You must have also seen many children who have difficulty speaking and understanding things properly. Health experts say that some children may be at risk of developmental problems, which not only affect their physical development but can also hurt the brain. In medical terms, such problems are called autism or autism spectrum disorder. This is a group of problems related to brain development. Approximately one in 100 children may have autism.
'World Autism Awareness Day' is celebrated every year on April 2 to make people aware of this problem being seen in children globally and motivating them for timely treatment.
Does your child also have any such problem? Let us understand in detail about autism, and how this problem can be identified in children.
Know about autism spectrum disorder
Health experts say autism spectrum disorder is a condition affecting the development of the brain which affects the way a person interacts with others and the way he thinks, due to which the affected child may also have problems in social interaction. Symptoms of autism mainly start appearing in childhood.
Sufferers may also be at risk of developing a variety of behavioral problems, including depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. Health experts say it becomes necessary to identify and treat it timely.
How to know if your child also has a problem?
In some children, symptoms of autism spectrum disorder start appearing in infancy, such as not being able to make proper eye contact, not responding even on hearing their name, etc. It can also cause difficulty in children's language skills, speaking and understanding things. Generally, problems related to this start appearing in children by the age of 2 years.
The intellectual abilities of some children with autism disorder also become weak, which also risks hurting their quality of life.
Why does autism occur?
There is no single cause of autism; many types of conditions can be considered factors for it. Available scientific evidence suggests that environmental and genetic factors probably play a major role. Children may be at risk of developmental problems due to some type of defect in genes inherited from parents. Apart from this, researchers are also currently finding out whether viral infections, medicines, or complications during pregnancy can also cause the problem of autism spectrum disorder.
Some studies show that boys have about four times the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder than girls.
Autism prevention and treatment
Health experts say there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder. Children who are diagnosed with this problem are given therapy and other treatments based on their symptoms. The goal of treatment is to focus on enhancing the development and learning ability of children with autism and improving their ability to function. There is also no way to prevent autism spectrum disorder.
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