02-22-2005, 10:16 AM
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/health/ny-...-headlines
[bold added- TheASman]
When children have trouble speaking, interacting
THE FAMILY DOCTOR
DR
ALLAN DOUMA
February 22, 2005
My nephew was diagnosed with autism about a year ago. He's been seeing a pediatric specialist, and they have tried a lot of drugs, but nothing seems to help much. What can you tell me about autism? Is it inherited? Should I be concerned about my children as well?
S.P., Akron, Ohio
Autism is a type of pervasive development disorder with characteristic signs and symptoms of maladaptive behavior.
Children have particular impairments in their ability to interact with and speak to others. The symptoms are intense enough and last long enough to compromise their quality of life.
Autism is usually first seen during infancy and is typically diagnosed by age 3. It's a developmental disorder of the brain that interferes with reasoning ability, imagination, communication and social interaction.
Abnormal speech and delay of language development are common symptoms. Ritualized, repetitive and stereotyped behavior is often seen. Intelligence is often affected. But it's difficult to know how much of a low IQ test score is due to lower intelligence and how much is due to limited ability to communicate.
The cause is unknown, but recent evidence indicates a problem with chemical oxidation in the brain. It is inherited. But there are more than 10 different genes involved, so the risk to your son is not much higher than for most kids.
Today, autism is diagnosed in about one in every 2,000 children. The incidence rate for autism has gone up by a factor of 8 to 10 over the past two decades. Although some experts believe this is primarily due to better recognition, others are more concerned.
Some researchers suggested autism is caused by a misguided immune response to measles. The Institute of Medicine reported a few months ago that there is no link between autism and vaccinations.
There are four other, non-autistic pervasive development disorders:
Childhood disintegrative disorder, which appears later than autism but progresses to severe autism.
Asperger's syndrome, which also appears later, usually in boys, and is characterized by normal intelligence.
Rett syndrome, which affects girls and is first seen around 5 months of age.
Pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified, called PDDNOS or atypical autism, this form is first seen in the preschool years. It is two to three times more common than autism but typically is much less severe.
For more information call the Autism Society of America at 301-657-0881 or log on to http://www.autism-society.org.
ALLEN DOUMA spent 12 years in clinical practice.
He has written, edited and advised on numerous medical publications. Send questions to The Family Doctor, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250. Questions cannot be answered personally.
[bold added- TheASman]
When children have trouble speaking, interacting
THE FAMILY DOCTOR
DR
ALLAN DOUMA
February 22, 2005
My nephew was diagnosed with autism about a year ago. He's been seeing a pediatric specialist, and they have tried a lot of drugs, but nothing seems to help much. What can you tell me about autism? Is it inherited? Should I be concerned about my children as well?
S.P., Akron, Ohio
Autism is a type of pervasive development disorder with characteristic signs and symptoms of maladaptive behavior.
Children have particular impairments in their ability to interact with and speak to others. The symptoms are intense enough and last long enough to compromise their quality of life.
Autism is usually first seen during infancy and is typically diagnosed by age 3. It's a developmental disorder of the brain that interferes with reasoning ability, imagination, communication and social interaction.
Abnormal speech and delay of language development are common symptoms. Ritualized, repetitive and stereotyped behavior is often seen. Intelligence is often affected. But it's difficult to know how much of a low IQ test score is due to lower intelligence and how much is due to limited ability to communicate.
The cause is unknown, but recent evidence indicates a problem with chemical oxidation in the brain. It is inherited. But there are more than 10 different genes involved, so the risk to your son is not much higher than for most kids.
Today, autism is diagnosed in about one in every 2,000 children. The incidence rate for autism has gone up by a factor of 8 to 10 over the past two decades. Although some experts believe this is primarily due to better recognition, others are more concerned.
Some researchers suggested autism is caused by a misguided immune response to measles. The Institute of Medicine reported a few months ago that there is no link between autism and vaccinations.
There are four other, non-autistic pervasive development disorders:
Childhood disintegrative disorder, which appears later than autism but progresses to severe autism.
Asperger's syndrome, which also appears later, usually in boys, and is characterized by normal intelligence.
Rett syndrome, which affects girls and is first seen around 5 months of age.
Pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified, called PDDNOS or atypical autism, this form is first seen in the preschool years. It is two to three times more common than autism but typically is much less severe.
For more information call the Autism Society of America at 301-657-0881 or log on to http://www.autism-society.org.
ALLEN DOUMA spent 12 years in clinical practice.
He has written, edited and advised on numerous medical publications. Send questions to The Family Doctor, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250. Questions cannot be answered personally.