Early history of Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Early conceptualization of Autism

1. • At first, autism was conceptualized within a psychodynamic framework and was thought to be a kind of childhood schizophrenia.
     
     
   • Psychogenic causes of autism include psychological and environmental factors.
     
     
   • Many writers claimed that having a “refrigerator mother,” who was characterized as emotionally distant, contributed to the development of autism.

• • It was once believed that parents of autistic children were emotionally apathetic and frigid.
    
    

    A neurological abnormality called autism spectrum disorder affects how a person perceives and interacts with others, which can lead to issues with social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. In autism spectrum disorder, the word “spectrum” refers to the broad spectrum of symptoms and severity.
    
    

    Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and an unidentified type of pervasive developmental disorder are all disorders that were formerly thought to be distinct conditions that make up autism spectrum disorder. The name “Asperger’s syndrome,” which is widely considered to be at the mild end of autism spectrum disorder, is nonetheless occasionally used.
    
    

    Early onset of autism spectrum condition leads to later difficulties with social, academic, and occupational functioning in society. Within the first year, autism signs in youngsters are frequently visible. A tiny percentage of kids seem to develop normally in the first year, but between the ages of 18 and 24 months, when they start to show signs of autism, they go through a period of regression.
    
    

    Even though there is no known cure for autism spectrum condition, intense, early intervention can significantly improve the lives of many kids.
    
    

    Symptoms

    Early infancy is when some children first display symptoms of autism spectrum condition, such as decreased eye contact, a lack of responsiveness to their name, or apathy toward caretakers. Other kids might grow normally during the first few months or years of life, but then all of a sudden turn introverted, hostile, or lose their gained language abilities. Typically, signs appear by the age of two.
    
    

    Since autism spectrum disorders range in severity from low functioning to high functioning, each autistic child is likely to exhibit a distinct behavioral pattern.
    
    

    Some children with autism spectrum condition struggle to learn, and some show evidence of being less intelligent than average. Other affected children are intelligent, with normal to high IQs; they pick up information rapidly, but struggle with social interaction, communication, and application of knowledge.
    
    

    It might be challenging to assess severity sometimes because each child’s particular combination of symptoms is different. Generally, it depends on the severity of the impairments and how they affect a person’s capacity to operate.
    
    

    Below are some common signs shown by people who have autism spectrum disorder:

    A person with autism spectrum condition, whether a child or an adult, may struggle with social skills and communication, which could include any of the following symptoms:

  • Fails to acknowledge your call or occasionally seems not to hear you.

  • Resists being held and cuddled and appears to prefer playing alone and into their own world.

  • Lacks facial expression and makes awkward eye contact.

  • Lacks the ability to talk, speaks slowly, or loses the ability to form words or sentences.

  • Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items.

  • Uses an unusual tone or rhythm when speaking, and their voice may seem robotic or sing-song.

  • Repeats words or phrases verbatim, but doesn’t understand how to use them.

  • Doesn’t seem to comprehend simple instructions or questions.

  • Lacks emotional expression and a sense of awareness of others’ sentiments.

  • Does not bring objects to share interest or point at them.

  • Inappropriately approaches a social interaction by being passive, aggressive or disruptive.

Has trouble reading nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, bodily postures, or voice tones of others.

Patterns of behavior

A child or adult with autism spectrum disorder may have limited, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities, including any of these signs:

• Performs motions that are repeated, such as hand flapping, spinning, or rocking.

• Engages in behaviors that could lead to self-harm, like biting or head-banging.

• Establishes precise routines or rituals and feels upset by even little changes.
• Displays erratic, stiff, or exaggerated body language as well as issues with coordination or strange movement patterns, such as clumsiness or walking on tiptoes.
• Is mesmerized by an object’s finer points, such as the toy car’s spinning wheels, but is unaware of the object’s larger significance or function.
• Is exceptionally sensitive to touch, light, and sound, yet may not care about pain or temperature.
• Does not engage in mimicry or pretend play.
• Concentrates or intensifies on a subject or activity abnormally.
• Has particular dietary preferences, such as consuming a limited number of foods or shunning meals with a particular texture.

Some kids with autism spectrum condition get better at interacting with others as they get older and exhibit less behavioral difficulties. Eventually, some people—typically those with the fewest severe issues—might have normal or nearly normal lives. Others, however, still struggle with language or social abilities, and adolescence can exacerbate their emotional and behavioral issues.

When to visit a doctor

Babies grow and change at their own rates, frequently deviating from the strict timetables outlined in some parenting manuals. However, before the age of two years, children with autism spectrum condition typically exhibit certain indicators of impaired development.

Consult your doctor if you have concerns about your child’s development or if you think they could have autism spectrum disorder. The disorder’s symptoms may also be related to those of other developmental diseases.

Early in a child’s development, when there are clear deficits in language development and social interaction, autism spectrum disorder symptoms frequently show up. In order to determine whether your child has social, language, or cognitive deficiencies, your doctor may advise developmental tests. They may advise these tests if your child:

• Doesn’t respond with a smile or happy expression by 6 months.
• Doesn’t mimic sounds or facial expressions by 9 months.
• Doesn’t babble or coo by 12 months.
• Doesn’t gesture — such as point or wave — by 14 months.
• Doesn’t say single words by 16 months.
• Doesn’t play “make-believe” or pretend by 18 months.
• Doesn’t say two-word phrases by 24 months.
• Loses language skills or social skill.

Causes:

Autism spectrum disorder has no single known cause. Given the complexity of the disorder, and the fact that symptoms and severity vary, there are probably many causes. Both genetics and environment may play a role.

Genetics :
Autism spectrum disease appears to be caused by several distinct genes. For certain kids, a genetic condition like Rett syndrome or fragile X syndrome may be linked to autism spectrum disorder. For other children, genetic changes (mutations) may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder. Other genes may influence how the brain develops, how brain cells communicate, or even how severe a symptom is. While some genetic changes appear to be inherited, others happen on their own.

Environmental factors:
Currently, scientists are examining whether environmental toxins, drugs, pregnancy difficulties, and virus infections can cause autism spectrum disease.

Breaking the myth:

“No link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder“
Whether there is a connection between autism spectrum disease and childhood immunizations is one of the biggest questions in the field. Despite substantial investigation, no credible study has established a connection between any vaccine and autism spectrum condition. In fact, because of its poor design and dubious research methodologies, the original study that started the controversy years ago has been retracted.

Neglecting childhood vaccines puts your kid and others at risk of contracting and spreading dangerous illnesses like measles, mumps, and whooping cough (pertussis).

Risk factors

The number of kids receiving an autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis is growing. It’s unclear if this is the result of improved detection and reporting, an actual rise in the number of cases, or a combination of the two.

Children of all races and nations are affected by autism spectrum condition, but certain characteristics make a youngster more likely to develop it. These may consist of:

Your child’s sex. Boys are about four times more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder than girls are.

Family history Families with one child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are more likely to have another child with the condition. It’s also not uncommon for parents or relatives of a child with autism spectrum disorder to have minor problems with social or communication skills themselves or to engage in certain behaviors typical of the disorder.

Other disorders. Children with certain medical conditions have a higher than normal risk of autism spectrum disorder or autism-like symptoms. Examples include fragile X syndrome, an inherited disorder that causes intellectual problems; tuberous sclerosis, a condition in which benign tumors develop in the brain; and Rett syndrome, a genetic condition occurring almost exclusively in girls, which causes slowing of head growth, intellectual disability and loss of purposeful hand use.

Extremely preterm babies. Babies that are born before 26 weeks of pregnancy may be more likely to have autism spectrum condition.

Parents’ ages. There may be a connection between children born to older parents and autism spectrum disorder, but more research is necessary to establish this link.

Complications

Problems with social interactions, communication and behavior can lead to:

• Problems in school and with successful learning
• Employment problems
• Inability to live independently
• Social isolation
• Stress within the family
• Victimization and being bullied
  
  
  

  Prevention

  Although there is no cure for autism spectrum condition, there are treatments available. Early diagnosis and intervention are most beneficial and can enhance a child’s behavior, development of abilities, and language. Intervention, however, is beneficial at any age. Children with autism spectrum condition typically don’t outgrow their symptoms, but they can learn to function.
  
  

  Psychodynamic treatment
  Play therapy exercises to encourage social interaction, music activities to help with responding, and water play to help the kid gain enjoyment and lessen social withdrawal were common psychodynamic therapeutic components.
  
  

  In general, psychodynamic therapy included play therapy techniques or trauma and allowed the therapist to provide a supportive environment to encourage the patient to reveal past conflicts or traumas. This allowed the patient to reveal more of these conflicts and form a relationship with the therapist.
  
  

  Art therapy
  Dramatic play, music therapy, and other techniques were also considered to help people communicate their emotions and needs. Researchers have established over time that there is no connection between autism and past trauma, and psychodynamic therapy offered little hope for improvement.
  
  

  Psychoanalytic play therapy 
  Provide the most attention and therapeutic support to children when they display more severe problems, which potentially reinforced the problem behaviors and become counter therapeutic.
  
  

  Parent training:
  –  Finally children with autism benefit from earlier diagnosis, while autism by their second birthday. The median age of diagnosis in United States is over 4 years old.
  
  For more support and assistance you can also look for an autism centre nearby.