Autistic spectrum in children. Autism spectrum disorders

The autism spectrum is a group of disorders characterized by congenital disorders of social interactions. Unfortunately, such pathologies are often diagnosed in children. In this case, it is extremely important to determine in time the presence of a problem, because the sooner the child receives the necessary help, the greater the opportunity for a successful correction.

The autism spectrum: what is it?

The diagnosis of "autism" today is on everyone's lips. But not everyone understands what this term means and what to expect from an autistic child. Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by a lack of social interaction, difficulties in dealing with other people, inadequate communication reactions, limited interest and a tendency to stereotype (repetitive actions, schemes).

According to statistics, about 2% of children suffer from such disorders. In girls, autism is diagnosed 4 times less often. Over the past two decades, the incidence of such disorders has increased significantly, although it is still unclear whether pathology becomes more common or whether growth is associated with changes in diagnostic criteria (several years ago, patients with autism often had other diagnoses, such as schizophrenia).

Causes of development of autism spectrum disorders

Unfortunately, the development of the autistic spectrum, the causes of its appearance, and a host of other facts today remain unclear. Scientists were able to identify several risk factors, although there is still no integral picture of the pathology development mechanism.

• There is a factor of heredity. According to statistics, among the relatives of a child with autism there are at least 3-6% of people with the same disorders. This may be the so-called micro-symptoms of autism, for example, stereotyped behavior, a reduction in the need for social interaction. Scientists even managed to isolate the autism gene, although its presence is not a 100% guarantee for the development of abnormalities in the child. It is believed that autistic disorders develop in the presence of a complex of different genes and the simultaneous action of factors of the external or internal environment.
• The causes include structural and functional disorders of the brain. Due to the research it was possible to find out that in children with a similar diagnosis the frontal cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, middle temporal lobe are often changed or reduced. It is these parts of the nervous system that are responsible for attention, speech, emotions (in particular, emotional reaction in the performance of social actions), thinking, and the ability to learn.
• It was noticed that quite often the pregnancy proceeds with complications. For example, there was a viral infection of the body (measles, rubella), severe toxicosis, eclampsia and other pathologies, accompanied by fetal hypoxia and organic brain damage. On the other hand, this factor is not universal - many children after a severe pregnancy and childbirth develop quite normally.

Early signs of autism

Is it possible to diagnose autism at an early age? The disorder of the autistic spectrum is not so often manifested in infancy. Nevertheless, parents should pay attention to some alarming signals:

• With the child it is difficult to establish eye contact. He does not look into the eyes. There is also no attachment to the mother or father - the baby does not cry, when they leave, they do not pull the pens. It is possible that he does not like touching, hugging.
• The baby prefers one toy, and his attention is completely absorbed by it.
• There is a delay in the development of speech - by 12-16 months the child does not produce characteristic sounds, do not repeat individual small words.
• Children with a violation of the autistic spectrum rarely smile.
• Some children react violently to external stimuli, for example, sounds or light. This may be due to hypersensitivity.
• The child behaves inadequately in relation to other children, does not seek to communicate or play with them.

Immediately it is worth saying that these signs are not absolute characteristics of autism. It often happens that up to 2-3 years children develop normally, and then they regress, they lose their previously acquired skills. If there is a suspicion, it is better to contact a specialist - only a doctor can conduct the correct diagnosis.

Symptoms: what should parents pay attention to?

The autism spectrum in children can be manifested in different ways. To date, several criteria have been singled out, which must be paid attention:

• The main symptom of autism is the violation of social interactions. People with this diagnosis can not recognize nonverbal signals, do not feel the state and do not distinguish the emotions of the surrounding people, which causes difficulties in communication. Often there are problems with eye contact. Such children, even growing up, do not show much interest in new people, do not participate in games. Despite the attachment to parents, the baby is difficult to show their feelings.
• Problems with speech are also present. The child much later starts to speak, or speech is absent at all (depends on a kind of violation). Verbal autists often have a small vocabulary, confuse pronouns, time, endings of words, etc. Children do not understand jokes, comparisons, perceive everything literally. There is echolalia.
• The autism spectrum in children can be manifested by uncharacteristic gestures, stereotypic movements. At the same time, it is difficult for them to combine conversation with gestures.
• Characteristic features of children with autism spectrum disorders are recurring patterns of behavior. For example, a child quickly gets used to walking on one road and refuses to turn to another street or go to a new store. Often, so-called "rituals" are formed, for example, first you need to put on the right sock and then left, or first you need to throw sugar in the cup and then pour it with water, but in no way the other way around. Any deviation from the scheme developed by the child can be accompanied by a loud protest, fits of anger, aggression.
• A child can become attached to one toy or non-game item. Games kid often deprived of the plot, for example, he does not play battles with toy soldiers, does not build locks for the princess, does not roll up machines around the house.
• Children with autistic disorders may suffer from hyper- or hypo-sensitivity. For example, there are children who react violently to the sound, and, as adults have already noted with a similar diagnosis, loud noises not only frightened them, but caused severe pain. The same can refer to kinesthetic sensitivity - the baby does not feel cold, or, conversely, can not walk barefoot on the grass, as sensations frighten him.
• Half of the children with a similar diagnosis have eating habits - they categorically refuse to eat any food (for example, red), they prefer a single dish.
• It is generally accepted that autistic people have a certain genius. This statement is incorrect. In high-performance autistics, the level of intelligence is usually average or slightly above normal. But with low-functional disorders, it is quite possible to delay development. Only 5-10% of people with a similar diagnosis really have an ultra-high level of intelligence.

Children with autism do not necessarily have all of the above symptoms - each child has a set of violations, with varying degrees of severity.

Classification of autistic disorders (Nikolskaya classification)

The disorders of the autism spectrum are incredibly diverse. Moreover, the investigation of the disease is still actively continuing, therefore there are many classification schemes. Among the teachers and other professionals, the classification of Nikolskaya is popular, and it is taken into account when drawing up correctional schemes. The audit spectrum can be divided into four groups:

• The first group is characterized by the deepest and most complex violations. Children with such a diagnosis are not able to serve themselves, they completely lack the need for interaction with others. Patients are non-verbal.
• Children of the second group can notice the presence of severe limitations in behavioral patterns. Any changes in the scheme (for example, mismatch in the usual mode of the day or the situation) can trigger an attack of aggression and failure. The child is quite open, but his speech is simple, built on echolalia. Children from this group are able to reproduce household skills.
• The third group is characterized by more complex behavior: children can be very keen on some subject, giving out the flow of encyclopedic knowledge in conversation. On the other hand, it is difficult to build a two-way dialogue for the child, and knowledge about the surrounding world is fragmentary.
• The children of the fourth group are already inclined to non-standard and even spontaneous behavior, but in the collective they are shy and shy, they hardly go to contact and do not show initiative in communicating with other children. May experience difficulty concentrating.

Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger syndrome - one of the forms of high-functional autism. This violation is different from the classical form. For example, the child has a minimal delay in the development of speech. Such children easily go to contact, they can support the conversation, although it is more like a monologue. The patient can talk for hours about the things he is interested in, and it is difficult to stop it.

Children do not mind playing with their peers, but, as a rule, do it unconventional. By the way, there is also physical clumsiness. Often children with Asperger's syndrome have an outstanding intellect and a good memory, especially when it comes to the things they are interested in.

Modern diagnostics

The autism spectrum is very important in time to diagnose. The sooner the presence of disorders in a child is determined, the faster it will be possible to begin correction. Early intervention in the development of the baby increases the chance for successful socialization.

If the child has the above symptoms, you should contact a child psychiatrist or psychoneurologist. As a rule, children are observed in different situations: on the basis of the symptoms present, a specialist can make a conclusion about the presence of autistic spectrum disorders in a child. Consultations with other doctors, for example, an otolaryngologist, are also necessary to check the patient's hearing. The electroencephalogram allows to determine the presence of epileptic foci, which often go hand in hand with autism. In some cases, genetic tests are prescribed, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (allows to study the structure of the brain, determine the presence of tumors and changes).

Medicamentous treatment of autism

Autism does not lend itself to medical correction. Drug therapy is indicated only if there are other disorders. For example, in some cases, the doctor may prescribe the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Such drugs are used as antidepressants, but in the case of an autistic child, they can remove increased anxiety, improve behavior, improve learning. Nootropic drugs help normalize blood circulation in the brain, improve concentration.

In the presence of epilepsy, anticonvulsants are used. Psychotropic drugs are used when there are strong, uncontrolled attacks of aggression in a patient. Again, all of the above drugs are quite powerful and the likelihood of developing adverse reactions when the dose is exceeded is very high. Therefore, in no case should they be used arbitrarily.

Corrective work with children with autism spectrum disorders

What should I do if my child is diagnosed with autism? Correction program of children of the autistic spectrum is made individually. The child needs the help of a group of specialists, in particular, with a psychologist, speech therapist and special teacher, sessions with a psychiatrist, exercises with a physiotherapist (with severe clumsiness and lack of sense of one's own body). Correction is slow, busy at work. Children are taught to feel the shapes and sizes, find matches, feel the interconnections, participate, and then initiate the story game. Children with autistic disorders are shown classes in social skills groups, where the children learn to play together, follow social norms and help develop certain patterns of behavior in society.

The main task of the speech therapist is the development of speech and phonemic hearing, increasing the vocabulary, learning to compose short, and then long sentences. Specialists also try to teach the child to distinguish between the tone of speech and the emotions of another person. An adapted program of autistic spectrum is also needed in kindergartens and schools. Unfortunately, not all educational institutions (especially state institutions) can provide qualified specialists for working with autistics.

Pedagogy and training

The main task of correction is to teach the child social interaction, develop the ability to arbitrary spontaneous behavior, the manifestation of the initiative. Today, an inclusive education system is popular, which suggests that a child with autism spectrum disorders will be trained in the environment of normotypic children. Of course, such "implementation" occurs gradually. In order to introduce the child into the team, experienced teachers are needed, and sometimes a tutor (a person with special education and skills that accompanies the child at school, adjusts his behavior and monitors the relationship in the team).

It is likely that children with similar disabilities will need training in specialized profile schools. Nevertheless, there are students with disorders of the autism spectrum and in general educational institutions. Here everything depends on the state of the child, the severity of the symptoms, his ability to learn.

To date, autism is considered an incurable disease. Forecasts are not favorable for everyone. Children with a violation of the autistic spectrum, but with an average level of intelligence and speech (up to 6 years) with proper training and correction may well become independent in the future. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.