Autism in children - everything you need to know

It can be very difficult to know when a child's behavior ends up outside the "normal", and when it comes to a personality trait or a real diagnostic problem. The realization that your child needs help can also feel awkward, and be a very sensitive thing. It is important to remember that the vast majority of diagnoses that are made have nothing to do with upbringing, but that many of them are congenital, and in part also hereditary. This also applies to autism in children.Keep that in mind as you read on, and by the time you finish reading, you will hopefully not only have a full toolbox, but also a broader understanding of the diagnosis of autism, and know how to best help your child further.

This is autism in children

Autism Spectrum Disorder (AST) was previously the collective name for the various autistic diagnoses - autistic syndrome, Asperger's syndrome and atypical autism / autism-like condition. Nowadays, however, only autism is said, and can then refer to all the different types, regardless of degree. More information about the different types can be found a little further down.The problem is a development-related neuropsychiatric disability. And is about difficulties in social interaction with other people, but also about limited interests and an increased need for routines and repetition. The difficulties arise in the brain, just as with ADHD, and are about the brain processing information in a different way. About 1-2% of Sweden's population has an AST diagnosis, and it is more common in boys than in girls. However, it is not known whether there are actually more boys who have autism, or whether it has to do with not noticing the symptoms as clearly in girls who are therefore not as likely to seek help.On hjarnfonden.se you can read more about this.

The various autistic diagnoses

So there are actually several different types of autism, and previously they were separated depending on how the problems were expressed and the degree of difficulties.

• Autism (autistic syndrome) - this is the most severe degree and is detected early in life. The person has difficulty with social interaction, communication and is limited in his behavior and in terms of activities and interests. You can notice the difficulties even before the child turns 3 years old.

• Asperger's syndrome or high-functioning autism - a milder degree of autism that occurs in otherwise well-functioning people. The problem can be detected from 4-7 years of age.

• Atypical autism or autism-like condition - the difficulties are usually only about the social interaction, and the problems are not as big as in a person with autism or Asperger's.

• Autistic traits - this is not your own diagnosis, but something you use as a supplement to other diagnoses.

On momentpsykologi.se you will find the information in its entirety.

Autism in children - when can it be detected?Nowadays we know that it is possible to detect autism early in a child's development. And about half of all parents with autistic children say that they noticed signs in their child already during her first year of life. It is very early, but you can notice tendencies towards autism even then, although it is probably only during the child's second year that you can more clearly determine if the symptoms are actually a permanent, congenital problem.In the case of Asperger's syndrome, this is often discovered a little later, as the difficulties are not quite as clear. Somewhere at the age of 4-7 you can usually be diagnosed.If you suspect that your child has autism or autistic traits, you will find a lot of good advice on autismforum.se.

Signs of autism in children

There are many things you can look a little extra for if you are worried about your child. It is important to remember, however, that it is not always autism even if the child fits into the behaviors below. Above all, you should be careful when looking for signs in a child under 18 months. Some children show the following signs without being later diagnosed with autism. On the one hand, it may be about other problems, or the difficulties may disappear.

Things you can think a little extra about:

• Does the child listen to his name? - autism often manifests itself in the infant reacting selectively to sound, and can react to steps on the stairs, but not when parents or someone else shouts her name.

• Does the child react differently compared to other children of the same age in terms of sound, light and body contact? - children with autism may perceive ordinary sounds as unpleasant and normal light which for They also often dislike soft touch, regardless of who it comes from.

• How does the child's attention focus work? - is the child able to shift focus and attention between people and objects? Children with autism have difficulty keeping up and usually do not look in the same direction as someone is pointing.

• Does the child imitate others? - an important part of children's development is learning by imitating movements and behaviors in their environment. Children with autism do not do this to the same extent.

• Does the child react emotionally to the feelings of others? - like the point above, children reflect emotions they see in others. If someone smiles at it, it smiles back. A child with autism does not pay attention to the feelings of others, and therefore does not reflect them in the same way.

• How does the child play? - children's play develops all the time, and goes from simple pretend games with a few objects to involving more toys and people. The games of autistic children often stay in the simple stage and can often become repetitive, for example, a child can play the same scene from his favorite movie over and over again.

• What does the child's posture and body language look like? - the movement pattern of a child with autism often looks different.

If your child's behavior is in line with several of these areas, you should contact the health service for further investigation. In the first instance, you can contact your BVC to get a referral to a child psychiatric clinic. You can also choose to contact child and adolescent psychiatry directly - bup.On autismforum.se you can read more about signs and signals.

My child has autism, what do I do?

There is no cure for autism and there is no cure. However, the child can get help with training so that he can more easily handle his everyday life. It can be about setting structures and routines that make life easier.

You can do this to make it easier for your child

• Make clear schedules week by week or day by day so the child can clearly see activities and times.
• Make sure that the child has a cozy and quiet corner where he can retreat and just be at peace.
• Find something that calms your child, it could be squeezing a small ball or fiddling with a piece of cloth. This is called sensory stimulation.
• Praise and encourage your child, OFTEN!
• Prepare the child for situations that he or she may experience as unstructured, such as a party or weekly act. Write a plan for what you will do when you come to your friend or business.
• Do not forget to include breaks for yourself in the schedule - you should also be able to do everything.

This list and more good advice for parents of children with autism can be found at momentpsykologi.se.Curious about similar diagnoses? Here you can read more about adhd in children.Want to know more about childhood diseases? Here you will find information whooping cough, rubella, etc..On our blog you can also read about children development 0-1 years and 1-2 year.