Autism
Autism - a mental disorder that occurs as a result of brain development disorders, is characterized by a lack of social contact and communication, limited interests and similar, repetitive actions. This disease manifests itself at the age of three. Similar conditions, but more with mild signs and symptoms, are attributed to Asperger's syndrome
Autism causes
The causes of the disease are closely related to genes that affect the occurrence of synaptic connections in the cerebral cortex, but still scientists doubt that only genes are the culprit of autism. Assume a role and rare mutations during pregnancy. Presumably believe that the environment and attitude to the baby, the conditions of existence also participate in the occurrence of autism in the child. Another reason, such as vaccination of a child, is put forward as a hypothesis, without scientific confirmation. The prevalence of this disorder is approximately 6 people per thousand. Boys get sick more often than girls four times. With autism, changes are noted in almost all parts of the brain, but the etiology and causes of the disease are still unclear. Parents start to notice early signs of autism in the first two years of life
Autism signs in children
This is primarily a delay in speech development and a lack of desire to make contact - lack of communication, limited interests, stereotypes, there is a problem in developing nonverbal communication( refusal to look into the eyes andRejection of bodily embraces), inability to be friends with peers, to share joy and enthusiasm with comrades, lack of empathy for friends;Not the perception of feelings such as pain and sadness of people from their environment;A tireless desire to order things and put things in order
Autism symptoms
In three out of four cases, it is mental retardation, inability to speak, and if the child is talking, then it is difficult to get the first conversation and support it. How to recognize autism? It is not difficult, the patients repeat the same phrases, heard earlier. In conversation people do not perceive humor, but they understand everything literally without a veiled communication. There are disturbances in sensory perception( when it is painful - they are silent, and from the usual touch they are twisted)
The early children's autism manifests itself as a focus on the parts of the toy, and unwillingness to play the whole at all. And often they do not want to play at all. Requirement from close relatives of a certain order in the regime( walking along the same road, eating in a certain order products).Small children do not like caresses from parents, sound games, can not start talking for a long time, there is a delay in speech development. An autistic child ignores speech addressed to him, but only responds to distant sounds.
The disease of autism in adolescence is not a simple time. Ordinary children are hard to endure this period, and autistic doubly. Teenagers experience fears, depression, epileptic seizures occur
Autism in adults is manifested in the enthusiasm for certain topics( video games, card games, number plate memory on cars), lack of sense of humor. Stereotyped thinking - patterns previously learned, are characterized by the same movements - wiggles. Symptoms of the disease are such that 33% of the sick can achieve success in their professional activities, live independently, but still have difficulty communicating with people. The intellect of adults reaches( at treatment and training) not above average. No more than 10% of adults suffering from autism tend to improve their abilities( remember poems, draw, play musical instruments)
Classification of autism developed in Russia in 1987
There are two types of autism : classic autism Kanner( named after the doctorLeo Kanner, who described this type of pathology for the first time in 1943), and a second type of autism, in which autistic states of different origins occur
Species of the disease :
1) syndrome of early classical inf. Autism
2) autistic psychopathy Asperger
3) endogenous and seizure autism due to schizophrenia
4) residual-organic state of autism
5) autism due to chromosomal aberrations
6) autism due to Rett syndrome
7) autism of unknown origin
Diagnosis of Autism
Early diagnosis of autism and treatment allows the child to realize the potential from birth as soon as possible. To determine the degree and specifics of the developmental lag, the doctor applies a variety of instructions, questionnaires, tests of measuring the level of intelligence, as well as development. Applied successfully and clinical observations in various situations. Assess the doctor and the physical condition of the ill to find out how physically developed baby. At the discretion of the doctor, laboratory tests are taken. Chromosomal analysis is done in the presence of the mentally retarded in the family. An electroencephalograph is prescribed by a physician with characteristic seizures and a return to his behavior. Magnetic resonance examination is carried out when a difference in the structure of the brain is revealed.
Early childhood autism features : at 1 year the baby does not mumble, does not make gestures and does not show at the request of the items;In 1.5 years does not speak the words;In 2 years does not reproduce phrases from two words and if he loses the communication skills acquired earlier
Autism treatment
Autism problems are that there are no methods for complete recovery from this condition and how to treat autism correctly and to help parents no one knows. Yes, and in occasion of that whether to consider this special condition as a disease, in the scientific environment there are disputes. But still the child needs help in the ability to communicate and interact in society. Not all children in the future manage to live a full independent life, reaching adulthood, but there are exceptions. So, working with autism gives positive results. And as the reviews show - autism in children is a complex problem, but solvable. The comments of grateful parents from visiting special summer camps and pedagogical centers inspire teachers and doctors to continue working with autistic children with sick children. The education of children with autism is aimed at intensive training - workshops, both individual and group. Music therapy, art therapy, kinesitherapy, neurokinesis therapy are successful. Such activities allow children to immerse themselves in a world of bright colors, sensations and forms, harmonize muscle tone, achieve motor balance. With early treatment, many children establish their contacts with the outside world.
Treatment of autism with
medications. It is only possible to defeat autism with medicines. Therapy helps in difficult situations, but standard drugs for the treatment of autism do not exist. Medications consist of serotonin reuptake inhibitors( sitalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline).These drugs have been used successfully in the treatment of depression and the popularity has shifted to treating autism. After that, anxiety and mania go away and general behavior and learning of children with autism improve, language skills and socialization in society are normalized.
Treatment of autism and aggression
Also used for treatment are psychotropic medications( haloperidol, risperidone, sonapaks).These drugs help with problems in behavior( aggression, anger, with uncontrolled actions), but have a side effect( weight gain, agitation, insomnia).Therefore, before starting reception - consult a doctor. When appointing psychotropic drugs, the doctor takes into account the family problems of the parents that arise with the presence of the patient in the family. Autism and aggression is a problem for parents. And when treating, it is necessary to react in time to the latent aggression of parents and a sense of guilt directed at the child;Premature expectations in connection with the onset of therapy and a quick desire to cure autism. Another important point is that because of difficulties in communication and speech disorders, the diseased can not report about side changes in his body, and the unpleasant sensation experienced can go on to strengthen his pathological behavior. In connection with this situation, it is necessary to monitor the dynamics. Sometimes appoint clonidine and hydrochloride, to lower blood pressure and treat aggressions in people with autism. Let's add here Lithium and anticonvulsants( carbamazepine), as well as valproic acid. These remedies are good for children with infrequent attacks.
Efficiency and help from all drugs is individual and it is important to remember the parents!
In our country, the leading types of assistance in the form of hospitals, and the need for institutions that really combine pedagogical, curative, logopedic, as well as corrective care
Correction of autism
Correction work is carried out by a group of specialists, and this is a child psychiatrist, neuropathologist, speech therapist, Psychologist, teacher - educator, sister - educator, musician.
Correction work should be carried out in stages. Use adapted programs for learning and playing games for specialized nurseries and gardens. Apply two modes: gentle, and also activating. Adaptation of the baby to the day hospital is based on the use of tactile, motor contacts, pantomimic, protopathic forms in conditions of free choice, as well as field behavior. Assessment of the child's condition, its level of development, the available knowledge, as well as behavioral skills should be made by all specialists. And in the future, an individual plan for corrective measures is being developed. The child's activity is planned taking into account his mental development. Individual, and later group game therapy is used. Initially, the most important reaction of animation is being worked out and the visual-motor complex is included. The next stage is the process of manipulating objects. As a result, they develop tactile, kinesthetic, visual-tactile and muscular perception. Later, between certain parts of the body, connections are formed with verbal designations, types of various movements and their verbal definitions. At the sick child the initial representation about a body, its parts is formed. Now we work with the kid to develop skills of elementary self-service and participation in purposeful activity. It can be seen from experience that at the initial stage of treatment of autism, the child's knowledge lags behind by 3 age orders. Game manipulation prevails, there is no partnership, there is no game correlation with the value of toys, there are no reactions to the proposed new toys and new faces being introduced.
The next step is the transition from manipulating the toy to the story game.
Important motivation for activity, frequent repetition of the game and the creation of game stamps, with mandatory inclusion of the visual - motor complex remains important. Further, we gradually introduce more complex forms of play, giving verbal instructions in a concise form
Pedagogy and autism
Pedagogical programs include teaching children the concepts of account, number, definition of time categories, orientation in the form of objects, orientation in space. Children autistic very hard to move to new movements, do not imitate, do not produce a consistent chain of actions. They have difficulty reproducing on demand the newly acquired knowledge. And at this stage it is important to complicate activities - increase the proposed amount of skills and knowledge, but any tasks are offered in a visual form and explained several times. Speech assignments are given by a voice of different loudness and appeal to children in different key. And only after mastering the monotonous programs offered by different specialists, the monotonous activity of the ill child begins to develop and becomes directed. And now the children are moving to conscious mastery of the regime skills and moments. In the process of comprehensive education, autistics create an awareness of the "I" and the ability to distinguish oneself from other persons. At the subsequent stages of the work, the problem of increasing the activity of the baby is also solved, with the gradual transition from individual lessons to group
. Logopedic work includes the definition of speech pathology, and the corresponding correction develops phonemic and speech hearing, attention, sounds and their automation, respiratory and voice exercises. Important is the goal of expanding the vocabulary and developing the ability to compose short sentences for pictures, their series, as well as other problems are solved.
