The Types of autism Infant, a neurodevelopmental disorder, are presented in different forms according to their characteristics and symptoms. There is an important overlap between different types of autism, from the mildest to the most severe. Therefore, in the DSM-V appear under the name of"Autism Spectrum Disorders".
It is difficult to define concrete prototypes of autism, since two people with this disorder may be very different from each other. It is not the same as mild or severe autism or its development in children, adolescents or adults.
For example, childhood autism is often one of the most worrying because of its characteristics and difficulties involved in educating a child who suffers from it. Next, we will classify and develop the different types of autism And its most important features.
Classes of autism established in the DSM-V
According to the DSM-V, it is classified by the severity of the condition:
-"Need help": Is the lightest level. It is described as a behavioral profile in which the person can communicate with complete and correct sentences with others. However, they can not hold an extensive conversation with other people properly.
They are perceived as eccentric, lacking in social skills and, therefore, have little success in this regard.
As for his behavior, he is characterized by being rigid and inflexible in a way that interferes with his normal life. They find it difficult to organize and plan what they are going to do, as well as to alternate certain activities.
-"Needs remarkable help": In this case, the individual can use simple sentences and their interaction with others is only directed by very limited interests. His nonverbal communication is very eccentric.
Therefore, they have important deficiencies in verbal and non-verbal social communication. Although they are helped, they still have these difficulties.
The behavior is more inflexible, rejecting the changes and with great amount of repetitive behaviors. They present great anxiety When they are encouraged to change their behavior or the environment changes.
-"Need very remarkable help": There are serious problems in verbal and non-verbal social communication that affect their daily lives remarkably.
An example may be someone who interacts with others very rarely and with the aim of meeting certain needs. It only responds to a very direct and insistent social interaction and can only emit a few intelligible words.
They react extremely negatively to changes and repetitive behaviors occupy much of their day to day.
In addition, the current classification also includes the criteria of:
- With or without intellectual deficit accompanying him: Autism does not have to involve Intellectual deficits , In fact, can occur with different degrees of intellectual development. 75% of people with autism have some mental retardation (Amodia de la Riva and Andrés Fraile, 2006) and coincide with more severe forms of the disorder.
- With or without Language impairment As this disorder has so different manifestations, it is not surprising that there are individuals with moderately preserved language, others who remain most of the time in silence, and a third group lacks language. He seems not to understand what others say, or pay no attention to it and many do not utter words, just noises or babble.
- With Catatonia May or may not present this condition, which is characterized by motor abnormalities such as Stereotypies , Gaze, gaze, immobility, excitement, echolalia, passivity, catalepsy , etc. At the same time there are deficits in thinking, in affection and in consciousness.
It appears to be linked frequently with autism and is usually controlled with drugs such as Benzodiazepines . In a 2000 study of the British Journal of Psychology It is indicated that catatonic symptoms appear to worsen with age.
- Associated with another neurodevelopmental, mental or behavioral disorder: It may not be an autism spectrum disorder per se, there are different cases where the symptoms are alike, but they are mainly due to all conditions. Later we will see other related disorders.
- Associated with medical, genetic or a known environmental factor: Here the cause is specified if it is known very clearly, but it is usually very difficult to know what has caused this disorder. Its appearance is usually due to a wide range of factors.
Autism Classes according to ICD-10
In the system of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health Problems, we find that autism belongs to the category"generalized disorders of development".
This group of disorders is characterized by inappropriate behaviors in relation to the cognitive age of the child.
It includes alterations in social interaction and communication, stereotyped and repetitive behaviors and restricted activities and interests. It can appear practically from birth or after a certain age, in childhood.
Childhood Autism
It arises before age 3 and is associated with a lack of response to the emotions of others, behavior outside the social context, and lack of social, emotional and communicative integration.
They do not use language socially, but some words aiming to achieve something rather, it is as if they have no need to relate to other people.
Their characteristics Are the ones we have described before, although here they put as example attachment to strange objects and persistent routine activities in the form of rituals that apparently do not make sense. In addition, they worry in a stereotyped way about schedules, quantities, dates, smells, textures of objects or paths without any specific purpose.
Their difficulty adapting to changes can make them feel uncomfortable even when they change the decor of the house or some piece of furniture.
Other associated symptoms are fears, Phobias , Eating Disorders , sleep disorders , aggressiveness , Self-harm and Lack of creativity .
Fortunately, there are certain Guidelines for treating autistic children , How can they be Activities or games , With those who develop positively while having fun.
Atypical Autism
He Atypical autism Is different from autism in that it appears after 3 years of age or does not meet some criteria for the diagnosis of autism. These difficulties are in 1 or 2 of these areas: social interaction, communication disorder and stereotyped, repetitive and restrictive behaviors.
Other Related Disorders
In other prior classification systems or according to different authors, there are conditions very close to autism that have come to be defined as subtypes of autism. Here's what they are:
Asperger syndrome
According to the International University of Valencia, Asperger syndrome Is a type of autism more complicated and difficult to diagnose, since it does not present intellectual disability nor other visible symptoms.
The main deficit is observed in social skills : Their social interaction is very deficient, others see it strange since they talk continuously about the same issues, they do not understand double meanings nor irony, they do not have empathy With others, etc.
Although its language is correct in itself, it is"too correct", creating a pedantic profile, with elaborate syntax and vocabulary. Limitations are at the level of prosody and intonation.
As for their behavior, it is usually rigid and difficult for them to face new situations. It is also usual that there is a psychomotor awkwardness.
However, these individuals may have excellent abilities for certain tasks, called"competition islands": such as calculations, memorizing dates or playing an instrument.
Its prevalence is not exactly known and ranges from 1 in 250 children to 1 in 5,000. Currently it is increasing because more and more cases are being diagnosed because there is more knowledge about this syndrome.
Rett Syndrome
The DSM-V has Rett syndrome As a possible type of autism, being a condition that presents mainly in girls.
Is a Rare disease Which is a disorder of the Development of the nervous system . It is characterized by problems in the motor (movements and muscle tone), cognitive functioning and social interaction. And his symptoms begin to be observed about the two years of age.
It can affect approximately 1 in 12,000 girls born Spanish Association of Rett Syndrome . It ends up provoking a multidisability, highlighting a serious or notable intellectual disability.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder or Heller's Syndrome
Also know as Disintegrative psychosis , Is a rare condition that appears over 3 years or more of life.
It is more common in children and usually affects 1 in 100,000 babies. It stands out for deficits in language development, in social interaction and at the motor level.
It is classified as a Generalized development issue And is considered by some to be a possible common form of autism.
Its causes appear to be neurobiological, the Brain function .
This condition differs from the others in that, up to two years, the development of the child seems normal in all areas: language comprehension and expression, ability to use muscles large and small and social development. However, from that age or something later (until the age of 10) he begins to lose the skills he gained.
Generalized developmental disorder unspecified
Also called"atypical autism". Those who meet most of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger's syndrome come in, but not all those necessary to have that diagnosis.
They are usually individuals with milder symptoms of autism, which affect social relations and communication mainly. Persons with inflexible, peculiar, stereotyped and limited activities, customs or interests may also be included here.
It is important to be cautious when establishing this diagnosis, identifying if they are personality traits peculiar to an individual or if they involve real problems in their life.
There was a lot of controversy about this, so these possible types of autism that we highlight here were eliminated in the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) to fit them as"Autistic Spectrum Disorders".
How to detect autism?
The main characteristics of an individual with autism are:
Difficulties for communication and social interaction
In many ways, such as failure in social interaction (not properly related to others), lack of initiation of conversations, absence or deficits in non-verbal communication, not looking at the person speaking to him, it seems that Their facial expressions are out of context and do not understand the emotions of others.
Repetitive behaviors
They are very inflexible and present repetitive behaviors focused on certain interests or very concrete tasks. For example, doing mathematical operations continuously, stereotyped movements, excessive interest on a particular subject, etc. All this affects the person developing a satisfactory social, school or work life.
However, there are certain common elements; As an altered perception of the external environment so that they may have a lot of sensitivity for some stimuli, while they are insensitive to others.
There are studies that claim that autism could already be predicted at a very young age, almost after birth.
Babies usually show a preference for human figures, turning their gaze toward them. They specifically look at faces and can focus their attention on us if we talk to them. This is an important innate mechanism that allows us to survive by establishing strong links with our protectors.
On the other hand, in babies with autism the attention is distributed equally in all elements of the environment. They see people as one more object of the environment, without giving them priority.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 68 children have some type of autism in the United States.
If you are interested in this syndrome, do not miss our article 40 movies to better understand autism .
Was this post interesting? Let us know your experience or doubts if you have this syndrome or know a family member / close friend who suffers.
References
- What is Rett Syndrome? (S.f.). Retrieved on September 2, 2016, from the Spanish Association of Rett Syndrome.
- American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V).
- Amodia de la Riva, J. and Andrés Fraile, M.A. (2006). Chapter III: Autism Disorder and Intellectual Disability. In Syndromes and supports. Overview from science and from associations (pp. 77-107).
- Asperger syndrome. (S.f.). Retrieved on September 2, 2016, from Genetis Home Reference.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder. (S.f.). Retrieved on September 2, 2016, from the National Institute of Mental Health.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders. (S.f.). Retrieved on September 2, 2016, from WebMD.
- Charan, S. H. (2012). Childhood disintegrative disorder. Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences, 7 (1), 55-57.
- ICD-10. (S.f.). Generalized developmental disorders. Retrieved on September 2, 2016, from Psicomed.
- Defining Autism. (S.f.). Retrieved on September 2, 2016, from Autism Support of West Shore.
- The different types of autism spectrum disorder (ASD): characteristics and forms of intervention in the classroom. (January 4, 2016). Obtained from International University of Valencia.