What is the autism spectrum?
The autism spectrum is a group of conditions characterized by qualitative disorders in social relationships and in the way of communication, as well as by a limited stereotyped repetitive repertoire of interests and activities. In most cases, the development is abnormal from early childhood and, with only a few exceptions, manifests itself already in the first five years. According to international disease classifications, the abnormal functioning must be present for 3 years. age. More than two-thirds of children with autistic disorder also have mental retardation.
- Rett’s syndrome
- disintegrative developmental disorder
- Asperger’s syndrome
In developmental disintegrative disorder, there is a period of apparently normal development, usually in the first two years. After this, the child shows a loss of previously mastered skills in two or more areas – social, communicative, behavioral functioning, pelvic floor control, and motor skills.
Asperger’s syndrome is a condition in which a child shows significant impairment in social relationships as well as a limited, stereotyped repetitive repertoire of interests and activities. Memory abilities and adaptive skills are normal, there is no delay in speech and language development.
What is early childhood autism?
In 1943 Leo Kanner in his article introduced the term “infantile autism” and gave a clear and thorough description of this syndrome. Describes children who display:
- extreme social isolation
- detachment
- developmental delay in speech and language
- in the presence of speech, they monotonously repeat sounds or syllables, and do not use the “I-form”
- good long-term memory
- a limited repertoire of spontaneous activities and interests
- stereotyped movements, mannerisms
- poor eye contact
- abnormal relationships with people
- preference for inanimate objects
Kanner suggested that this syndrome was common and misclassified in many cases as mental retardation or schizophrenia. It has long been debated whether autistic disorder is an early manifestation of schizophrenia, but current evidence suggests that autism and schizophrenia are distinct groups of disorders.
What are the prevalence and causes of the disease?
It occurs with a frequency of 2-5 cases per 10,000 in children under the age of 12. If the severely retarded with autistic traits are also included, the frequency can rise to 20/10,000. In most cases, autism begins before 3 years of age. age, but the disorder may go unrecognized by parents because detection depends on the severity of the disorder and parental sensitivity.
Gender ratio – more often in boys 3-5 times. Girls with autism are more severely affected, and more often have a family history of cognitive impairment.
What are the hypotheses for the occurrence of the disorder?
Family factors – in his opening article, Kanner noted that few parents of autistic children were truly warm-hearted, and most were too involved in intellectual and abstract pursuits. Showed less interest in their children. However, these results have not been proven in subsequent studies.
Other theories about the etiology of autism, such as parental anger and rejection, and parental support reinforcing autistic symptoms, have also not been confirmed. Recent studies comparing parents of autistic children and parents of normal children have found no significant differences in parenting and parenting skills. of the child in both groups. There is no evidence to suggest that a particular type of family functioning or psychodynamic constellation of factors leads to the development of autism. Nevertheless, some autistic children respond to certain psychosocial factors such as the birth of a second child or moving to a new home with a worsening of symptoms.
Neurological and biological factors – autistic disorder and autistic symptoms are associated with neurological damage – congenital rubella, phenylketonuria, and tuberous sclerosis. Children with autism are more likely to have complications during pregnancy and birth.
Immunological factors – there is evidence that immunological incompatibility between the mother and the embryo or fetus may contribute to autistic disorder. Fetal lymphocytes react with maternal antibodies, increasing the likelihood of damage to neural connections during pregnancy.
Problems during pregnancy – bleeding during pregnancy after the first trimester, and the presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid are phenomena more often described in children with autism. An increased number of cases of respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal anemia have been reported in the newborn period.
