Autism is a complex neuro-developmental disorder, which is mostly noticed in the first years of life, due to a congenital problem, by displaying different behaviors from children in the same developmental period. These different behaviors include problems in the child’s social interaction, problems in verbal and non-verbal communication, repetitive behavior and restricted interests.
Impairment in mutual social interaction: The most basic feature in autism is difficulties in interacting and establishing relationships. Children with autism do not have social behaviors such as responding to their own name or to the voice of their parents. Children with autism have difficulties in seeking to be comforted by others and sharing situations that interest them. However, not all children with autism may experience intense problems in this area, they can learn many social behaviors as they get older and with an intensive education program.
Problems in verbal and non-verbal communication: Children with autism either have a delay in language-speech development or have no development at all. They can show different features in language-speech, such as mixing pronouns (like using you instead of me), echolalia (repeating the sounds he hears), saying the same words or sentences over and over. Restricted interests, repetitive behaviors: stereotypical behaviors (repeating words, actions and behaviors unrelated to the conditions, without reason and for a long time in the same way), unusual interests (eg, the child is not interested in normal toys but only excessive interest in brooms).
Medication in treatment is effective only in the treatment of some specific problems. There is no drug therapy that is effective enough to treat the basic symptoms of autism, such as inability to socialize and communication problems. Some of the problems treated include short attention span, hyperactivity, obsessive behavior and tantrums. However, even in these cases, some behavior modification techniques may be more effective than drug therapy. For this reason, more effective results are obtained if drug therapy is used after or in combination with behavioral methods. It is observed that those who participate in the training programs with the support of their families benefit greatly and have satisfactory results. Recognizing the symptoms of autism as early as possible and starting the treatment program is recommended for positive results and progress.
