Clinical Specialties

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Clinical Specialties
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Autism

DEFINITION

Autism is a severe form of developmental disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism generally begins to show symptoms in early childhood, before the age of three. Parents usually note that the child seems not to form attachments, resists affection, has repetitive activities, and prefers to play alone. The rate of autism in the United States is roughly three to six out of every 1,000 children. Though no precise cause of autism is known, many factors can contribute to its development including genetic errors, environmental influences, and even problems during pregnancy. Though many people believe the mercury in some vaccinations caused autism, this has been shown not to be true in clinical trials. No cure exists for autism, but therapy can help children and adults live more productive lives. Risk factors for autism include being male, having a family member with autism, having certain other medical conditions like Tourette Syndrome or tuberous sclerosis, and having a father with age above 40 at birth.

SYMPTOMS
Difficulty with social interaction, difficulty with language, little to no interest in interactions or playing with others, does not respond to name, poor eye contact, no desire to cuddle, repetitive movements, loss of language skills (like words or sentences the child could previously say), monotone speech, robot-like speech, inability to have a conversation, rocking, hand-flapping, spinning, performing rituals, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to touch

DIAGNOSIS
The diagnosis of autism is made by your doctor taking a history from family members and others who know the child well. The doctor will also do a physical exam to ensure that other medical problems are not contributing to the problems. Your doctor may refer you and your child to a specialist who can help make the diagnosis of autism through specialized testing and speaking with the parents. Earlier diagnosis is better so that therapy can begin as early as possible.

TREATMENT
While no treatment exists that can cure autism, therapy is available to help with development for those with autism. Available types of therapy include: therapies for behavior, therapies to help communicate with others, therapies to help decrease problem behavior, and structured educational programs. Medications sometimes can also be used to treat the symptoms of autism including antidepressants to decrease anxiety and antipsychotics to help treat problems with behavior. Alternative therapies can sometimes have success including creative therapies like art or music therapy to decrease sensitivity to touch and sound, eating specialized diets, and a therapy to remove mercury from the body called chelation therapy. None of the alternative therapies have been shown to be effective in the treatment of autism.

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