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Suggest Treatment For Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Posted on Tue, 23 Sep 2014
Question: My son 2.8yrs had problem in taking command he never obeys what we say to him e.g if we say please bring this shoe he never pays attention most of time he ran away, he is very selective,never plays with other kids of same age he plays own and never observe what other child do, never responds to our call,he takes interest operating smart phone & viewing TV but not the cartoons but listening music,watching ads,news channel. He can speak mummy and papa but never call us the same. He is never fear of darkness or any other animal. If we ask him the poems he replies the last word of the line. Only speaks one word especially of rhymes or alphabet taught by us i.e when we ask A for he will reply apple upto Z. he never takes any interest towards the teaching of normal talking/action or any pointing towards item/person shown by us but he is fond of cars/bike for rides. He always run freely when the gates of my house compound are open. We are amazed what he is thinking and what is going in his brain. We have admitted him in KIDZEE play group for last 1.5 months but no improvement is observed. Please advice me the procedure for solving this problem.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (34 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Your child needs to be evaluated for autism

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for putting up your query at HealthCareMagic. I understand the cause of your concern. I have vividly gone through the details provided by you and based on that it seems that your child could be suffering from autism or any autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old as in your case. As it is a developmental disability, special schooling or support from a special educator might be recommended.

To be sure about the exact problem he has, he needs to be evaluated. Several diagnostic instruments are available. Two are commonly used in autism research: the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is a semistructured parent interview, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) uses observation and interaction with the child. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) is used widely in clinical environments to assess severity of autism based on observation of children. There are some centres in XXXXXXX (where you are located) where such diseases are diagnosed and managed. XXXXXXX Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Taratolla or Child Development Center - Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kadapara, Phool Bagan are amongst them.

There is no known cure for the disease. However, it has been proven that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development. Services can include therapy to help the child talk, walk, and interact with others. Therefore, it is important to talk to your child’s doctor as soon as possible if you think your child has ASD or other developmental problem. The treatment for particular symptoms, such as speech therapy for language delays, often does not need to wait for a formal ASD diagnosis. Please note that the educators at regular playschools might not be equipped enough to deal with such cases.

I hope that the information that I have provided would be helpful to you and help you in dealing with the problem of your child. Feel free to revert back in case of further queries and I would be happy to help you.

[* The answer contains some text from Wikipedia under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0]
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Diptanshu Das (45 hours later)
Dear Sir, how you could be sure about AUTISM because,some time when we asked him to say more than a single word he will reply every words told by us maximum 3-4. His pronunciation is clear. I believe he is pretending not to answer what every time asked to him. He is not impaired or deaf but super active quoted by other pediatrician who checks at the time of his sickness. He is never stagnated to fixed place or item to play. Always bring the new ideas to throw items play with utensils. Always reciting few arbitrary words with no real meaning in it. If you are still firm on your answer can you me the exact symptoms for autism and its cure.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (42 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Autism-prblm of social interaction not intelligenc

Detailed Answer:
I am glad that you have reverted back and I would surely try to help you further. Let me tell you that many of the autistic children are often more intelligent than their peers, an entity called high-functioning autism. So the problem is not with intelligence or mental development. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. It is not that they cannot communicate or do not have the capacity. It is rather a problem with the orientation where they are not very social. As a matter of fact, they are not very social although they do form attachments to their primary caregivers. They often suffer from more intense and frequent loneliness compared to non-autistic peers, despite the common belief that children with autism prefer to be alone. Making and maintaining friendships often proves to be difficult for those with autism. For them, the quality of friendships, not the number of friends, predicts how lonely they feel. Functional friendships, such as those resulting in invitations to parties, may affect the quality of life more deeply. Autism affects information processing in the brain. In the second and third years, autistic children have less frequent and less diverse babbling, consonants, words, and word combinations; their gestures are less often integrated with words. Autistic children are less likely to make requests or share experiences, and are more likely to simply repeat others' words (echolalia) or reverse pronouns. They may look at a pointing hand instead of the pointed-at object, and they consistently fail to point at objects in order to comment on or share an experience.

Some characteristics of autistic children are:
as follows.
* Stereotypy is repetitive movement, such as hand flapping, head rolling, or body rocking.
* Compulsive behavior is intended and appears to follow rules, such as arranging objects in stacks or lines.
* Sameness is resistance to change; for example, insisting that the furniture not be moved or refusing to be interrupted.
* Ritualistic behavior involves an unvarying pattern of daily activities, such as an unchanging menu or a dressing ritual. This is closely associated with sameness and an independent validation has suggested combining the two factors.
* Restricted behavior is limited in focus, interest, or activity, such as preoccupation with a single television program, toy or game.
* Self-injury includes movements that injure or can injure the person, such as eye-poking, skin-picking, hand-biting and head-banging.

Let me tell you that at this point of time you need not be certain that your child has autism. Please get in touch with a developmental paediatrician who will ask you to answer a simple questionnaire or get your child evaluated on certain parameters to determine if your child has autism. Early behavioral, cognitive, or speech interventions can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills.

Hope that with this information you would be better able to handle your situation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Diptanshu Das (2 days later)
Dear Sir,

We have visited with the pediatrician he had replied me that initially he had doubted with AUTISM but this the case of ADHD, because all the sensory organ & mental development are functioning good. But due to Hyper activeness he is falling to concentrate on the commands and other activities, he had also advised to medication after few days of observation.

Our observations on him are mentioned below for your perusal.

1) In case of rhymes when asked any time he reply the correct word of the line and never mix with the other poem line, but after repeated telling to call mummy or papa. He never calls names for the kids playing or name of item told by us.

2) He pays attention in watching TV but after switching off of TV he use ran away from spot but goes out in the compound area for knocking on door for flying away or comes in the other room laying on bed with babbling sometimes repeating the memorized words or the words without meaning.

Please do tell me that is it really the symptoms for ADHD. If yes please tell me that the medication for ADHD are safe with less side-effects. Please advise.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (19 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
It could be ADHD but..

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking back. Once again I have gone carefully through the details provided by you and it is hard to comment based on this alone. Although it could indeed be ADHD, I would like to ask once again whether the pediatrician you consulted had made you complete a questionnaire to evaluate autism or whether he checked your child with a autism checklist. If not, I would insist that you visit someone who would rule out in that method. Many conditions are often be confused with the more common ADHD. ADHD stands for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and has two components - attention deficit and/or hyperactivity. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity). Currently available treatments aim at reducing the symptoms of ADHD and improving functioning. Treatments include medication, various types of psychotherapy, education and training, or a combination of treatments. There is currently no cure for the disorder. With treatment, most people with ADHD can be successful in school and lead productive lives.

Hope that helps. Sorry for being unable to be more precise.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Diptanshu Das

Pediatrician

Practicing since :2005

Answered : 3877 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Autism Spectrum Disorder

Brief Answer: Your child needs to be evaluated for autism Detailed Answer: Thanks for putting up your query at HealthCareMagic. I understand the cause of your concern. I have vividly gone through the details provided by you and based on that it seems that your child could be suffering from autism or any autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old as in your case. As it is a developmental disability, special schooling or support from a special educator might be recommended. To be sure about the exact problem he has, he needs to be evaluated. Several diagnostic instruments are available. Two are commonly used in autism research: the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is a semistructured parent interview, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) uses observation and interaction with the child. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) is used widely in clinical environments to assess severity of autism based on observation of children. There are some centres in XXXXXXX (where you are located) where such diseases are diagnosed and managed. XXXXXXX Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Taratolla or Child Development Center - Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kadapara, Phool Bagan are amongst them. There is no known cure for the disease. However, it has been proven that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development. Services can include therapy to help the child talk, walk, and interact with others. Therefore, it is important to talk to your child’s doctor as soon as possible if you think your child has ASD or other developmental problem. The treatment for particular symptoms, such as speech therapy for language delays, often does not need to wait for a formal ASD diagnosis. Please note that the educators at regular playschools might not be equipped enough to deal with such cases. I hope that the information that I have provided would be helpful to you and help you in dealing with the problem of your child. Feel free to revert back in case of further queries and I would be happy to help you. [* The answer contains some text from Wikipedia under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0]