Autism is a developmental disorder in which a person's ability to effectively engage in social interaction and learn through this interaction is impaired from an early age.

Every year around the world, April 2 is Autism Awareness Day . It is necessary to talk about the topic of autism spectrum disorder , because the earlier such a condition is detected in a child , the more chances he has for successful socialization in the future. In this article we will look at what is dangerous RAS, how to identify abnormalities in the development of the child and which methods of treatment are considered the most effective.

What is autism and how does it manifest itself?

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a developmental disorder in which a person's ability to effectively engage in social interaction and learn through this interaction is impaired from an early age. The child acquires a significant amount of skills and habits through communication , first of all with the parents : he learns to speak, to understand speech, to play , to organize his time, to control his emotions , to make friends.

In this condition, the ability to learn effectively through these habits is reduced. And this often manifests itself in developmental delays and communication in general: the speech and gestures with which the child communicates appear later or do not appear at all. Growing up, a child with an autism spectrum disorder often has difficulty communicating with peers or playing games . Developmental disorders, even in adults, manifest themselves in different ways. Some people with autism speak fluently, understand speech well, and generally have control over their behavior , but have difficulty interacting with others - friendship, following unwritten rules , understanding sarcasm, irony, and many other complex social relationships. . Others do not know how to talk at all and adequately interact with others at a basic level.

What is the percentage of autistic people? Is it more common in girls or boys?

In extensive studies (depending on what criteria were used to identify autism spectrum disorder and how the study was conducted), the percentage of people with autism ranges from 1-1.5%, ie the diagnosis of PAS is made to one or two children out of a hundred. It is slightly more common in boys , but here too the numbers fluctuate: some studies show that boys with this disorder are three to four times more likely than girls, while others report seven to eight times more. But the problem is that girls are often not diagnosed with autism at all : although in both boys and girls it manifests itself in disorders of social interaction and communication , it often turns out that in girls the problems are a little less noticeable and may not be so obvious, as certain behavior of girls , which is one of the signs of autism spectrum disorder, can be considered socially acceptable.

What are the causes of autism?

In about 85-90% of cases , the cause of its development in children can not be determined. This is often speculated and attempts are made to look for different features in the metabolism or the development of the disorder to be attributed to some psychological influences and others, but these are clearly not the reasons. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex disorder caused by a combination of different causes . It is related to genetic factors : from year to year the list of genetic disorders that lead to the formation of RAS increases. There is evidence that some medicines taken by pregnant women (such as valproic acid prescribed to patients with epilepsy ) may increase the likelihood of developing RAS in a child . Maternal diseases during pregnancy can also increase this likelihood, as can some environmental factors .

Autism is linked to genetic factors. How do we know that a child has autism? What should parents pay attention to in their behavior?

To understand that a child has RAS, you must first establish that there is a disorder in social interaction and communication, ie a reduced ability of a person to engage in effective bilateral social interaction with other people. This manifests itself in impaired visual contact and non-verbal communication (difficulties in using gestures), speech disorders , ie the ability to create dialogue, understand and interact with other people. These disorders can be expressed differently, to a large or small degree, but they must be observed in children with ASD .

Another group of symptoms are behavioral characteristics : limited, repetitive, monotonous, stereotypical habits, interests and activities. That is, the child may notice unusual repetitive games or not very understandable habits: for example, constantly swinging or trying to maintain a certain consistency around him, or striving for his belongings to be arranged in a certain way, or eating something selective and such as.

The important thing here is that both groups of symptoms must occur simultaneously. If there is only one group, then the diagnosis of "PAC" can not be made - in all probability it is another disease.