2. How do they present?
Parents worried about:
◦ Speech and language delay
◦ Abnormal behaviour
◦ Lack of understanding
3. DEFINITION
A disorder of neural development
characterized by
impaired social interaction
impaired communication skills
impaired imagination with restricted
interests and repetitive stereotypical
behavior
4. Contd..
Itis a complex developmental disability
that typically appears during the first
three years of life.
Autism is also called as kanner syndrome.
5. AETIOLOGY
UNKNOWN AETIOLOGY (problems in
neural maturation)
STRONG GENETIC BASIS
ONSET BEFORE 36 MONTHS OF AGE
Autism is 4 times more prevalent in boys
and girls.
Classic autism occurs in 10-30 per 10,000
6. CLINICAL PRESENTATION
The symptoms occur first during the
infancy period.
The symptoms of autism vary greatly but
follow a general pattern.
Not all symptoms are present in all
autistic children.
7. Contd…
VARIED SPECTRUM
NO EYE CONTACT<------------->INTERMITTENT
EYE CONTACT,
SMILE AND HUG
MENTAL RETARD.<------------->SUPERIOR IQ IN
SELECT AREAS
NO SPEECH<--------------------->ADVANCED
SPEECH
IMITATE SONGS;
8. Impaired social interaction
Avoid eye contact
Avoids cuddling by parents (resists or
becomes stiff)
Reduced recognition of others happiness,
distress or anger (respond same to anger
and love)
Lack of interest in other children
Prefers solitary play
11. Contd...
Unable to join in with others (GROUP
PLAY)
Resists invasion of personal space or
being hurried
Lack of awareness of classroom norms
e.g. criticises teacher, unwilling to
cooperate, doesn’t fit in.
May not smile in recognition of their
parents faces.
12. Contd..
Speech and facial expressions deveop
peculiarly.
Resistance to change. E.g. moving the
chair.
13. Impaired communication skills
Delayed language development especially
understanding.
Poor response to name (apparently deaf).
Lack of pointing or pointing only for what
they need; and not to share interest
Lack of empathy; Failure to respond to
others’ smiles/ anger
14. Contd..
Echolaliabeyond expected age
Reversing pronouns using ‘he’ for self beyond
3yrs
Unusual or advanced vocabulary
Unusual use of language or tendency to talk
only on specific (often factual) topics.
15. ECHOLALIA
REPEATING WORDS OR
PHRASES LIKE A PARROT
(beyond 3 years)
16. Impaired imagination
• Limited variety of imaginative play
• Repetitive play e.g. lining up toys,
spinning, flicking, switching on and off
• Liking for sameness and/or resists change
more than expected for age
• More interested in how things work than
playing with them.
18. OTHER BEHAVIOURS
• UNDER OR OVERSENSITIVITY TO SOUND,
TOUCH, PAIN OR OTHER SENSES
• UNUSUAL PROFILE OF SKILLS WITH SOCIAL
AND MOTOR SKILLS BELOW EXPECTED
• GENERAL KNOWLEDGE, READING OR
VOCABULARY IS ABOVE EXPECTED(THOUGH
MAY NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS READ)
• UNUSUAL MOVEMENTS (CLAPPING, HEAD
BANGING, ROCKING MOVEMENTS, EXCESSIVE
MOUTHING..)
21. Possible Indicators of Autism
Spectrum Disorders
• Poor eye contact
• Doesn't smile
• Does not respond to name
• Does not babble, point, or make meaningful
gestures by 1 year of age
• Does not speak one word by 16 months
• Does not combine two words by 2 years
• Loses language or social skills
• Doesn't seem to know how to play with
toys
• Is attached to one particular toy or object
22. Diagnosis
• Based on history, assessment and
investigation.
• Audiometry.
• Rating scales and formal interviews may
help in certain cases (CHAT, M-CHAT)
• Assessment must be multiprofessional
and in more than one setting. (SCHOOL,
HOME, PEERS)
23. PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY:
Medications for seizures, hyperactivity,
extreme mood changes.
FENFLURAMINE- it is a drug that
decreases blood serotonin
concentrations. Some autistics have
abnormally high blood serotonin
concentrations.
PIRACETAM- it helps autistic child to
become more talkative, sociable, less
aggressive and increases the attention
span.
24. SUPPORTIVE TREATMENT:
Earlyintervention is essential.
Encourage and support the parents.
Special education class.
Clear instructions to the child prompting to
perform specific behaviours.
Immediate praise the child and rewards for
performing those behaviors.
Behavior therapy
Speech therapy
25. Contd..
Music therapy
Play therapy
Sensory integration therapy
Auditory integration training- for
different sound frequencies.
Eliminating dietary gluten and milk and
dairy products.
26. PROGNOSIS:
The outlook for each child depends on
the intelligence and language ability.
Some people with autism become
independent adults.
Differs from mental retardation in that IQ is VARIED AND SOME FIELDS OF DEVELOPMENT ARE SUPERIOR
Taare zameen par
Infants are social beings they gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile In contrast, most children with ASD seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in the give-and-take of everyday human interaction Even in the first few months of life, many do not interact and they avoid eye contact. They seem indifferent to other people, and often seem to prefer being alone. They may resist attention or passively accept hugs and cuddling. Later, they seldom seek comfort or respond to parents' displays of anger or affection in a typical way.
It's important to remember that there are many possible explanations for most of the symptoms listed above. A child's attachment to a particular toy or difficulty with language skills is not, in itself, a sign of autism.