What is autism?
Autism is mainly an obstacle that affects the baby's behavior, social and communication skills. For a baby with severe symptoms, it is likely to last a lifetime, and it may even impair the baby's ability to communicate with others. The symptoms and severity of this disease vary greatly. Some only have slight differences in social awareness, while others will develop into severe behavioral disorders. Babies generally suffer from language development delays, habitual behaviors, repetitive behaviors, and inability to make normal eye contact when communicating with others.
The obstacles in autism can affect children of all races, ethnicities, and economic classes. In the United States, one case of autism occurs in approximately 68 children, and this disease is more common in men. The ratio of sick boys to girls is about 4:1.
Although people once thought that autism was a rare disease, the number of patients with this disease has gradually increased in recent years. To some extent, this growth trend is also due to the gradual attention paid to autism, and more and more symptoms and signs are noticed by parents, teachers and pediatricians before they are discovered. Therefore, more and more babies are diagnosed with autism, and the methods of diagnosing diseases are becoming more and more advanced. Many doctors can also use these methods to diagnose babies, so that many mild symptoms can also be diagnosed.
6 signs of autism in baby
The early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) usually appear in the first two years, but in very young children, it is difficult to see the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Until the age of six months, babies with autism will have some "early signs" worthy of parents' attention.
1. Social barriers appear
In the first year of life, children’s social communication development is an important area for observing early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with autism cannot distinguish between relatives and sparse relationships, cannot establish normal attachment relationships with their parents, and it is even more difficult to establish normal partnerships with children of the same age, and they do not like to play with others. There is no response to the name, often talking to oneself or repeating other people's words (repeat ≠ learn), this is a social barrier.
2. Single interest and abnormal
Normal children will like all kinds of toys, and "love the new and dislike the old." However, a child with autism has a strong interest in specific objects and repeats on specific toys or objects. For example, he will repeatedly turn on and off the light switch, or he will only play with the car.
It is also possible that they do not like toys, and like to play with some non-toy items, such as a bottle cap, or observing a rotating electric fan, which can last for tens of minutes or even a few hours without feeling bored.
3. Stereotyped behavior and constant pursuit
Some children with autism have stereotyped behaviors and stubbornly ask to keep their daily activity routines unchanged. If these activities are stopped or their behavior patterns are changed, they will show obvious unhappiness and anxiety, and even resist behavior. For example, some children will repeatedly clap their hands, turn in circles, stomp their feet and so on.
4. Sensitive
Extremely sensitive to sensory experience, for example, she is easily upset by certain sounds, or only eats food with a certain texture.
Seek sensory stimulation, for example, she rubs an object on her mouth or face, or looks for a vibrating object, such as a washing machine, or puts a finger on the side of her eye to observe the flickering of light.
5. Abnormal intelligence
Studies have shown that many people with autism have IQs below 70. Studies have pointed out that about 69% of people with autism have IQs below 55. Of course, we can only analyze the abnormal intelligence of the child before the age of two through his behavior.
6. Can't, don't like to play
It has been mentioned before that children with autism will not establish relationships with their peers. In fact, they are alone and have no interest in watching or participating in other children's games, so they will not participate in interactive games.
Some parents will ignore this problem because the child does not have a playmate, but it can also be seen from another point: they do not play house games, for example, she will not feed her dolls.
Some children have many early warning signs, while others may have only a few. Even with age, some behavioral characteristics may change or become clearer with age. If your child has some or many signs from the above, please discuss a developmental evaluation with a doctor or expert as soon as possible. Getting a diagnosis is the first step in helping your child get treatment and support.
What to do if a baby has autism
Since autism is a developmental disorder and will not heal naturally, the effect of treatment is often gradually revealed during the training process, and as children grow up, the requirements for function will gradually increase, and different stages have different goals. This is a long process.
Some parents abandon all their lives and devote themselves wholeheartedly, hoping to see immediate results. As a result, they are often exhausted physically and mentally, and the training is difficult to maintain, and the results are not satisfactory.
Therefore, we recommend that parents learn to accept the reality first, and work with professionals to plan treatment plans and family arrangements in stages on the premise of being prepared for long-term combat, so as to obtain more resource support and leave for themselves and their families. With a little free space, the family can still become a base of happiness, so that life and treatment can continue.