Autism, Asperger's and PDD
Problems in many of these areas are common in this group of disorders
- Avoidance of or reduced Eye Contact
- Difficulty reading facial expressions, body posture & tone of voice
- Minimal use of gestures to regulate social interaction
- Feelings are alien
- Difficulty cooperating with or playing with others. Play tends to be mainly parallel play.
- Difficulty developing friendships, or showing emotional reciprocity.
Behavior is often very inflexible and rigid. Any unexpected change causes distress. There may be extreme persistence and inflexible adherence to unhelpful routines and rituals. There may be a burning interest in one or more topic - often to the point of obssesion. There may be a persistent or obsessive interest. Gems and dinosaurs are common. Some great scientists may have suffered from Asperger's and benefited from their burning obsession with a scientific problem.
Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements).
By current definition, the major difference between Asperger's and High Functioning Autism is normal language development in Asperger's. Some researchers consider Asperger's to be a variant of Autism with normal language.
Browse
Watch Videos
- Parent-Child Interaction Training for Autistic Children
- Experience of Autism
- ABA session
- Early signs
- Asperger's in college
Links
- Asperger's Association of New Englandhas many active classes & activities
- Autism Research Centre Baron-Cohen Britain
- Autism Society
- Autism Research Institute USA
- Asperger's Syndrome
- Autism Program at Yale Child Study Center has downloadable guidelines for treatment
- Symtrend electronic recording for Asperger's - a Boston based program backed by major research grants
Diet
Many parents believe some of the symptoms of Autism are lessened by eliminating certain foods. Gluten (protein found in wheat, oats, barley, rye) and casein (milk protein) sensitivity are believed to be especially common in Autism.
- Is there a link between Autism and the gut? Interview with Harvard Mass General Hospital physician
- Allergyeats.com Search for allergy safe restaurants
- Gluten.net Site devoted to gluten sensitivity
- Autism-nutrition.com Espouses controversial, very enthusiastic views on the effectiveness of nutritonal and alternative biomedical treatments
- Tutors specializing in Autistic children