such a child has a limited range of interests and activities.

Symptoms usually appear in children under 3 years of age, signs can be noticed at an early age if you carefully observe the child.

The exact causes of the disease have not yet been established. It has been proven that in this disease several altered areas are found in the brain, but the mechanism of their appearance is unknown.

Doctors call the genetic theory as the main one: for unknown reasons, gene mutations occur. Another hypothesis is the influence of external factors that cause a violation of intrauterine development.

The theory of the relationship between autism and vaccination has not been confirmed. It's just that in some children, the time of vaccination coincides with the manifestation of the disease.

Autism is considered an incurable disease. With early diagnosis it is possible help the child to adapt a little in the social environment, although only a few manage to learn to live independently.

There is still a search for a cure for this problem, some people tend to consider it just a special condition, and not a disease.

Types of disease

The following types of autism are identified in the International Classification of Diseases:

Stages of the disease

Classification of pathology(according to Nikolskaya) divides the disease into degrees of severity and is used to distinguish between the stages of childhood autism in order to develop corrective measures:

1. Illness of the 1st group. Patients are completely detached from the world, they have no visual contact and speech. They reject any communication, do not even respond to their parents.
2. Illness of the 2nd group. Such children are more active than children from group 1. Usually they communicate with a limited number of people, for example, with their parents. They are hard to perceive a change of scenery, they show it with excessive emotions. The main reactions are aggression and auto-aggression. Patients may cause physical injury to themselves.

   However, in such children, adaptation to the outside world is much higher than in the first group.

3. Illness of the 3rd group. Patients tend to withdraw into the inner world. They are busy with their own affairs, fantasies. Any intervention they perceive aggressively and emotionally. True, their hobbies are monotonous and stereotypical. For example, a child can constantly draw one object, play the same game.
4. Disease 4 groups. These children have a slight retardation of emotional development. They show lethargy, stereotypical behavior, vulnerability and fatigue, are very sensitive to any criticism or comments.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorders ( atypical autism) differ from autism in milder manifestations. This group includes disorders that have one autistic feature, for example, fear of eye contact.

Different patients may have different combinations of symptoms, which sometimes makes it difficult to make a diagnosis.

Doctors identify the following symptoms of atypical autism:

Speech disorders expressed in the difficulties of learning the language, a small vocabulary, stereotyping of speech expressions. Such people are not able to empathize and express emotions.

Problems with social adaptation are manifested:

• desire for loneliness;
• problems with establishing contacts with others;
• inability to make friends;
• avoiding eye contact with the interlocutor.

These patients have limited thinking. A change in the usual environment causes them fear, panic. They are overly attached to objects, clothes, toys.

Abnormal irritability constantly accompanies autists. They react to external minor stimuli with increased aggression and panic.

When does it appear?

The first signs of the disease appear in children aged 6-18 months. Before that, they are no different from other children. By 12 months, most parents notice some oddities in the behavior of the baby, at 1.5 years, developmental deviations become already obvious.

How to determine? Symptoms to watch out for parents:

You will find people with a hyperthymic type of character accentuation on our website.

What is expressed?

Autistic people have certain symptoms of pathology. They may differ, so put Diagnosis can only be made after a complete examination.. The disease is characterized by the presence of three signs (autistic triad):

• lack of social communication;
• problems in mutual communication;
• limited range of interests and stereotyped behavior.

Typical signs of autism:

1. When talking, he tries not to make eye contact.
2. Does not seek to communicate with others, prefers to be alone.
3. Nervous because of any touch.
4. Overly sensitive to loud sounds and bright lights.
5. Cannot articulate his thoughts clearly.
6. Shows excessive activity or passivity.
7. Has no sense of self-preservation. For example, crossing the road in front of a car, grabbing hot objects, trying to jump from a great height.
8. Constantly experiencing a feeling of fear.

A characteristic feature of the pathology is stereotypical behaviour. Stereotypes are motor, sensory, speech and behavioral.

Features of intellectual development are manifested in two variations:

1. Lag in development. The patient cannot concentrate on something, quickly gets tired, does not perceive information.
2. Leading the development of narrow areas. Such patients show interest in narrow areas, sometimes ahead of their peers in certain areas. They also have a unique visual or auditory memory.

How do autists see the world?

The sick child usually does not distinguish between animate and inanimate objects.

Man for him is not a single whole, but a set of disparate parts.

Also baby unable to trace the connection between events. External stimuli (sound, light, touch) are hostile to him, so he overreacts emotionally to them and tries to hide.

Symptoms

The clinical picture of the disease for each age is manifested by certain signs.

In newborns and children up to a year:

1. Slow growth of certain parts of the body.
2. Muscle weakness.
3. Lack of interest in bright objects, toys.
4. Lack of response to parents.
5. Paucity of facial expressions.
6. The appearance of stereotypical movements (swinging, bending the arms, etc.).

In children from 3 years:

1. Speech delay or complete absence of speech.
2. Fixation on a particular activity. For example, a child can drive one car for hours, build a house out of cubes.
3. Frequent occurrence. Children are afraid of a change of scenery, communication with others, external stimuli.
4. Lack of perception of toys as a whole object. For example, a child is only interested in a certain part of a car.
5. Reluctance to interact with other children. Any attempts to establish contact end or aggression.
6. abnormal aggression. In a stressful situation, the patient shows aggression not only to others, but also to himself.
7. Convulsive seizures or convulsions may occur.
8. . Children often wake up screaming and cannot fall asleep again.

Teenagers:

adult affliction

Symptoms of the disease in adulthood weaken somewhat, especially with early correction.

Autistic behavior of the patient depends on the level of social adaptation and acquired skills.

The greatest difficulties a person experiences in his personal life. They rarely manage to start a family,. Thanks to the development of the Internet, autistic people have more opportunities to meet and start communicating with their own kind.

Men form a stereotype of sexual behavior based on films. Excessive assertiveness scares women away. These men don't know how to care do not see the point in showing generally accepted signs of attention to women.

Autistic women are usually very naive. They copy the behavior of movie characters. Because of their naivete, they are often sexually abused.

Most patients can live independently and take care of themselves especially if they were treated in childhood. But some still need outside help.

If the patient has a normally developed intellect, then some types of remote work are available to him. Such patients excel in areas where attention to detail is required. Ordinary work in a team is not suitable for autistic people.

How to recognize the patient?

Surrounding people, faced with strange human behavior, cannot always understand the reason for these deviations. Often oddities are perceived as impoliteness, selfishness, indifference.

Photo of a woman with autism:

The patient can be recognized by the following signs:

1. When talking, a person tries not to look into the eyes of the interlocutor.
2. He does not show friendly affection or emotional reaction.
3. A person is fixated on one topic or activity. His range of interests is very limited.
4. He lives alone, does not communicate with neighbors, has no friends.
5. His day follows the same schedule.
6. He reacts inappropriately to loud sounds or bright lights.
7. Any encroachment on his space causes him an attack of aggression.

Autism It is an incurable and not fully understood disease. Its prognosis depends on the form and stage of the pathology. If appropriate corrective therapy is carried out in early childhood, the patient will increase the chances of an ordinary life and even a professional activity.

How to recognize schizophrenia in a teenager? find out right now.

The main signs of autism in this video:

Autism in children is a complex developmental disorder that should manifest itself at an early age. As a rule, this is the first 3 years of a child's life and is due to impaired functioning.

All signs of autism in this article are described for informational purposes only. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a qualified doctor after diagnosing a child. Therefore, you should not take all the information below as the ultimate truth.

Autism in a child

According to modern concepts, autism is a genetic predisposition that follows a child from parents, or there may be variants of genetic damage in a particular child without inheritance. But here it should be emphasized that this is a tendency that can manifest itself under the influence of external factors. Such factors are the presence in the family of relatives not only with autism, but also with other mental disorders, such as schizophrenia.

This is, in principle, burdened by a family history of schizophrenia and others. In addition, children who were born prematurely, also if the age of the parents exceeds 40 years, fall into the risk group. Also at risk are people living in large metropolitan areas, meaning environmental pollution with a variety of heavy metals and any harmful substances. These are the factors that allow the genetic program to be realized.

The risk of developing autism in a child

To date, there are no methods for predicting autism in unborn children. All early diagnosis programs provide for the possibility of detecting autism in a child from 18 months.
You cannot know this in advance, and a child with autism can be born in any family. That is, race, social affiliation, ways of raising a child do not have a significant impact.

Symptoms of Autism in Children

According to the current classification since 2013, the criteria for the diagnosis of autism are two groups:

• Disruption of social communication

It is known that children with autism have disorders associated with the development of speech, that is, it is both a lack of speech and a developmental delay or inappropriate functioning. For example, a child can quote huge dialogues from movies, from cartoons, from advertisements, but you cannot communicate with the child. He will not be able to say his name, how old he is, where he lives.

Children with autism avoid interacting with people, not because they don't need to, but because they don't know how to interact with others. They do not know how to read emotions in the face, they need to be specially trained to do this.

• Repetitive forms of stereotypical behavior

Very often, children with autism have such stereotypes as waving their arms, twisting in place, jumping up and down. According to current ideas, these stereotypes are mechanisms of self-regulation, the child thus brings his state more or less into balance.

Stereotypes do not need to try to eliminate, as they help the child.
In addition to such obvious behavioral moments, it can be uniformity in food preferences, the location of objects, and certain routes. For example, if you move an object in a child's room, it can cause violent negative emotions.

How common is autism

Previously, there was a very low level of such patients, although in fact autism has always existed. At the moment, since the 80s, there has been a constant annual increase in the number of people with this diagnosis around the world. About 70 million people worldwide are now diagnosed with autism.

And its average frequency is increasing every year, just a few years ago it was 1 in 100, now it is 1 in 68, and even according to some sources 1 in 63. On average, if we take two school classes, then this is about one child with autism for two classes.

A huge number of studies have been conducted that show that all over the world, regardless of the country, the continent, the frequency of autism spectrum disorders is the same and amounts to 1-3% of the general population. This pathology has a gender feature, that is, autism is 4-5 times more common in boys than in girls.

Autism Diagnosis

Only a psychiatrist can make a diagnosis of autism, and a primary care doctor should suspect, the one who sees the child from birth and can assess its development, that is, this is a family doctor or pediatrician.

What you should pay attention to when diagnosing autism is if the child does not develop typically by the age of one and a half years. Lack of communication skills (the child does not want to communicate with adults, he does not respond to his name, responds to the appeal of close relatives, but does not respond to other people).

It is also important how the child plays: he uses toys for other purposes (for example, cars do not drive, but he studies them, examines them from different angles, spins the wheels, licks, sniffs).

In addition, you should pay attention to the reactions of the child, if the child has a very violent reaction to minor stimuli and you cannot stop it for a long time. It can be touches, sounds, bright light, that is, in principle, something that a normal child would not react like that.
It is very important that children with autism have disturbed sleep, they fall asleep very hard, for a very long time, they have very superficial sleep.

Autism signs in a child

It is important to understand that a child with autism looks normal, that is, until behavioral moments, problems in communication appear, you may not suspect that the child has autism.

• Disrupted social interaction

The degree of impairment depends on the severity of autism. In severe cases, the child does not communicate with others at all, does not respond to his name, does not look into his eyes, his face does not express emotions.

An important sign of autism is the lack of emotions, remember if you ever brought something to the child in delight, caused laughter, a smile, if you fell, whether the child is trying to pity you, is it clear from him that he worries about you.

The ability to ask for an important basic communication skill, the normal reaction to ask, is considered to indicate with a gesture to the desired thing or simply call mom. A request in the form of pushing an adult to the desired item is not considered normal.

A typical reaction to others, especially new people, this avoidance is sometimes interpreted as an extreme degree of shyness, which, however, does not decrease with age.

Eye contact analysis is especially important in childhood, it is normal for a child to look into your eyes, if a child looks past your eyes, despite your attempts to attract attention, this can be a problem.

Playing skills with peers - autistic children, as a rule, do not play with other children, they are more interested in toys that they can shamelessly take away from other children or running in circles or just watching from afar.

Delayed speech development

Autistic children are characterized by a delay in speech development. Children should definitely have dozens of words in their circulation at 2.5 years old. At 3 years old, a child should be able to compose and speak in sentences.

A number of parents deny the existence of problems to the last, arguing that the child pronounces very complex phrases heard from adults or on TV. In fact, this can be reflected speech, that is, meaningless repetition; this cannot in any way be called the normal development of the speech apparatus.

At an older age, the child’s speech is faster, more confused, when communicating, they tend to interrupt and slide into an exciting topic that is not related to the current conversation. Unfortunately, about 1.3 autistic children do not use speech at all.

Desire to sort things out

We all play pyramids from childhood, perhaps this is the most common children's game. The task of this game is to build the elements of the pyramid in the right order, but autistic children often have a predilection for laying out toys and objects in a certain order that are not intended for such an order. Another example, the child is not interested in the toy itself, in the form of a typewriter, as something whole, but the wheel from the typewriter, which you want to turn for hours. These are all violations of the principle of binding, in the brain. The brain is not able to put everything on the shelves and therefore focuses on individual details.

Persistent habits are also hallmarks of autism, such as the habit of one type of food.

Autism treatment

If a child is diagnosed with autism at an early age, up to three years old and immediately begins correction, intensive intervention, then in this case one can hope for a favorable outcome and many children by school age catch up with their peers in development and, in principle, can study in a regular school .

With an integrated approach to correcting autistic disorders, of course, a greater effect can be achieved if behavioral therapy is combined with microcurrent reflex therapy, which helps to restore broken connections in the brain, in which case the treatment effect is achieved faster.
The most important thing is the joint work on the correction of autism, professionals and families.

Behavioral and medical therapies for autistic children can help them grow and learn.

While there is no cure for autism, there are many behavioral therapies and medications that can greatly improve an autistic child's condition, learning ability, and overall quality of life.

There are two elements to the treatment of autism. One includes the principles of behavioral analysis, which uses cues and rewards to help children learn. Another element involves the use of development-appropriate practices. This means that intervention goals are defined in such a way that the easiest skill or knowledge is the content of the next learning goal. In this way, children achieve success and learning happens faster.

Behavioral therapy for autistic children

The two hallmarks of autism—difficulties in communication and socialization—are addressed through behavioral and complementary therapies. Recommended therapy for autistic children includes:

• Applied behavioral analysis. It is a structured therapeutic approach to teaching autistic children to stop unwanted behaviors. Several decades of research support the use of this analysis.
• Intervention language - speech. Communication disorder is a major problem in autism. Therefore, all children should receive an intervention that involves the development of speech and language. Pathologists can help children with autism communicate more effectively and understand the finer points of social interactions.
• Occupational therapy. Professional doctors help autistic children learn the things they need to do at home and at school, such as how to dress, use scissors, and write clearly.
• Physiotherapy. Physical therapists work with children to develop activity, balance, posture and coordination.

Autistic children at school

Children with autism face many challenges in school, but the goal of therapy inside and outside the classroom is to help them be successful in school work and with their peers.

Associating children with autism with normally developing children is very beneficial for their development if teachers and peers are also given some guidance. To help with this, a team of professionals including parents, educators and therapists develops an individualized learning program for each child that determines what changes and interventions are needed throughout the school day. The program is reviewed regularly to ensure it is up to date.

Medicines for children with autism

There are currently no drugs that can cure autism. Instead, parents and doctors may use a variety of medications to treat some of the symptoms of autism, such as hyperactivity, as well as related conditions that affect quality of life, such as sleep disturbances or gastrointestinal discomfort. Medications are used primarily to treat behavioral disorders associated with autism, including agitation, impulsivity, restlessness, and repetitive behaviors.

Medication should be taken when the behavior is disruptive enough to interfere with the child's ability to be in school, social, or home settings. Medications that are used to treat symptoms of autism include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, stimulants, anticancer drugs, tricyclics, and antipsychotics.

The decision on which medications are appropriate depends on the symptoms the autistic child has. It may take some time to find the right combination of treatments for each child. It is hoped that with treatment, all children with autism can be helped and better navigate their world.

Autism in children – School of Dr. Komarovsky (Video)

Autism is a serious mental health disorder in children. The first clinical symptoms of the disease appear at an early age - up to 2 years. At the heart of the disease are deviations associated with a violation of the development of the brain.

The main signs of pathology are a pronounced limitation of social communication and the absence of any interests. Children with autism are not able to build normal human relationships in the future.

This disease is widespread in the modern world. According to statistics, there are 6 cases of autism per 1000 newborns. The disease is 4 times more likely to affect boys.

Scientists are still arguing about the possible causes of gene mutation in order to find a cure for autism. But the question of why there is a failure in the genes responsible for the maturation of synaptic connections in the brain remains open.

There is no clear list of factors that can cause this disease. Scientists have put forward many theories regarding the etiology of autism, but despite numerous studies, many of them have remained unconfirmed. Perhaps this problem will be fully explored in the future.

hereditary predisposition

Despite numerous disputes, experts agree on one thing: the disease begins to form already in the process of intrauterine development of the fetus. Therefore, there is no doubt about the genetic nature of this disease.

It has been proven that the presence in the circle of immediate family of a person suffering from autism significantly increases the likelihood of having a child with the same diagnosis. According to many scientists, the phenomenon of the development of this pathology lies in the unsuccessful connection of genes and the adverse effects on the body of the future mother of the environment (toxins, viruses, somatic diseases, etc.).

Chemical and biological factors

The next reason for the development of autism are disorders of the hormonal and immune nature, as well as various disorders affecting the nervous system. Some scientists are sure that ordinary vaccines for children can become a provocateur of the disease, but this opinion remains unconfirmed to this day.

Therefore, if after the vaccination there are any pronounced changes in the behavioral reactions and well-being of the child, most likely, we are talking about the presence of a disorder not detected in the past, which until that moment was hidden and did not manifest itself. That is, vaccination in this situation may well play the role of the so-called pathological trigger.

Also popular is the theory of the negative impact on the development of the brain of flour and dairy products - foods containing substances such as gluten and casein. Scientists involved in this problem argue that proteins cause serious disorders of the nervous system of newborns and infants, in connection with which early symptoms of autism are diagnosed.

An unfavorable effect on the child's body can be caused by the unfavorable air atmosphere surrounding a person: all kinds of heavy metal salts, exhaust gases, chemical solvents, nicotine and toxins affect the level of development of the brain and nervous system of the child, so they may well be one of the reasons for the development of autism.

Perinatal pathology

In some children, shortly after birth, organic lesions of certain parts of the brain are diagnosed, which appeared during the period of intrauterine development. The causes of these abnormal phenomena are due to infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy (in particular,), physical and mental trauma, as well as the risk associated with the professional activity of a woman (poisoning the body with salts of heavy metals, radiation, etc.).

There are cases when nature itself in the first weeks of pregnancy "culls out" unhealthy offspring that have certain disorders at the genetic or organic level. Therefore, there is a theory according to which the likelihood of the birth of a child with autism increases if the expectant mother was diagnosed during gestation.

Taking antibiotics

Excessive use of antibacterial drugs negatively affects the body of children and can serve as an external cause that provokes the development of autism. The fact is that antibiotics are not just substances that are aimed at combating an infectious factor, but also components that are alien in nature to the human body, penetrating inside it. They overactivate the children's immune system.

Course treatment with antibacterial therapy should be prescribed with strict consideration of the pathogenesis of the infection, be non-toxic and have a therapeutic effect.

Antibiotics should be used in the most minimal doses for the age of the child. Otherwise, uncontrolled long-term use of drugs can damage the cellular structures of the brain, which, in turn, can trigger the development of mental disorders, in particular, autism.

Features of the educational process

The behavior of parents seriously affects the mental health of the child. Deviations in this area can be caused by a tense situation within the family, systematic scandals with assault, physical punishment that is applied directly to the child - all this can tell him that he is not loved and rejected.

Even at an early age, he begins to withdraw in order to find reasons in himself. This can lead to the formation of a mental disorder with the subsequent development of autism. Negative emotions accumulate.

Against this background, his brain, defending himself, slows down the main processes of development, trying to protect the child's psyche from the influence of external reality, pushing the solution of all existing problems to simple stereotypical actions and actions. This is the reason for the repetitive mechanism of action in children with autism.

stress factor

Under the influence of stress, the hormone dopamine is released into the blood - a secret that affects the transmission of impulses in the brain tissues. Chronic stress can cause the slow formation of autism, with the gradual appearance of symptoms characteristic of this disease: alienation from others, lack of interest in the outside world, repetition of the same mechanism of action.

Hormonal factor

Insufficient amounts of hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline can give rise to the development of autism in children. Lack also provokes an inadequate mental reaction on the part of the patient - the absence of a smile, unwillingness to contact with others, pronounced apathy.

Hormonal disorders lead to pathological changes in metabolism, that is, there is a violation of its normal physiological internal environment.

- a violation of mental development, accompanied by a deficit of social interactions, difficulty in mutual contact when communicating with other people, repetitive actions and limitation of interests. The reasons for the development of the disease are not fully understood, most scientists suggest a connection with congenital brain dysfunction. Autism is usually diagnosed before the age of 3 years, the first signs may be noticeable as early as infancy. Full recovery is considered impossible, but sometimes the diagnosis is removed with age. The goal of treatment is social adaptation and development of self-service skills.

General information

Autism is a disease that is characterized by movement and speech disorders, as well as stereotyping of interests and behavior, accompanied by a violation of the patient's social interactions with others. Data on the prevalence of autism vary significantly due to different approaches to the diagnosis and classification of the disease. According to various data, 0.1-0.6% of children suffer from autism without taking into account autism spectrum disorders, 1.1-2% of children suffer from autism, taking into account autism spectrum disorders. Autism is diagnosed four times less frequently in girls than in boys. In the last 25 years, this diagnosis has become much more frequent, however, it is not yet clear whether this is due to a change in diagnostic criteria or a real increase in the prevalence of the disease.

In the literature, the term "autism" can be interpreted in two ways - as autism itself (childhood autism, classic autistic disorder, Kanner's syndrome) and as all disorders of the autism spectrum, including Asperger's syndrome, atypical autism, etc. The severity of individual manifestations of autism can vary significantly - from a complete inability to social contacts, accompanied by severe mental retardation to some oddities when communicating with people, pedantry of speech and narrowness of interests. The treatment of autism is long-term, complex, carried out with the participation of specialists in the field of psychiatry, psychologists, psychotherapists, neurologists, defectologists and speech therapists.

Reasons for the development of autism

Currently, the causes of autism have not been finally clarified, however, it has been established that the biological basis of the disease is a violation of the development of certain brain structures. The hereditary nature of autism has been confirmed, although the genes responsible for the development of the disease have yet to be determined. Children with autism have a large number of complications during pregnancy and childbirth (intrauterine viral infections, toxemia, uterine bleeding, premature birth). It is suggested that complications during pregnancy cannot cause autism, but may increase the likelihood of its development in the presence of other predisposing factors.

Heredity. Among close and distant relatives of children with autism, 3-7% of autistic patients are detected, which is many times higher than the prevalence of the disease on average in the population. Both identical twins have a 60-90% chance of developing autism. Relatives of patients often have individual disorders characteristic of autism: a tendency to obsessive behavior, a low need for social contacts, difficulties in understanding speech, and speech disorders (including echolalia). In such families, epilepsy and mental retardation are more often detected, which are not mandatory signs of autism, but are often diagnosed with this disease. All of the above is a confirmation of the hereditary nature of autism.

In the late 90s of the last century, scientists managed to identify a gene predisposing to autism. The presence of this gene does not necessarily lead to the onset of autism (according to most geneticists, the disease develops as a result of the interaction of several genes). However, the identification of this gene made it possible to objectively confirm the hereditary nature of autism. This is a serious progress in the field of studying the etiology and pathogenesis of this disease, since shortly before this discovery, some scientists considered the lack of care and attention from parents as possible causes of autism (currently this version is rejected as untrue).

Structural disorders of the brain. Studies have shown that autistic patients often show structural changes in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, median temporal lobe, and cerebellum. The main function of the cerebellum is to ensure successful motor activity, however, this part of the brain also influences speech, attention, thinking, emotions, and learning abilities. In many autistic people, some parts of the cerebellum are reduced. It is assumed that this circumstance may be due to the problems of patients with autism when switching attention.

The median temporal lobes, hippocampus, and amygdala, also commonly affected by autism, influence memory, learning, and emotional self-regulation, including the generation of pleasure in meaningful social activities. The researchers note that in animals with damage to these lobes of the brain, behavioral changes similar to autism are observed (a decrease in the need for social contacts, a deterioration in adaptation when exposed to new conditions, difficulties in recognizing danger). In addition, autistic patients often show delayed maturation of the frontal lobes.

Functional disorders of the brain. Approximately 50% of patients on the EEG revealed changes characteristic of memory impairment, selective and directed attention, verbal thinking and purposeful use of speech. The degree of prevalence and severity of changes varies, while in children with high-functioning autism, EEG disturbances are usually less pronounced compared to patients suffering from low-functioning forms of the disease.

Autism Symptoms

Mandatory signs of childhood autism (a typical autistic disorder, Kanner's syndrome) are a lack of social interactions, problems in building productive mutual contact with others, stereotypical behavior and interests. All of these signs appear before the age of 2-3 years, while individual symptoms indicating possible autism are sometimes detected even in infancy.

Violation of social interactions is the most striking feature that distinguishes autism from other developmental disorders. Children with autism cannot fully interact with other people. They do not feel the state of others, do not recognize non-verbal signals, do not understand the subtext of social contacts. This symptom can be detected already in infants. Such children react weakly to adults, do not look into the eyes, and are more willing to fix their eyes on inanimate objects, rather than on people around them. They do not smile, react badly to their own name, do not reach out towards an adult when trying to pick them up.

Patients begin to speak later, babble less and less often, and later begin to pronounce individual words and use phrase speech. They often confuse pronouns, calling themselves "you", "he" or "she". Subsequently, high-functioning autistics "gain" sufficient vocabulary and are not inferior to healthy children when passing tests for knowledge of words and spelling, but they have difficulty using images, drawing conclusions about what is written or read, etc. In children with low-functioning forms of autism speech is significantly impoverished.

Children with autism are characterized by unusual gestures and difficulty in using gestures in the process of interacting with other people. In infancy, they rarely point at objects with their hands, or when trying to point to an object, they look not at it, but at their hand. As they get older, they are less likely to say words while gesturing (healthy children tend to gesticulate and speak at the same time, such as holding out their hand and saying “give”). Subsequently, it is difficult for them to play complex games, organically combine gestures and speech, move from simpler forms of communication to more complex ones.

Another striking sign of autism is restricted or repetitive behavior. Stereotypes are observed - repetitive torso swaying, head shaking, etc. It is very important for patients with autism that everything always happens in the same way: objects are arranged in the right order, actions are performed in a certain sequence. A child with autism may start screaming and protesting if his mother usually puts on his right sock first, and then the left one, and today she did the opposite, if the salt shaker is not in the center of the table, but is shifted to the right, if instead of the usual cup he was given a similar one, but with a different pattern. At the same time, unlike healthy children, he does not show a desire to actively correct the state of affairs that does not suit him (reach out to his right toe, rearrange the salt shaker, ask for another cup), but by means available to him signals the wrongness of what is happening.

The autistic's attention is focused on details, on repetitive scenarios. Children with autism often choose non-play items instead of toys for play; their games are devoid of a plot basis. They do not build castles, do not roll cars around the apartment, but lay out objects in a certain sequence, aimlessly, from the point of view of an outside observer, move them from place to place and back. A child with autism may be extremely attached to a particular toy or non-play item, may watch the same TV show at the same time every day without showing interest in other programs, and experience extremely intensely if this program is somehow That's why I couldn't see it.

Along with other forms of behavior, repetitive behavior includes auto-aggression (hitting, biting, and other self-inflicted injuries). According to statistics, about a third of autistic people during their lives show auto-aggression and the same number - aggression towards others. Aggression, as a rule, is caused by bouts of anger due to a violation of the usual life rituals and stereotypes, or due to the inability to convey one's desires to others.

The opinion about the obligatory genius of autists and the presence of some unusual abilities in them is not confirmed by practice. Separate unusual abilities (for example, the ability to remember details) or talent in one narrow area with deficits in other areas are observed in only 0.5-10% of patients. The level of intelligence in children with high functioning autism may be average or slightly above average. With low-functioning autism, a decrease in intelligence up to mental retardation is often detected. All types of autism often have generalized learning disabilities.

Among other optional, rather common symptoms of autism, it is worth noting seizures (detected in 5-25% of children, more often they first occur at puberty), hyperactivity and attention deficit syndrome, various paradoxical reactions to external stimuli: touch, sounds, changes in lighting . Often there is a need for sensory self-stimulation (repetitive movements). More than half of autistic people have eating disorders (refusal to eat or refuse certain foods, preference for certain foods, etc.) and sleep disorders (difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal and early awakenings).

Autism classification

There are several classifications of autism, however, in clinical practice, the most widely used classification is Nikolskaya, which takes into account the severity of the manifestations of the disease, the main psychopathological syndrome and long-term prognosis. Despite the absence of an etiopathogenetic component and a high degree of generalization, educators and other specialists consider this classification to be one of the most successful, since it makes it possible to draw up differentiated plans and determine treatment goals, taking into account the real possibilities of a child with autism.

First group. The deepest violations Characterized by field behavior, mutism, lack of need for interactions with others, lack of active negativism, autostimulation using simple repetitive movements and inability to self-service. The leading pathopsychological syndrome is detachment. The main goal of treatment is to establish contact, involve the child in interactions with adults and peers, as well as the development of self-service skills.

Second group. Characterized by severe restrictions in the choice of forms of behavior, a pronounced desire for immutability. Any changes can provoke a breakdown, expressed in negativism, aggression or auto-aggression. In a familiar environment, the child is quite open, capable of developing and reproducing everyday skills. Speech is stamped, built on the basis of echolalia. The leading psychopathological syndrome is the rejection of reality. The main goal of treatment is the development of emotional contacts with loved ones and the expansion of opportunities for adaptation to the environment by developing a large number of different behavioral stereotypes.

Third group. More complex behavior is observed when absorbed by one's own stereotypical interests and a weak ability to dialogue. The child strives for success, but, unlike healthy children, is not ready to try, take risks and compromise. Often, detailed encyclopedic knowledge is revealed in an abstract field, combined with fragmentary ideas about the real world. Interest in dangerous asocial impressions is characteristic. The leading psychopathological syndrome is substitution. The main goal of treatment is teaching dialogue, expanding the range of ideas and developing social behavior skills.

Fourth group. Children are capable of real voluntary behavior, but they quickly get tired, suffer from difficulties when trying to concentrate attention, follow instructions, etc. Unlike the children of the previous group, who give the impression of young intellectuals, they may look timid, shy and absent-minded, however, with adequate correction show better results compared to other groups. The leading psychopathological syndrome is vulnerability. The main goal of treatment is to teach spontaneity, improve social skills and develop individual abilities.

Autism Diagnosis

Parents should see a doctor and rule out autism if the child does not respond to their own name, does not smile or make eye contact, does not take instructions from adults, exhibits atypical play behavior (does not know what to do with toys, plays with non-play items), and does not can tell adults about his desires. At the age of 1 year, the child should walk, babble, point at objects and try to grab them, at the age of 1.5 years - pronounce separate words, at the age of 2 years - use two-word phrases. If these skills are missing, you need to be examined by a specialist.

The diagnosis of autism is based on observations of the child's behavior and identification of a characteristic triad that includes lack of social interactions, lack of communication, and stereotyped behavior. To exclude speech development disorders, a consultation with a speech therapist is prescribed, to exclude hearing and vision impairments, an examination by an audiologist and an ophthalmologist. Autism may or may not be combined with mental retardation, while at the same level of intelligence, the prognosis and correction schemes for oligophrenic children and autistic children will differ significantly, therefore, in the diagnostic process, it is important to distinguish between these two disorders, having carefully studied the characteristics of the patient's behavior.

Treatment and prognosis for autism

The main goal of treatment is to increase the level of independence of the patient in the process of self-service, the formation and maintenance of social contacts. Long-term behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy are used. Corrective work is carried out against the background of taking psychotropic drugs. The training program is chosen taking into account the capabilities of the child. Low-functioning autistics (the first and second groups in Nikolskaya's classification) are taught at home. Children with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autistics (groups 3 and 4) attend a special or mainstream school.

Autism is currently considered an incurable disease. However, after a competent long-term correction, some children (3-25% of the total number of patients) go into remission, and the diagnosis of autism is eventually removed. An insufficient number of studies does not allow to build reliable long-term predictions regarding the course of autism in adulthood. Experts note that with age, in many patients, the symptoms of the disease become less pronounced. However, there are reports of age-related deterioration in communication and self-care skills. Favorable prognostic signs are an IQ above 50 and speech development before the age of 6, but only 20 percent of children in this group achieve complete or near complete independence.