Autism is known as an autism spectrum disorder, and it is a complicated condition where one has a problem with communication and behavior. There are many skills and symptoms of this condition. It can be referred to as a minor problem but needs full-time care in a particular facilitated center.
Dr. Curtis Cripe- a specialist, speaks on the subject
Dr. Curtis Cripe is an esteemed neuro-engineer who offers cognitive rehabilitation and neurodevelopment programs for addiction, behavioral health problems, PSTD, and autism. According to him, autism is a mental development disability that occurs in the brain. Some people again have a difference here and are born with it genetically. There are other causes of autism that are still unknown, and some of them change how people behave. Scientists are still researching the above to dig deeper into the reasons and the impact on people with autism.
How does autism start?
Autism generally begins before the age of 3 years and lasts till a person’s lifetime. Again, there are exceptions to the above rule as the symptoms might improve with certain people over time. Some babies start to show the signs of autism within 12 months of being born. These signs might not surface in some other kids until the first 24 months of birth.
Some children with autism often gain new skills, especially when they reach the developmental milestone of 18 to 24 months. They stop acquiring new skills suddenly, and, in some cases, some kids even lose the skills they picked up before.
What are the key traits of autism in kids?
The following are the critical traits of kids with autism:
- Avoid or never maintain eye contact
- They do not respond to their names by the age of 9 months
- They do not make any expression on their face when sad, angry, happy, or surprised by the period of 9 months
- They are not keen to play interactive games by the period of 12 months
- They use very few to no gestures by the period of 12 months; for instance, they do not wave others goodbye
- They do not like sharing interests with others, for example, show someone something they like by the age of 15 months
- Does not point or even look at an object that you point out or look at by the period of 18 months
- Does not notice or react when others are hurt or sad by the period of 24 months
- Has no interest in play or pretending to be playing, for example, feed a doll or a teddy bear by 30 months
- Shows minimal interest in their peers
According to Dr. Curtis Cripe, the above are just some of the acute symptoms of autism you should watch out for in kids. Generally, children with autism have trouble understanding other people’s feelings, and they do not talk about them even when they are 36 months of age and older. In these cases, patients of the child should consult a specialist immediately to get advice and guidance in the field.