Autism and Physical Therapy Help

Autism Spectrum Disorders Autism spectrum disorders are very complex neurological disorders that have baffled experts over the years. These have brought numerous questions on the actual causes but there have not been many answers. Pervasive developmental disorders are how Autism spectrums are classified and it includes Autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Each of these disorders has similarities in the individual’s lack of communication, socialization, and behavior. Autism was first introduced by Leo Kanner in the forties.

His research is close in comparison to research conducted today. There will be signs of autism before the age of three and there are some significant deficits that help diagnose these young children. Social interaction, communication, and behavior are three deficits that are very noticeable in children with autism. You could be trying to talk to your own brother and he would be preoccupied doing something else. He wouldn’t show any signs of comprehending what you are saying and wouldn’t even look you in the eyes while you spoke. Autism can devastate a family, there is no cure and no medicine.

You could have a normal developing baby until they just seemingly start to change and show abnormal behaviors before they turn three. They can look normal on the outside but there is some unknown phenomenon that happens to their brain. Genetic and environmental causes have been tested but there is still no definite answer. Asperger’s disorder is named after Hans Asperger in 1944 when he saw significant patterns of behavior in mostly his male patients. Asperger’s disorder is similar to autism in their impairments in social interaction and behavior. But they do not have a delay in language, cognitive development, and adaptive behavior.

This disorder becomes clearer in elementary school when obvious social and behavioral problems become apparent. One rare condition that can appear in individuals is called savantism. These individuals show profound abilities that exceed what would be ordinary in most people. Another syndrome is called Rett and it is a very rare disorder of the nervous system that lead to developmental reversals especially in areas of language and hand use. Kids with this syndrome have normal development for the first five months, but have significant decelerated head growth between five and forty-eight months.

It is onset prior to age four but is common to start earlier in life. Rett syndrome appears in nearly only females and can be misdiagnosed with other disorders like cerebral palsy. Some symptoms are floppy arms or legs, seizures, loss of normal sleep patterns, intellectual, and learning difficulties. The last of the Autism spectrum disorders is Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. The children with this disorder have normal development for the first couple years. They are diagnosed if they have a loss of skills in language, behavior, bowel control, and motor skills.

Some other criteria’s are abnormal functioning in social interaction, communication and stereotype behaviors. There is no cure for these disorders but there is some therapy that can help. Behavioral therapy helps with social skills, self care, and can increase independent functioning. Occupational, speech, and physical therapy help the individual as well. Medications like stimulants and antidepressants are also helpful but their so exact medication for autism. But the main way to treat patients is to individualize the treatment.

Having impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication would be devastating for any family. To have your child developing normally with the ability to communicate and act normal, then out of know where starts to lose those abilities. I couldn’t imagine how frustrating and sad it would be for the family to have to cope that. It’s crazy to think with all the technology in the world that someone or some organization could find better treatment or even a cure. Hopefully one day there will be a cure and families around the world would be able to have normal lives with their loved ones.