Autism is a multi-complex developmental impairment, which impacts the development of social -interaction and communicating skills to varying levels in the affected individuals. It is noticed that there is a tremendous amount of variation in the symptoms exhibited by the patients.

However, some individuals with autism are non-verbal or demonstrate impairment in language development, exhibit stereotyped or repetitive-behavior, have difficulty forming social relationships with others and exhibit difficulty in responding appropriately to the environment.

Autism is believed to be the results of a neurological disorder or disorder of mental health that affects the brain functioning. Autism usually appears during the first three years of life which is approximately four times more prevalent in boys than in girls.

Symptoms of Autism:

Social and communication Symptoms: This disability is suspected in a child or adult because of deficits in socio-communication skills. Some examples of these differences include:

• Delayed unusual speech patterns
• Exhibit high pitched or flat intonation
• Lack of slang or kid speak
• Shows lack of eye contact
• Exhibit inability to take another’s perspective

Most of the autistic people have amazing language skills but there are others who have no language at all. Mental health is also connected to their kind of speech which results from improper brain function. Even though the people have the excellent verbal skills, they may not be able to communicate freely or indulge in casual communication.

Sensory and motor symptoms: Most of the autistic people develop a tendency to get irritated with extreme exposures and external simulations like sound, light or even bigger crowds. Some have both hypersensitivity and hypo sensitivity. Frequently this results in autistic people closing their hearing sensation, avoiding and reacting negatively to brightly illumed areas.

Although it is unusual to find an autistic person who is obviously physically disabled as a result of the disorder, most autistic people do have some level of fine and gross motor difficulty. It often manifests itself in poor handwriting, difficulty with athletic coordination.

Personality differences: Most autistic people do differ from one another radically. It is fairly typical for people on the spectrum to:

• Try to engage in repetitious behaviors and ritualistic activities ranging from queue up items to following a fixed function.
• These people have few emotional interests
• They have difficulty in making and keeping multiple friends
• They prefer activities that require relatively little verbal interaction
• Severe autism in children causes even mental retardation. Mental health gets affected and leads to mental retardation in autistic children who are also slow learners. Their mental growth rarely makes any progress.

How is autism diagnosed?

The new diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders states that to qualify for a diagnosis, a person must have a two or three impairment problems included below:

Qualitative impairment in social interaction, manifest by at least two of the following:

• Exhibiting marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors and facial expression, body gestures and postures, to regulate social interaction
• Improper failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
• Shows lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people

Qualitative impairment in communication as manifest by at least one of the following:

• Delay in or total lack of the development of spoken language
• In person with adequate speech and marked impairment in the ability to initiate conversation with others
• Stereotypical and repetitive use of language

Exhibit restrictive, monotonous and repetitive behavior patterns with their activities and interests. They also exhibit other mental health problems as illustrated by one of the below mention patterns:

• They look very preoccupied with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
• Quite evidently in-flexible adherence to specific non-functional routines or rituals

They display abnormal functioning or delayed response related to mental health in at least one of the following areas when they are three years old:

• Area of social interaction
• In area of language as used in social communication
• In area of symbolic or imaginative play

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Autism is a post from: Mental Health