Autism Spectrum Disorder, or simply Autism, begins in the first months of life and lasts throughout life; It can be defined as a delay or deviation from normal in social relations, communication, language, behavior and cognitive development. Its prevalence in societies varies between 0,6% and 1,8%. It is a rare disease.
LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE INSUFFICIENT
From birth, the baby acquires functions such as sitting, walking and speaking in parallel with brain development. Under normal circumstances, a two-year-old child is expected to make simple two-word sentences. Individuals with autism have inadequate both receptive and expressive language skills. The most common reason why families consult a doctor is that their children do not speak.
Autism spectrum disorder is one of the diagnoses to be considered for any child who has a speech delay or who does not have a language or speech delay in developmental stages but later shows a delay in these stages.
FINDINGS THAT MAY SUSPECT THE DISEASE
In the first months; unresponsiveness to mother's voice,
Not making eye contact with the mother after 1 month of age,
At 6 months, making less noise than peers, not laughing out loud,
Inability to imitate Bye-bye, head to head, crying, or laughing at 9 months of age.
Not showing signs after 1 year of age, not turning when name is called,
failure to follow simple instructions,
having limited communication,
Rocking or flapping your hands like wings can be stimulating.
SYMPTOMS IN LATER PERIODS
Don't turn around yourself,
Don't be curious about things that go around,
Repeating the spoken word or question verbatim (Echolalia),
Not speaking words spontaneously,
walking on tiptoe,
Watching too much TV
He may forget the words and social skills he can say.
Generally, these losses occur between 12-36 months.
Although many genetic diseases with autism symptoms have been identified today, they occur only in about 20% of patients. Since the majority of these patients have intellectual disability, it can be said that the two neurodevelopmental disorders have a genetic basis together. Inheritance due to inbreeding (autosomal recessive), family (autosomal dominant) or gender (X-linked) transmission has been reported. The most well-known of these diseases are Angelman, Fragile-X and Rett's syndromes. In addition, genetically inherited TubeAlong with the symptoms of diseases such as rosclerosis complex, Neurofibromatosis type 1 and Phenylketonuria, signs of autism can also be seen.
UNDER 2 YEARS OF AGE SCREEN EXPOSURE SHOULD BE MINIMUM
social deprivation,
lack of warning,
Low socioeconomic level,
Not enought feeding,
Excessive screen exposure
In families speaking more than one language, an autism-like situation may occur and speech may be delayed.
As pediatricians, we attach importance to minimal or even no screen exposure under the age of 2. In such cases, the doctor must evaluate the patient with family and environmental conditions.
