About Autism Symptoms & Treatments

Autism is a rapidly growing disability in the United States that affects more boys than girls. It is a mystery to most parents who find out that their child has it. Many parents feel angry and helpless when they discover their child is autistic. But experts say there are excellent ways to deal with autism, including training, therapy, food and medicine. Raising a child with autism may require that the whole family get involved, although not to the exclusion of the rest of family life.

Autism, A Frightening Diagnosis for Parents

• Autism is a disease that has no cure and whose symptoms range from mild to debilitating. Burlington, Vermont, filmmaker Anne Barbano, whose 9-year old son Nicholas was diagnosed with autism when he was 4, says, "It's like having a prescription, but no one can fill it."

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds the the rise of autism is meteoric in recent years. It is thought to be the fastest-growing disability in the United States. An odd fact is that from 1991 to 2004, there was an 850 percent increase in autism cases just in the state of Missouri. Males are four times more likely to have it than females.

  Autism is not a new disease. A Swiss psychiatrist used the term first in 1911, but Eugen Bleuler was actually describing one of the symptoms of schizophrenia at that time. It was during the 1940s that U.S. researchers pinpointed "autism" as relating to emotional or social issues. From 1960 right through the 70's, research was being done on autism, but the actual treatments relied on things like LSD, electric shock and behavioral change, which dealt with disciplining the child through pain and punishment. Behavior therapy is still used today for autistic children, but it no longer deals with inflicting pain or punishment.

Symptoms of the Autistic Child

• There are symptoms to watch for if you think your child may be autistic. The disease is usually there are birth, but parents or other caregivers may not notice anything for up to three years. If a toddler shows signs of not wanting to be held or cuddled, or isn't interested in playing specific games, and is late to talk, or maybe begins to talk early, then loses her language skills later, you may want to check with a doctor. Hearing is another symptom that may come up. A child with autism may not seem to hear very much, but will go into an alert mode when the whistle of a train sounds.

  Most children, if they are lucky enough to receive early and intensive treatment, can work on their ability to relate to other people, and communicate with them. And as they grow older, there are many positive examples of autistic children helping themselves as adults. Although there are myths and beliefs surrounding people with autism, experts say very few live completely socially isolated lives or live only in a world of their own making.

How to Help the Autistic Child

• Some experts believed that an autistic child can be helped by seeing developmental pediatricians, child psychiatrists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and others. However, most parents on a limited income agree that this kind of treatment comes at a prohibitively high cost.

  Every state has publicly funded programs for children with developmental delays, and autism is included in that category. You will need a referral from your pediatrician. Such programs typically provide speech, occupational, physical and behavioral therapy, as well as a special education teacher. But not all parents think these programs are the way they want to go for their children.

  There is growing evidence that autistic children can be helped with changes in diet or by taking vitamins and minerals. Supplements can be used to calm the child, and improve their nutrition. The two supplements most often recommended are Vitamin B and magnesium. Some parents have their child tested for allergies, to see if he has any reactions to specific foods, like wheat or sugar or chocolate, and then if he does, they eliminate those foods from the child's diet.

How To Pay for the Extra Help an Austistic Child May Need

• Having an autistic child can cost a great deal of money. And a huge problem for parents of just-diagnosed autistic children is coming up with the cash to treat your child how you would like him to be cared for. Very often, publicly funded services are not at a level that parents think is high enough. And then, because medical insurance usually doesn't cover certain kinds of therapies, parents often wind up paying large sums out-of-pocket. A 2007 study on the financial impact of autism published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues by co-author Deanna Sharpe, PhD, CFP, found parents that were paying as much as $30,000 per year for these therapies.

  Take, for example, applied behavioral analysis therapy, in which an autistic child is taught how to speak or do simple tasks. This can cost parents up to $100,000 a year. Some resourceful parents have decided to undergo special training so that they can teach their autistic children themselves. Others resort to home schooling.

An Autistic Child May Put Pressures on the Family

• Another challenge for families dealing with an autistic child is that the situation can put stress on the parent's relationship and on the child's siblings. Experts warn not to focus too much on the autistic child to the exclusion of everything else in the family. Couples are encouraged to devote some time to their marriage. They are also advised not to talk about autism all the time. They say that taking some breaks from it will serve you well, since it's not going to go away. Siblings often feel left on the sidelines while the autistic child takes center stage. And while some are able to interact and play with their autistic brother or sister, others feel sad that they don't have a "normal" sibling.

  Experts advise that parents network with others in the same situation. A good resource is The Autism Society of America web site, which has a listing of local chapters that offer groups for families and separate groups for siblings.

  The word "normal" versus abnormal is a sore point for many parents of autistic children. They see their children as normal for who they are, and do not want other people labeling them.

As the Autistic Child Grows into a Teenager and an Adult

• As an autistic child grows up into an adolescent, and then a teenager, a whole new set of challenges comes up. The normal issues every parent of a teenager faces are complicated by the autism. Autistic teenagers may have difficulty communicating with their peers, but at the same time, they usually feel the need to pull away from their parents. This can leave them with no one at all to talk to. They also have the issue of raging hormones, but it is often linked with the inability to understand or appropriately manage their sexual behaviors.

  For most children, the teenage years are a time for them to develop their social skills. They become preoccupied with acne, popularity, grades and dates. Teenagers with autism, however, are likely to become painfully aware that they are different from their peers. They may notice that they don't have many or any friends and that they aren't dating or planning for a career. For some, these feelings of not fitting in will motivate them to learn more social skills to better fit in. But for others it often means they retreat into themselves even more. Psychologists say increased aggressive behavior may be one way some autistic teens express their newfound tension and confusion.

  There are some autistic teenagers, if they are good at reading and math, who will be able to get into a college or university that will work with their disabilities and enable them to get a degree.

  And, armed with a degree, some autistic adults will be able to work successfully in regular, mainstream jobs. But they may run into communication and social problems which could cut into their success. Others with adult autism will be capable of working in sheltered workshops, like factory plants, supermarkets or department stores, under the supervision of managers trained to work with persons with disabilities.