What Is Autism?

Autism is a complex neurobehavioral condition that includes impairments in social interaction and developmental language and communication skills combined with rigid, repetitive behaviors. Because of the range of symptoms, this condition is now called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It covers a large spectrum of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment. ASD ranges in severity from a handicap that somewhat limits an otherwise normal life to a devastating disability that may require institutional care.

Children with autism have trouble communicating. They have trouble understanding what other people think and feel. This makes it very hard for them to express themselves either with words or through gestures, facial expressions, and touch.

• A child with ASD may become distressed over breaks in their routine.
• ASD is an umbrella term that accounts for a number of neurodevelopmental conditions.
• While different types of ASD occur, common experiences among people with the condition include impairment in social situations and the adoption of repetitive behaviors.

Some children with autism might seem to show symptoms from birth, while others may develop more obvious signs as they become older.

Autism also has links to other medical conditions, such as epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis complex. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), an estimated 20 to 30 percent of people with ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach childhood.

A child with ASD who is very sensitive may be greatly troubled — sometimes even pained — by sounds, touches, smells, or sights that seem normal to others.

Children who are autistic may have repetitive, stereotyped body movements such as rocking, pacing, or hand flapping. They may have unusual responses to people, attachments to objects, resistance to change in their routines, or aggressive or self-injurious behavior. At times they may seem not to notice people, objects, or activities in their surroundings. Some children with autism may also develop seizures. And in some cases, those seizures may not occur until adolescence.

Some people with autism are cognitively impaired to a degree. In contrast to more typical cognitive impairment, which is characterized by relatively even delays in all areas of development, people with autism show uneven skill development. They may have problems in certain areas, especially the ability to communicate and relate to others. But they may have unusually developed skills in other areas, such as drawing, creating music, solving math problems, or memorizing facts. For this reason, they may test higher — perhaps even in the average or above-average range — on nonverbal intelligence tests.

Causes for Autism

The causes of autism are currently not known, but significant numbers of studies are underway with a view to learning how it develops.
Researchers have identified several genes that appear to have connections to ASD. Sometimes, these genes arise from spontaneously mutate. In other cases, people may inherit them.

In studies of twins, autism often has a strong correlation between twins. For example, if one twin has autism, the other is likely to have autism an estimated 36 to 95 percent of the time, according to the NINDS.

Those with autism may also undergo changes in key areas of their brains that impact their speech and behavior. Environmental factors might also play a role in the development of ASD, although doctors have not yet confirmed a link.

However, researchers do know that some rumored causes, such as parenting practices, do not cause autism. Symptoms of Autism

ASD may have a number of effects on a person’s social interaction and communication, including:

• adoption of unusual speech patterns, such as using a robot-like tone
• avoiding eye contact with others
• not babbling or cooing to parents as an infant
• not responding to their name
• late development of speech skills
• having difficulty with maintaining a conversation
• frequently repeating phrases
• apparent difficulty in understanding feelings and expressing their own

In addition to impaired communication, a person with autism may also display repetitive or unusual behaviors.

Examples of these include:

• becoming so invested in a topic that it seems to consume them, such as cars, train timetables, or planes
• becoming preoccupied with objects, such as a toy or household object
• engaging in repetitive motions, such as rocking side to side
• lining up or arranging toys or objects in very orderly ways

Around 1 in every 10 people with autism exhibits signs of savant syndrome, although this condition might also occur in people with other developmental conditions or nervous system injuries.

Savant syndrome occurs when a person demonstrates extraordinary abilities in a particular field, such as playing a musical instrument, calculating extremely complex sums at high speed, reading two pages of a book simultaneously, or being able to memorize vast amounts of knowledge.

People with autism thrive on routine, and the ability to predict the outcomes of certain behaviors and places. A break in routine or exposure to loud, overstimulating environments can overwhelm a person with ASD, leading to outbursts of anger, frustration, distress, or sadness.

No specific test can diagnose autism. Instead, doctors reach a diagnosis through parental reports of behavior, observation, and by ruling out other conditions.

For example, if a child has undiagnosed hearing loss, the symptoms can be similar to autism.

• Difficulty understanding the rules of conversation.
• Unaware of/disinterested in what is going on around them.
• Talks excessively about one or two topics.
• Seems unable to understand another’s feelings.
• Difficulty transitioning from one activity to another in school.
• Awkwardness, or delayed development of fine and gross motor skills;
• Flat or high-pitched speech
• Repetition of words and phrases

DIAGNOSIS For Autism

There is no single medical test for diagnosing autism but a set of specific evaluations and assessments to confirm the condition. Some of the assessments include:

• Physical and nervous system (neurological) test
• Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R)
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
• Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)
• Gilliam Autism Rating Scale
• Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test
• Genetic testing to check for chromosomal abnormalities
• Tests on communication, language, speech, motor skills, academic performance and progress, cognition skills.

Investigations for Autism

Hearing tests, electroencephalograph (EEG), MRI

Homeopathy Treatment for Autism

• Agaricus muscssaries
• Kali bromatum
• Lycopodium
• Tarantula
• Phos
• Silicea
• Baryta carb
• Carcinocin
• Calcarea carb

Agaricus Muscsarius

• The child sings talks but does not answer.
• Singing, shouting, muttering rhymes and prophesies.
• Loquacious, talk unintelligent, continuously changes topics.
• Twitching in muscles is a marked symptom.
• Aversion to work. Does not want to do his daily households.
• Talks continuously and jumps over one to another topic. Sings, talk but does not answer;
• Indifference;
• Great mental excitement and incoherent talking;
• Mental confusion. Agaricus acts as an intoxicant to the brain, producing more vertigo and delirium than alcohol, followed by profound sopor with decreased reflexes.

Kali from –

• Homeopathic medicine for autism where child moves purposelessly;
• Hand flapping, fidgety hands.
• Loss of memory; can pronounce any word told, but cannot speak otherwise;
• Night delusions; horrid illusions.

Lycopodium

• An anxious child especially appears in public.
• Obstinate, domineering, does not share things.
• Anticipatory anxiety
• A desire for sweet and warm food. Intolerance for cold drinks.
• Weak, emaciated, precocious children.
• Anger violent, irritable child.
• Aversion to company, but needs someone in the house.

Tarantula –

• Hyperactive child; extreme restless;
• Must keep in constant motion;
• Sudden mood changes.
• Aversion to the company; disconnected.
• Homeopathic medicine for autism spectrum disorder in which has destructive behavior
• Likes bright colors.
• Like music and dance.

Phosphorus

• Very affectionate, friendly child.
• Yielding, mild, cheerful patient.
• The desire for cold drinks, ice-cream and fruit juices.
• Constipation, hard stool.
• Restless, fearful, fear of loud noises and external impressions.
• fear when alone, fear of thunderstorm.

Silicea

• Obstinate child, concern about everything.
• Homeopathic medicine for autism in children who are intelligent (good in academics), sensitive to reprimands, obedient.
• Fixed ideas for everything.
• Profuse sweating in palm and soles.
• Very obstinate constipation.
• Defective nutrition, cannot assimilate what he eats.
• Very sensitive to cold weather.
• Autism after vaccination.

Calcarea photos

• Anemic children who are peevish and irritable.
• Strong desire to go out.
• Traveling, motion desires.
• Recurrent tonsillitis or adenoiditis. Pain on the opening of the mouth.
• Mouth breathing
• Infants want to nurse all the time and vomits easily.
• Craving for salted smoked meat.

Carcinocin

• Wonderful homeopathic medicine for autism spectrum disorder.
• The child is mild, yielding and sensitive to reprimands.
• Hyperactivity is not very marked in Carcinocin patients.
• May have interest in artwork like drawing, singing, etc.
• Affectionate and sympathetic patient.
• Autism in children with a family history of cancer or a strong history of diabetes and coronary artery disease in both paternal and maternal families.
• Child if often slow but agreeable and caring.

Baryta carb

• Weak memory, idiotic child.
• Shyness with low confidence.
• Aversion to strangers hides behind a chair.
• Physically dwarf stunted growth.
• The tendency of recurrent tonsillitis.
• Very sensitive to cold air, cold weather.
• Excellent homeopathy remedy for children with autism who have low IQ.
• Loss of memory; mental weakness.
• Lost confidence in himself; bashful; aversion to strangers.
• Childish; grief over trifles; irresolute; do not grow and develop.
• They are backward physically and mentally.
• Very averse to meeting strangers; children subject to Quincy