by Arianna Larson

Created on: January 16, 2010

Autism was first described by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943 (“Autistic Disturbance of Affective Contact”). He noticed and recorded a pattern of symptoms in children that otherwise would has been classified as mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed. Since the children were not simple slow learners and didn't really fit the patterns of emotionally disturbed children, he decided to coin a new term.

Before Kanner, the word Autism had already a meaning: “escape from reality” and is believed to have been minted originally by Eugen Bleuler in 1912.

There are several other Autistic Spectrum Disorders or ASDs like Asperger Syndrome, used to label a highly functional type of autism with no significant delay in language or cognitive development; and; Rett Syndrome, a type of autism only known to be present in women.

Autism is defined as a developmental brain disorder that is characterized by impaired social interaction, restricted or repetitive behaviors and problems in language and communication.

According to the Mayo Clinic it estimated that in the United States 3 to 6 out every 1,000 children have some form of autism. The numbers seem to be in the rising; however it is not clear if this is due to better detection and reporting or if indeed there is a real increase in the number of cases. Is also estimated that 1 of 75 siblings of children autism will be eventually diagnose with the disorder; which indicates genetically predisposition.

Although typically diagnose between the ages of 2 and 3 years, doctors and researchers believe that early detection is key since the brain has showed its high capabilities for responding to the right stimulation , re-wiring itself by creating new connections to cover for the ones that have been lost.

While some times the signs of autism are really apparent in really young children, this is not the norm. Each baby develops differently and not all children will cross each milestones of development at the same time. Furthermore, other conditions like hearing problems might be misinterpreted as a sign of autism.

If a parent notices something that does not seem right, the first thing should be to tell the pediatrician in the next visit. Is very important to understand that while is important for parents to pay close attention to their children, focusing in how to detect autism, may lead to unnecessary stressed and a possible misdiagnosis.

The following are signs that were present on kids that have been diagnosed with some form of autism; paying attention to these might help you and your child in the future.

-Fails to respond to his or her name

-Lacks facial expressions

-Has poor or completely lacks eye contact

-Does not recognize a parent's or caregiver’s voice

-Does not vocalize, babbles or make any cooing sounds

-Does not smile or laugh

-Behaves passively all of the time or has a very low level of activity

-Fixates in objects, repetitive movements and words or phrases

-Reacts bad to any type of change in his or her routine, or different textures around him/her

-Cries excessively or does not cry at all

-Appears unaware of other's feelings

-Prefers to avoid interactions with others playing by himself or in his/her own world

-Lacks a normal tone of rhythm when speaking

-Loses previously acquired abilities like talking, etc

-Avoids touch or direct contact with others

Remember, many of these signs could be due to the normal process of development of your child and just by being present in your child's behavior do not mean that he or she has autism. In addition, there are lots of myths about Autism and ASDs that can influence the decisions your make as a parent; always discuss your concerns with your baby's doctor.

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