If you live with someone who has autism, dealing with day to
day life can be very difficult and trying. Many people don't
understand what exactly autism is and how it affects a
person's life, and the lives of their loved ones. Autism is
a disability that affects development.

Generally speaking, autism is diagnosed when a child is
between 18 and 36 months. Since there are no physical
symptoms, it's very hard to diagnose. Autism is known as a
spectrum disorder since it affects people in so many ways.
Parents usually become aware of it when their child is at
the normal age for speaking and developing cognitive skills.
Autism now occurs more frequently in children than Down
syndrome. For some reason, more boys have it than girls, and
unfortunately, there isn't a cure.

The contributory factors for autism disorder are many and
there is no specific cause. Biochemical and genetic problems
connected to the brain have certain differences. It is also
said that food allergies can be a cause for autism.

Though each child with autism experiences this problem
differently, there is a common symptom. Most of them are
deficient of communication and social skills. Some children
have a lesser rate of learning than normal, while in other
cases, generally before 36 months they begin to regress
after a normal development.

Children who are exhibiting autism-like behavior tend to be
withdrawn and don't have much interest in playing with other
children. While most children have an active imagination,
and enjoy playing pretend games, autistic children don't
tend to engage in this type of play. Children with autism
can also do repetitive behavior such as rocking back and
forth. There are many symptoms of autism, and while some
children get to the point where they don't speak at all,
others will appear to develop fairly normally but at a
slightly slower rate.

Living with autism can be very difficult for families. Many
parents of autistic children withdraw from friends and other
family members since dealing with autism can be very
exhausting and draining on a person mentally and physically.
If you have a child with autism there are many support
groups that can help you to deal with the life changes that
come with autism.

Every child is different and thus the treatment tried will
have different results. Though there is no cure for autism,
various options are available to be tried to improve the
communication skills of your child. A possible treatment
could be to include the child with autism in the class with
normal children.

Consult your doctor and find out about the possible lines of
treatment. Thereafter try and identify the one best suited
for your child. It has to be done purely on case-to-case
basis. It has also been noticed that some children do better
when they are put in a class along with other children with
autism.

Autism is a frightening prospect for parents, but children
with autism can lead full and happy lives. By educating
yourself and those around you, autism can be dealt with and
not inhibit your families lives too much. Online forums are
a great place to start discussing your situation if there
are no support groups in your area. Please remember to
discuss any potential treatments you are interested in
trying with your family doctor.


About the author:
Melinda Printon is the chief editor for Full Info on Autism,
the web's premier location when you're after accurate
up to date advice and ideas about Autism.  For more
articles on Autism visit: http://www.fiautism.com/articles

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