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Scarborough Autism and Special Needs Services shares techniques, materials, resources and information that may be helpful to parents who have a child with autism. There are many important things that need to be address for those on the spectrum. We have broken things down in our pages individually to make sure that important topics are covered for you. We hope that this fraction of information helps! Please speak to your family doctor or medical professional for all issues when concerning your child's health.
What is Autism?
This is a really difficult question. I think that this is honestly the most difficult question I have ever been asked in my entire life.
Why? Because it is different for every person who is affected by it and there is not a single definition that can describe it all in one simple sentence or paragraph for every individual who has autism.
So, before we get into explaining the question directly, I am going to put this in general and simplified terms and then break this down to give a better understanding of what some of the differences of autism really can be.
Autism, also called
“Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),”
is a developmental disorder which
can be mild, moderate or severe.
Autism can cause disruption of the normal developmental processes and can impair an individuals adaptive, cognitive, language, play, and social functioning. This can sometimes lead to being further behind those in their age group as they grow older.
The History of Autism and Previous Classifications
Autism was first described as a distinct disorder in the 1930s and there have been many definitions of it that have changed constantly over the years. The number of people who have been diagnosed with autism has also risen. This increase could be because now more people are affected by it and/or could be attributed to the changes in the definitions of the disorder.
In Canada, the prevalence rate of autism was reported to be 5 per 1,000 in 2003.
Between 1994 and May of 2013, there were five different autism spectrum diagnoses and each of them had their own “label”.
The “high functioning” end of the spectrum was “Asperger syndrome” and the “low functioning” end of the spectrum was “Autistic Disorder” that was known for profound challenges and developmental delays. In between, there was a variety of pervasive developmental disorders including “Rett Syndrome”, “Fragile X Syndrome” and “Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)”.
Today, there is only one "diagnostic" category for people with autism: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Anyone with symptoms that are consistent with autism will typically receive an ASD diagnosis accompanied by a functional level:
Level 1: High Functioning - usually verbal with an age-appropriate developmental level
Level 2: Moderately Severe – somewhere in between with a combination of 1 and 3
Level 3: Severe – (or sometimes described as “Low Functioning” - usually non-verbal/or serious language delays and developmentally delayed) and if appropriate, “specifiers” accompanying the diagnosis such as cognitive disabilities, seizure disorders, etc…
However, despite the change in the definition labels or diagnostic category, many people today with high functioning autism still describe themselves as having “Asperger Syndrome” as this term was very commonly used and described a specific diagnostic category.
When is Autism usually diagnosed?
At this time, there is no medical test to see if your baby will have autism before birth or immediately after.
Developmental disorders are typically diagnosed in childhood, but usually result in lifelong disabilities resulting with differences and/or challenges with sensory issues (unusual sensitivities to light, smells, sounds, taste, textures, sensory cravings…) in verbal communication skills, social skills, fine and gross motor skills, intellectual ability, and personal safety.
There are also some cases where adults are diagnosed with autism. This generally is because they are living with mild symptoms. Some may or may not need to do anything at all once receiving a diagnosis at that stage or might decide to follow up with optional therapies or medications to seek help and support with any challenges they have.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of autism are different for every individual. No two people without autism are the same and therefore, no two people with autism are the same. They will not have the same symptoms or face the same challenges as another, but they do tend to share certain social, motor, sensory and communication problems and difficulties that affect their daily lives in certain ways. Regardless of the level of severity, ALL FORMS of autism can be challenging.
A person can have a combination of both mild and severe symptoms. For example, it is possible for some who have autism to be completely verbal with an age-appropriate developmental level but have severe symptoms of anxiety or sensory complications.
There are other very common symptoms called “stims” which could be hand flapping, finger flicking or tapping, toe walking, rocking, or outburst of sounds. “Stimming” is done for a need for repetition and can sometimes be caused due to anxiety or simply just because they need to do it.
Physically, many individuals with autism have gastrointestinal issues and some are required to maintain specific diets to ensure that they are still getting proper nutrition while needing to avoid consuming certain foods.
What Causes Autism?
Knowledge of what specifically or directly causes autism is incredibly limited and again, many suggestions and speculations of a variety of different things that could potentially cause or increase the risk of autism are even sometimes more “myths” or inaccurate information.
Here are only a few potential "hot topics" that are circulating in the autism world:
The famous "Vaccines and Autism" - This has been one of the biggest and longest debates of autism ranging from a variety of opinions from “Yes, they do cause it” to “No, they don’t”.
Apparently, there could also be physiological causes such as "neurological abnormalities" in certain areas of the brain.
Apparently "older parents" are more likely to have autistic children, but there are many "young parents" that also have autistic children.
Apparently, it comes from "the mother's condition during pregnancy" or “the mother’s side of the family genes” or it’s “the father’s side of the family genes”.
Apparently autism "runs in the family" and some cases, it does, but not all.
Smoking, cell phones, dairy products, wheat products, meat products, and video games or whatever someone decides to come up with this week, which that too, apparently causes autism as well…
There might be SOME truths or probabilities to some of these topics, but the harsh reality is that there is no definite answer set in stone as of yet to “what” actually causes autism.
Is there a Cure for Autism?
No. There at this time, there is no definite drug, treatment, special diet or any other known method that has been established that will actually “cure” autism.
There are however many effective treatments for autism which are rarely medical or based solely on providing medications, but instead include a significantly positive impact with intensive behavioural, developmental, and occupational and speech therapy.