Autistic Disorder. Autism.
Incidence
Autistic disorder is estimated to occur in 1 out of 1000 children or 0.1% of the population. If a couple has one child with this condition, the chance that they may have a second child with autistic disorder is increased to 20 or 30 out of 1000 or 2-3%. This disorder is 3 to 4 times more common in males than females. Autism is seen in people from all ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Clinical Characteristics
Autistic disorder is a complex developmental disorder. It usually emerges during the first three years of life. Autistic disorder is estimated to occur in 1 out of 1000 children or 0.1% of the population. A range of behavioral features from mild to severe are associated with autistic disorder. The most distinctive features are a lack of social and emotional relationships. Children with autism seem to be disinterested in people, often play by themselves, and show limited or little emotional attachment to other children or adults. They appear to live in a world of their own because they lack the ability to pick up on social and emotional cues from other people. Another feature is that they do not have imaginative or pretend play which requires that the child use toys or actions to pretend with or \"symbolize\" the real world, such as putting dolly to sleep, playing house, making cookies from playdough. One of the early signs that parents notice is a lack of language development. Most children babble as infants, say single words by 16 months, and use 2 words together by 2 years old. Autistic children do not babble or talk much. Nor do they use gestures, such as pointing to communicate, nor do they have variable facial expressions. In general, the earlier the child acquires language, the better the prognosis. Behavioral problems are common in that autistic children have difficulty with changes. They love routines and rituals. Many autistic children often cannot switch from one activity to another without having a temper tantrum. They also can have odd or repetitive behaviors such as body rocking and hand flapping. Many autistic children form strong attachments or preoccupations with objects, lights, spinning objects and water (love sprinklers.) which are odd play objects and patterns for other children. Another issue is increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli such that they are bothered by touch (bathing, dressing, cuddling, clothes), sound (cover their ears), lights (close their eyes) and tastes (dislike many foods). The exact cause of autistic disorder is unknown. Several differences in brain structure and/or brain chemicals have been associated with autistic disorder. The disorder has also been associated with other genetic conditions such as fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis type 1, and phenylketonuria (PKU). There is no medical test for autistic disorder. No specific treatment exists. Individualized treatment programs, and home-based programs that cater to the particular needs and interests of the child have been most successful.
Precipitants
None. Parenting behaviors do not cause or contribute to the development of autistic disorder. Studies of the current evidence also discount immunizations as the cause of autism.
Provocation Tests
None.
Diagnostic Procedures
It is a clinical diagnosis. There is no medical test for autistic disorder. A child will be diagnosed with autistic disorder if he/she does not have any other cause of developmental delay and he/she meets the criteria for autistic disorder.