Asperger’s / Autism Spectrum Disorders
Overview
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition that affects brain development. ASD includes a variety of symptoms with a range of severities that all contribute to being diagnosed with the condition.
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Autism spectrum disorder is a result of faulty brain development that causes those affected to not register social cues and emotions properly. Those affected are most of the time just as smart, if not smarter, than those who aren’t. It does not cause any detriments to information processing most of the time but mainly makes it difficult to understand typical social cues such as facial expressions or gestures.
What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
Asperger’s syndrome used to be a standalone condition. Then, in 2013, a groundbreaking research paper changed its classification and found it to no longer be a diagnosis on its own. It was added to the list of symptoms of ASD and is now widely regarded as a milder form of autism. It is referred to commonly by doctors as a “high-functioning” form of autism and is widely considered less severe.
How To Identify Autism Spectrum Disorder
Each person affected with ASD has their own set of unique symptoms and the associated severity. They can be low functioning or even be seemingly very normal with a few abnormal tendencies. Some may have a more difficult time learning while others may have very high levels of intelligence.
Autism in children:
There are a few main things to watch out for in children who may have ASD. These symptoms include:
- Reduced eye contact
- Difficulty speaking or holding conversations
- Lack of emotional expression
- Inability to understand simple directions
- Disruptive or passive at social gatherings
- Robot-like speech
There are also some patterns of behavior that are known to signal for autism. These include:
- Repetitive movements such as spinning, hand clapping, or rocking
- Developing specific habits that cause anger upon disruption
- Having trouble with simple coordination, clumsiness
- Unusually sensitive to light, sound, or touch
- Easily distracted by details of an object
Treatment:
There isn’t currently a cure for ASD, but early identification can result in a much better chance of improvement.
The Better Way To Manage ASD
The best way to approach autism is with patience and warm support. Since there is no cure, the goal of autism treatment is to lessen symptoms and maximize our patient’s ability to function normally and make progress.
The types of treatment given can be different for each individual and can vary at different ages. Depending on patient’s unique case and requirements, we design a personal treatment plan that aims to increase social skills and break unhealthy habits and behavioral patterns. For children, behavioral therapy and communication therapies are often very effective and help teach proper communication and social skills. For those who may be older, educational therapy, as well as cognitive therapy, can help to teach our patients about what they are experiencing while also showing them better ways to cope and grow out of unhealthy habits.
We believe in a holistic and comprehensive approach that maintains a personal touch to every patient’s experience. Autism is a difficult thing to understand, let alone to try to beat. That is why we are here to help provide scientifically-backed treatment plans that are designed just for you.
