Is autism a lifelong condition? Is it feasible to treat or train it so that the symptoms would lessen? The answer is in this article.
Autism affects the development of the brain, and causes damage to the areas responsible for social communication skills and mental skills, but does autism last for life? The following post will go over the solution:
Does autism last for life?
When discussing autism, we should speak of the autism spectrum, which is a collection of illnesses that includes Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, and autism.
Minor symptoms may not require medical intervention so that the patient can live a somewhat normal life, whereas severe symptoms may require medical intervention to control or mitigate them, as it differs from autism in terms of the severity of the symptoms and thus the methods of dealing with the disease.
Autistic and autism spectrum disorders both persist throughout life and are incurable because there is no cure. Children with these conditions also struggle with social communication, language, and focus.
Early diagnosis of autism is critical to symptom relief and quality of life improvements for the patient and his family. It has been demonstrated that symptoms related to autism can significantly improve with early diagnosis.
Does an autistic patient improve with age?
However, even though the patient's needs may change with age and with changes in the severity of symptoms, even though the autistic patient experiences speech and social communication difficulties and the symptoms of autism frequently become less severe with age, the patient still needs support and care.
Additionally, autism often does not shorten a patient's life expectancy, but certain mishaps, like drowning, can be fatal compared to healthy people.
How is autism treated?
You can stop wondering about the duration of autism now that you know the answer. It is helpful to be aware that autism has no known medical cure and persists throughout life. Learn about the existing treatments as follows:
- Behavioral therapy
Patients with autism typically receive behavioural treatment, which focuses on teaching the patient new skills in an effort to reduce the symptoms they experience.
- Medication treatment
Autism treatment may involve pharmacological therapy since autistic patients frequently experience a variety of comorbid conditions, such as allergies, respiratory crises, digestive issues, viral infections, seizures, and sleep disturbances.
- Other treatment methods
Training in new skills, family education, and speech and language therapy are all possible treatment options.
It is preferable to begin treatment as soon as possible in order to achieve the longest benefit for the patient because there may be significant differences between individual autistic patients. As a result, the treatment may be very specialised and focus on meeting the unique needs of each patient separately.
Risk factors for autism
after we have adequately addressed the question, "Does autism last a lifetime?" Here are the most important risk factors for autism identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as follows:
- At age one, the child didn't respond when his name was announced.
- The youngster chose to remain silent and avoided making eye contact.
- At 14 months old, the youngster does not point to or show any interest in items.
- At the age of 18 months, the youngster refused to play or engage in activities with his friends.
- Despite their simplicity, the child's dysfunction is a result of the changes that occur in his life.
Diagnostic mechanism related to autism
Autism is diagnosed in children, and the diagnosis is based on how the youngster behaves and communicates in relation to his classmates.
Some autistic children appear normal up until the age of 3, when they lose the ability to learn new skills or forget the ones they have already mastered. The majority of symptoms begin to show between the ages of two and three.
Approximately three to four times as many men as women have autism, while men experience less severe symptoms.