Autism

Autism refers to the range of disorders and thus, is now recognized as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In Belgium, more than 60 out of 10,000 children aged between 3 to 39 months were suspected of autism. This makes autism as one of the significant health issues in the country. The disorder majorly affects the neuro-behavioral condition of the patient consequently, causing disability in social interaction, communication, and forming repetitive behavior patterns. 

The prevalence of this disorder has been reported to greatly affect children. The children suffering from autism face trouble in not just communicating but also in comprehending the words and thoughts of others. Thereby, such children majorly suffer from performing well in schools as well. Autism Spectrum Disorder includes a range of brain impairments. Asperser's Syndrome can be identified as a milder form of Autism.

Causes

Autism has been reported to affect the children around the globe regardless of nationality or race. However, two factors reportedly enhance the risk of children to become autistic which are explained below:

• Gender of Child: Boys are twice more likely to be autistic than girls
• Family's Medical History: Inheritance plays a major role in causing autism

Signs & Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of Autism vary from people to people. However, the majority of the parents can sense the sign of autism in their kids at an early stage. In most of the cases, the evidence of stunted cognitive abilities is the first sign of the autistic child.  The most frequent onset of the disorder is noticeable by the first two years of a child's life. The few of the signs and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder:

• The child does not reply to your call or hear you
• The child may not like to play with other kids
• The child may resist from cuddle and physical connection
• The child may have delayed speech issue or begin losing his ability to speak
• Child mat perform repetitive movements like spinning, murmuring, hand flapping
• The child may mimic the stiff body language
• The child may suffer from a range of coordination and balance issues

Diagnostic Tests

The diagnostic of Autism requires an in-depth medical and physical assessment of the child. The case for autism can be diagnosed and confirmed by either of the following specialists:

• Psychologist
• Psychiatrist
• Pediatrician
• Speech and Language Therapist

The diagnostic assessment for autism requires a detailed medical history of family another strong evidence from a general physician.  In addition to this, genetic testing is a solid diagnostic test to identify autism. Genetic testing allows checking whether your child has inherited the genetic disorder.

Treatment Plans

Practically there is no cure for autism since it is an inherited disease. However, the correct psychiatric treatment can help to enhance the cognitive abilities of children. Significantly, early intervention plays a vital role to ensure that children learn effective communication and behavioral skills essential for surviving in the society. Thereby, timely diagnosis and effective enhancement programs work best to improve the mental health of autistic children by senso-neural therapies. Hence, it is crucial for parents to select the best hospital with experienced staff to tackle the idiosyncrasies of an autistic child.