Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that’s diagnosed based upon the prevalence of symptoms, rather than by any underlying medical examinations or blood tests. This is one reason why it can be challenging to diagnose autism, since it isn’t diagnosed like other curable diseases. Much of how autism is viewed today is thanks to the publication […]
Advances in medical research and technology have enabled healthcare professionals to screen for various diseases, disorders and conditions from an early age. Such pre-diagnostic screening has greatly benefitted the overall health of all people, helping to identify concerns so early interventions can be taken. In fact, these screenings happen from a very early age. Pediatricians, […]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects different people in dramatically different ways. The signs and symptoms of it, and the severity to which these are present, can look entirely different in one individual than they do in another. Autism is considered to affect boys much more than it does girls — about […]
Many people who have autism experience sensory issues. The most recent criteria for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in fact, includes sensory issues. Just like all other signs and symptoms of autism, sensory issues are quite unique to each individual. Some people may experience over-sensitivity to certain sensory stimuli, called hypersensitivity, while others might experience […]
It may be hard to believe today, but it wasn’t that long ago that autism was considered a black mark on the individuals who had it and also on their parents. As late as the 1960s, in fact, children who were diagnosed with autism in the United States and United Kingdom were often automatically institutionalized. […]
Studies have shown that children with autism who receive early intervention treatments such as applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, are much more successful in building the social, communication and daily life skills with which they typically struggle. That’s why spotting the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are so key for parents, caregivers, […]
As parents and caregivers, we only want what’s best for our children and those we are responsible for. We do everything we can to provide for them, to support them and to get them whatever they need and want. This is obviously a very good thing. However, sometimes, we can tend to “baby” them too […]
Our understanding of autism has come a long way in the last 20 years or so. A little more than 10 years ago, in fact, a new term was coined called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which wrapped multiple neurodevelopmental disorders that shared similar signs and symptoms under one umbrella. Along with this increased knowledge about […]
Almost all parents have experienced a time when their child threw a temper tantrum. Maybe it was because they didn’t get what they wanted, or they were hungry, tired or bored. Whatever the cause parents know that tantrums just come with the territory of raising children. While the frequency and severity of these tantrums can […]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder that, in varying ways and degrees, affects a child’s social interaction and communication abilities. It’s also characterized by repetitive behaviors and restrictive interests. Each child who has autism is uniquely affected, though there are many common signs and symptoms of it. Many children have trouble […]
