Autism

Disease Condition of Autism
- Introduction
- Causes
- Symptoms
- Homeopathic Treatment

Introduction

Introduction of Autism Autism is a developmental neurological disorder that is characterized by:
- Impaired social interaction
- Problems in verbal and non-verbal communication
- Display of repetitive behaviour and restricted interests
- Autism along with four other - Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) is included in a group of disorders termed as neurodevelopment disorders. Autistic children do not follow a typical pattern of normal development, some of the milestones are delayed or they develop very late. In some children, the problems are more noticeable when the child lacks behind other children of same age. Some children start off very well, but between 18-36 months of age, they suddenly stop talking, communicating, act strangely and reject people.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Autism As every individual possesses a unique personality and characteristics, in the same way an autistic individual expresses the signs and symptoms in his unique way. However, all autistic individuals have problems in three areas- social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviour with restricted interests.
- Impaired social interaction:
- Lacking awareness of presence of others & unaware of their feelings
- Expressions of emotions- pleasure, crying, laughing are not obvious
- Attacking and injuring others without provocation
- Does not like to be cuddled or to cuddle others. Prefers to be alone
- Difficulty in communicating with others and making friends
- Not responding to voice, behaves as if deaf
- Abnormal response to various senses- hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste, reaction to pain
- Impaired communication:
- Delay or lack of development of speech. If speech develops, it is abnormal
- Difficulty in verbal and nonverbal expressions
- Repeat words and sentences told to them (Echolalia)
- Little or No eye contact
- Poor or No facial expressions and gestures
- The IQ (intelligent quotient) is below average
- Repetitive behaviour and restricted interest:
- Confusion of words "I" and "YOU"
- Resistant to change, wants sameness like following same route to school
- Repetitive body movements like flapping hands, rocking, banging the head or walking on toes
- Repetitive movements or plays spinning wheels, turning lights on and off
- Aggressive and self injurious behaviour
- Throwing or hitting tantrums
- Under-activity or hyperactivity
- Obsessive attachment to certain objects
- Their voice fails to reflect their feeling- either it is high pitched, or they talk in singing tone or it is flat robot like voice
- No fear of real dangers
- Desire to keep things in a certain order
- Neurological functions:
- Seizures- 20-35% of autistic children
- Mental retardation.

Homeopathic Treatment

Homeopathic Treatment for Autism Homeopathic treatment for Autism offers a strategically planned approach that incorporates medicines in addition to Behavioural therapy, Communication therapy and diet modification. It must be remembered that all these go hand in hand in helping an autistic child. The Homeopathic approach to treating Autistic disorder is holistic in nature i.e. all cases of Autism are treated based on individual presentation. The remedy thus selected is called 'Constitutional remedy' and it helps in treating Autism with good results. With continued treatment over a period of time, there is a gradual improvement seen in the patient's behaviour- the children show improved social interaction, their verbal and non-verbal communication also improves over a period of time and repetitive behaviour reduces slowly. Overall, good changes can be seen in children who are given proper treatment with Homeopathy for Autism as compared to those who are not given any therapy.