Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a term used for a group of conditions which include Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS). Children with ASD have problems with their communication, social interactions, imagination and play. ASD is a life-long disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

Children with ASD tend to have difficulties in three main areas:

Social interaction

A child with ASD may have many unusual ways of interacting socially. They may only interact with others when they need to or they might actively talk with others but only about their own special interests. Common ways of describing the interactions of children with ASD include seeming at times ‘aloof’, ‘passive’, ‘active but odd’ or ‘overly formal and stilted’.

Communication

Many children with ASD have poor communication skills or focus their communication towards objects rather than people. Children with more severe ASD do not speak. There are many children with ASD who have normal language skills but will have problems with social language. Their conversations may be one-sided or they may talk a lot or repeat certain words over and over, such as “me” or “you”. This is called ‘echolalia’.

Imagination and Play

Children with ASD often lack creativity and imaginative play. They may prefer using their senses to explore toys, for example smelling, tasting or staring at the toys rather than playing with them. Some children prefer repetitive or obsessive actions such as lining toys up in a long line or continuously spinning a car wheel. Other children become good at copying the way other children play or events such as movie scenes.

Treatment

Treatment varies according to the needs of each child and the nature of their impairment/s and may include Speech therapy,Medication,Behaviour therapy,Social skills development,Occupational therapy,Environmental changes,Special education settings,Early intervention.

Key points to remember

• If you are concerned about your child’s behaviour, please see your family doctor and ask for a referral to a specialist psychologist or paediatrician. Do not try to make a diagnosis yourself.
• A child with ASD usually has difficulties in three main areas:
  • social interaction and communication
  • delayed language development
  • impaired imagination and play.
• A child with ASD may also have other difficulties.
• No two children with ASD show exactly the same signs and symptoms and these may change over time. Because the symptoms can vary so much, there is no test for ASD.
• Treatment varies for each child and family and usually changes over time.