by Amber Lesovoy

Created on: March 16, 2009

Autism: An Epidemic

More and more children are being diagnosed with Autism in the last couple of years than ever before. Whether this is because of better diagnostic tools, more observant parents, or higher incidences of Autism, one thing is certain: The sooner you can catch it, the sooner you can begin treatment.

Symptoms of Autism in young children includes toe walking, extreme fits of rage, spinning, hand flapping, delayed speech, delayed fine and gross motor skills, the child may act as if he is deaf, little to no eye contact, child prefers not to be touched, insistence on sameness of routine, and violent tantrums or "meltdowns" over small things or over nothing at all.

Autism can be diagnosed by a psychologist, psychiatrist, or developmental pediatrician. Many general practitioners will not diagnose, and prefer to refer the patient to one of the previously mentioned specialists instead. You may have to speak to several different doctors, and sometimes it takes years to truly get a good, correct diagnosis.

Children with Autism can go on to lead normal lives. There is no real way of telling by looking at a young child, what he will be like as an adult, but with intense therapeutic intervention great improvements can be made and quality of life greatly improved.

No one knows what causes Autism. There are theories that it is caused by mercury in vaccinations, by environmental mercury, by swelling of the brian tissue, or lack of oxygen to the brain. It may be genetic, and inherited from a much less severely affected family member, or it may be entirely random. Some consider Autism to be not a disorder or disease, but a difference in the way the mind works and the wiring of the brain. Whatever causes it, we know that early intervention makes a huge difference for these children.

Early Intervention: How it Works

Early Intervention services are typically geared toward the newborn to age three demographic. Often, agencies will service children with all types of developmental disabilities, from Autism to Downs Syndrome and everything in between. Referrals are made by a pediatrician, and a family is assigned a caseworker. An evaluation with a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and a Developmental Pediatrician or Psychologist determines whether the child can be diagnosed, and whether he or she meets criteria to receive intervention services.

If the child is eligible for services, there is often a waiting list. You may wait between a week and several months, but services

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