1. Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3
years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of
social and communication skills.
By: Brittany Allen
2. Early signs of Autism
Delayed or lack of
speech.
Repetitive movement
of body such as
Arms, and head.
Impaired social skills.
Interest in activities
or play.
Seldom eye contact
with others.
3. Children and Autism
Autism effects boys
3-4 times more then
girls.
Family income,
education, and
lifestyle don't seem to
effect the risk of
autism.
Exact number of
children living with
autism is not known.
4. Related Developmental Disorder
Asperger Syndrome (similar
to autism but with normal
language development).
Rett Syndrome(Very
different from autism, and
only occurs in females).
Childhood Disintegrative
Disorder (Rare condition
where a child learns skills,
then looses them by age
10).
Pervasive Developmental
Disorder (Also called typical
autism).
5. Symptoms
Children with difficulties Some children appear
usually have trouble with: normal before the age of 1
Pretend play. or 2 and then suddenly
Social interactions “regress” and lose
Verbal and non-verbal language or social skills.
communication. When they loose these
Usually it is not noticed skills at the age of 1 or 2 it
that the child has is called the regressive
something wrong until type of autism.
they are at the age of 18 Some people with autism
months old. may also be sensitive to
Help is usually not seeked sight, hearing, touch,
until the child is about 2 smell, or taste.
years of age.
6. Social Interaction
Very withdrawn.
Does not play interactive
games well with others.
Is not very good at making
friends.
Does not respond very
well with eye contact or
smiles and almost always
avoids eye contact.
Shows a lack of empathy.
Prefers to spend time by
themselves, rather then
with others.
8. Play and Behavior
Play:
Does not imitate others.
Prefers solitary or
ritualistic play.
Does not pretend play.
Does not imaginative play.
Behavior:
Acts up.
Short attention span.
Strong need for
sameness.
Narrow interests.
9. Signs and Tests
Babbling by 12 months.
Gesturing by 12 months
(Pointing or waving).
Saying single words by 16
months.
Saying two-word
spontaneous phrases by 24
months.
Losing any language or
social skills at any age.
These children should
receive a hearing test,
blood/lead test, and
screening test since they
show signs of autism.
11. Medicine
Medicines are often Aggression
used to treat behavior Anxiety
or emotional that Attention Problems
Hyperactivity
people with autism may Irritability
have, including: Mood Swings
Sleep difficulty....etc.
12. Treatment
Treatment is most successful when it is applied toward the
child's needs. An experienced team should design the
treatment for that particular child's needs. Those programs
include:
ABA (applied Behavior Analysis).
Medications depending on the behavior.
Occupational therapy.
Physical Therapy.
Speech-language therapy.
14. Response to Sensory Information
Does not get startled or get unfocused by
loud noises.
Has low senses of sight, hearing, touch,
smell or taste.
May stay away from physical contact
because it is overwhelming or to hard to
handle/take in.
Rubs surfaces, mouth, or licks objects.
Has a high tolerance for pain.
15. Diet
It has been shown that
some children with autism
react well to gluten-free
foods.
Gluten is found in foods
that have wheat, rye, and
barley.
Not all studies have been
proven that a diet change
works to help people with
autism, but it has been
shown that it helps!
17. References
Autismsupport.dmum.org
Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002494/
Google images