ASD

Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatment in Kolkata with Autism Therapy

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism spectrum is a developmental and neurological problem that adversely affects the interaction, communication, behaviour and learning approach of people. This disorder is considered as a developmental problem because the symptoms of ASD can appear during childhood. It is a condition which is associated with the development of brain and its impact on people’s mental approach in the society.

E.g. if your child struggles to communicate with friends, teachers and in social conditions, or behave abnormally, then your child might be suffering from ASD.

There are several symptoms that allow you to understand whether your child or any of your near ones is suffering with ASD.

How do you know if your Child has ASD?

Here is the list of ASD symptoms which will tell you if your child has ASD and needs immediate attention.

• Difficulty interacting with people
• Repetitive behaviour and restricted interests
• Speech delay or speech stammering

Why Autism Disorder is Considered to be a Spectrum?

Autism disorder is considered to be a spectrum disorder because; there is a wide variation in the types as well as severity of problems experienced by people. Irrespective of genders, ethnicities, races, anyone with these issues can be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder while experiencing a range of ASD symptoms.

What are the Causes of ASD?

Autism Spectrum Disorder has two basic causes.

• Genetics: There are various genes that are associated with autism spectrum disorder. For some people, this disorder can be related to genetic disorder like fragile X syndrome or Rett syndrome. Others might have gone through genetic changes (mutations) which increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder. Still there are some other genes which might create a negative impact on the brain development by increasing the severity of the ASD symptoms. There are some genetic mutations which might be inherited while occurring spontaneously.
• Environmental factors: Many researchers say that factors like viral infections, complications or medications during pregnancy or air pollutants can also play a role in triggering ASD.

Types of Autism Spectrum Disorder

There are five types of Autism Spectrum Disorder – Asperger’s syndrome, Rett syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Kanner’s syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

Asperger’s Syndrome

A child with Asperger’s syndrome can have above-average level of intelligence along with effective verbal skills, but has trouble with social communication. The symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome include the following symptoms:

• Inflexibility in behaviour and thought
• Difficulty in switching between activities
• Executive functioning issues
• Flat and monotonous speech
• The inability to express and address feelings through their speech
• Challenges in the interaction with peers at home or school

Rett Syndrome

Rett syndrome is one of the rarest neuro-developmental disorders occurring in infancy. This type of disorder mostly affects girls; however it can also be diagnosed in boys as well. The symptoms of Rett Syndrome are mentioned below.

• Loss of coordination and standard movement
• Difficulties with speech and communication
• Difficulties in breathing

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is another neuro-developmental disorder, where a child faces the problem of delayed speech. Apart from delay, there are a few more speech issues experienced by children.

• Lack of efficiency in vocabularies or language
• Lack of adaptive behaviour skills

Kenner’s Syndrome

Children with Kenner’s syndrome can suffer with the following issues and symptoms:

• Lack of emotional attachment
• Difficulties in interaction and communication
• Uncontrolled speech
• Obsession in handling specific objects
• Difficulties in learning new things

Pervasive Developmental Disorder

It is a mild type of autism disorder faced by children, where they face the problem of language development in social interaction.

Risk Factors of ASD

People with autism can have several risk factors such as biological, genetic and environmental factors. Out of these three, the genetic factor causes a greater risk in developing ASD. Here are a few genetic risk factors which can lead to ASD:

• Having a sibling with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Having specific chromosomal or genetic conditions due to weak X-syndrome or tuberous sclerosis
• Complications found during the birth time
• Taking birth to older parents
  Complication you might face, if ASD is not treated properly

There are a few serious complications you might face if you do not consult a developmental pediatrician at the right time:

• Right-sided heart failure
• Arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats
• Heart attack or stroke
• Early death
• High blood pressure or pulmonary hypertension

ASD Treatment

Your child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder? Don’t worry! Here’s some of the effective treatments of ASD.

• Occupational Therapy : For autistic children, occupational therapist works to develop skills for handwriting, fine motor skills, and daily living skills. Apart from these OT helps to assess and target a child’s sensory processing differences.
• Communication and Behaviour Therapy: This therapy can improve your child’s communication and behavioral skills.
• Educational Therapy: With the help of educational therapy, you can make your child practice the repetition of certain words and phrases that will help in improving the speaking ability.
• Social skill training: This kind of treatment can be done in a group or individual settings and helps your child to enhance the ability of navigating social scenarios.
• Medications: A psychiatrist or a pediatrician can evaluate the issues like impulsivity, depression, and anxiety of your child. In order to minimize the issue, there are some prescribe medications. However, it is recommended you consult a specialist before taking any medications.