I need to know as much as possible about autism. Ihave a friend whose (3yrs. old) grandson she is in the proc

Question

Autism? what causes it? Is there a cure? What are the signs? And anything else we should know, that we do not know to ask.
Thank you. Guppie (the grandchild) is three years old.

Answer 1

What causes it? - Genetics is a major factor, but it is not the whole story. It seems as if one doesn't inherit autism as much as the inherit a vunerablity to developing autism. But some other facter needs to "trigger" autism.

Many thought for quite a while that thimerisol, the mercury-related preservative in vaccines, was that trigger. So they removed thimerisol from manditory vaccinations is 2001. Yet the autism rate continues to rise! So that was apparently not it.

There is no cure.

The top three signs of autism are;
1. Social Impairment such as;
a. no eye contact, pointing, or gestures to communicate.
b. doesn't show off items. "Look at what I have!" type behaviour, or otherwise share interest or enjoyment with others.

2. Impairments in Communication such as;
a. delay in, or total lack of speech
b. Or with Asperger's, marked impairment in the
ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others.

3. Repetitive movements, patterns of behavior & interests such as;
a. hand-flapping, rocking, etc.
b. obsessions with objects or parts of objects.
c. inflexible adherence to routines & rituals. (My niece will throw a fit if the bus driver doesn't stop at every normal stop even if the child at that particular stop didn't come to school that day, therefore doesn't need to be dropped off.)

"Autism Spectrum Disorder" varies widely from classic autism to Aspergers. My 10 year old neice has classic autism. She rocks back & forth, has the vocabulary of a 2 year old, doesn't understand that biting hurts people (she will giggle, smile then bite HARD.) She is getting better at eye-contact & non-verbal communication (taking us a picture of somthing she wants)

Many people suspect Bill Gates has Aspergers. And many suspect Albert Einstein did, too.

So there is a very wide range. It would be hard to say what your friend's grandchild will be like.

Email me if you have any other questions or just want to chat.

Answer 2

She would nicely be. Or it may nicely be almost some thing. those forms of issues might want to be clinically determined with the help of experts. What you need to appreciate is that there is an finished selection of autism. some human beings won't be able to function. some those with autism change into engineers. Then there is Asperger's Syndrome, that's like autism, yet frequently not as undesirable (and actual in some procedures efficient). If she is autistic, she would do more beneficial with care from those who understand what they are doing. besides the indisputable fact that, that's unlike there is any remedy or some thing. that is the screening handbook lines from the link: # No babbling with the help of three hundred and sixty 5 days. # No gesturing (pointing, waving so long, and so on.) with the help of three hundred and sixty 5 days. # No unmarried words with the help of 16 months. # No 2-note spontaneous words (not which incorporates echolalia) with the help of 24 months. # Any lack of any language or social skills, at any age.

Answer 3

Several people have given you some good sites to look at and some good information. What I have to add is to have your friend tell her grandson's parents to look into the P.L.A.Y. Project designed by Richard Solomon and Stanley Greenspan. You can find some preliminary information on www.playproject.org about the program. There is some really exciting evidence that the PLAY Project is really effective in improving function in children with autism. It stands for Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters and is just what it says. A PLAY consultant comes to the home once a month and teaches the parent/caregivers how to support the child at the level he/she is at through play and how to help the child move into the next level. You may or may not have PLAY consultants in your area... Hope I helped!

Also check out www.floortime.org and www.stanleygreenspan.com

PLAY is based on Greenspan's DIR/Floortime model as developed with Serena Wieder

Answer 4

Here are some of my favorite resources. I hope this helps!

Websites:

"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm - http://www.southflorida.com/sfparenting/sfe-sfp-autism,0,6196233.story

Website of Paula Kluth, Ph.D. - http://www.paulakluth.com/autism.html

Positively Autism (free online magazine, includes free lessons/activities) - http://www.positivelyautism.com

"The Discovery of "Aspie" Criteria" - What if Asperger’s Syndrome was defined by its strengths? - http://www.thegraycenter.org/sectionsdetails.cfm?id=38

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism by Temple Grandin, Ph.D. - http://www.autism.org/temple/tips.html

Teaching Children with Autism - http://www.polyxo.com


Books:

"Your Life is Not a Label: A Guide to Living Fully with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome" by Jerry Newport

"You're Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Students With Autism in the Inclusive Classroom" By Paula Kluth

"Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism" By Paul Collins

Any book by Temple Grandin

Answer 5

Autism and Asberger syndrome (spelling ? ) . . . look up both. Asberger is really a ' lighter ' form of Autism. Of course I'm sure you know that to simply go to an internet search site and type in the search words " Symptoms of Autism " and there you have your answers.

Answer 6

Here are some sites:

http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw152184
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer
http://www.autistics.org/
http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Autism/

Answer 7

Look it up on the internet.