Autism in Children
These symptoms can vary in severity from mild to disabling and include difficulty with verbal communication, embracing problems, using and understanding language and the inability to participate in a conversation even when they have the ability to speak.
Other symptoms are difficulty with social interaction, the inability to make friends and preferring to play alone, as well as unusual ways of playing with toys and other objects, such as lining them up a certain way.
Repetitive body movements, or patterns of behavior, such as hand-flapping, spinning and head-banging and a preoccupation with unusual objects or parts of objects are also some of the symptoms.
There are several warning signs that a child may have autism, including failure of the child to babble or coo, make gestures, point or wave by 12 months of age, and not saying a single word by 16 months of age.
Unfortunately, the exact cause of autism in children is not known. There currently is no cure for autism, but treatment may allow for relatively normal development.
The outlook for people with autism varies depending on the severity of symptoms, the age at which treatment is started and the availability of supportive resources for the child.
Early diagnosis and intervention are critical and may help to maximize a child with autism's ability to speak, learn and function.
