Highly functional autism: characteristics and classification

The emergence of a child with autism in the family places additional burdens and obligations on family and friends. The development of such children depends mainly on the persistence and diligence of their surroundings. One form of the disease is highly functional autism. How the disease manifests itself, what arguments and speculations are being conducted around and how to help the baby adapt to the world around him is the topic of today's serious conversation.

Autism and Highly Functional Autism

The term "autism" refers to disorders in the development of the brain, due to which there is a lack of social interaction and difficulties in communication. The interests of autistics are limited, actions are repeated, contact with the outside world is minimal.

Highly functional autism is one of the forms of the disease, about which active medical discussions are conducted. The term is usually attributed to people with a relatively high IQ( more than 70).The level of development of such patients allows us to partially perceive and process external information. However, patients with VFA are not spared difficulties in mastering social skills, they are a little awkward and often have a delay in speech development.

Classification

Medicine classifies autism by etiopathogenetic factors. This means that they take into account the set of causes and mechanism of the disease development. Since the clinical manifestations of all types of autism are similar, they were singled out into a single group, which was called the term "autism spectrum disorder".PAS include Kanner's syndrome, that is, a severe form of early autism, Asperger's syndrome( high-function autism), endogenous autism, Rett syndrome, autism of unknown origin and other species.

Causes of Autism, Causes of Highly Functional Autism

Despite the fact that a large number of scientists are studying the disease, it is not possible to find out the common cause of autism. Discussions are held on this issue. Physicians can not find a common language even in the question of whether autism causes a single cause, acting on genetics, cognitive development and neural connections, or they are different causes acting on the body at the same time.

The main responsibility for the emergence of autism is placed on genetics. But here again there is no complete clarity. Because there is interaction of many genes and partial gene mutations with a strong effect.

The causes of high-function autism are also not clearly established. One of the latest studies in this field has revealed the occurrence of structural anomalies in certain areas of the brain, which are responsible for social interaction.

Another medical dispute

A number of scientists consider it erroneous to claim that high-function autism is Asperger's syndrome. They claim that they are different diseases with similar symptoms. Let's try to explain what these doubts are based on:

1. With VFA, speech development delay is observed, especially it is noticeable up to three years. With Asperger's syndrome, there is no speech delay.
2. Patients with Asperger syndrome have better congenital functioning than with VFA.
3. The WFA is characterized by a higher IQ.
4. Patients with Asperger syndrome have a more pronounced lag in the development of fine motor skills.
5. Patients with VFA less deficit of non-verbal abilities.
6. Patients with Asperger have higher verbal abilities.

And yet, these two conditions are considered by many to be one disease with a slight difference in symptoms and flow.

Symptoms. Physiological abnormalities

Highly functional autism, the features of which are discussed in this section, has a number of physical and behavioral manifestations. Observations were conducted in large groups of patients by different scientists, who noticed a certain pattern.

To physiological signs common in children with VFA, it is possible to attribute:

1. Dull or overly acute sensory perception.
2. Frequent cramps.
3. Weak immunity.
4. Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
5. Dysfunction of the pancreas.

Behavioral Deviations

Highly functional autism in children has a number of behavioral characteristics:

1. Problems with speech. Up to a year children hardly walk, to two years the vocabulary is not more than 15 words, in three years the ability to combine words is inhibited. Children are incapable of generalizing and using personal pronouns. They talk about themselves in the third person.
2. Weak or completely missing emotional contact with others. Children do not look in the eyes, do not ask for hands, do not smile in response to a smile. They do not allocate parents, do not respond to treatment.
3. Difficulties in socialization. In the environment of other people, the highly functional form of autism in the patient is manifested by discomfort, the desire to fence off, to move away, to hide. Adult autistics feel unconscious fear or anxiety.
4. Surge of aggression. Any displeasure causes an autism anger, aggression or hysterics. The patient may strike or bite. Often aggression is directed at oneself, this is observed in 30% of cases.
5. Children with highly functional autism are almost not interested in toys. They are not capable of imaginative thinking and do not understand what to do with toys. But there can be a strong attachment to one toy or to any object.
6. A narrow sphere of interest. The ability to achieve results in one direction. Observation. The need to complete the work that has been started.
7. Stereotype in behavior. Propensity to a certain order of actions. Atypical high-functional autism, like the common form of autism, is accompanied by repeated repetition of the same word or action. In addition, patients subordinate their lives to strict order. Any deviation causes uncertainty or aggression. In this case, it is very difficult to overcome aggression.

Highly functional autism, the symptoms of which are discussed in the article, makes it possible for a child to study at a regular school. However, parents will have to do a lot of work for this.

Speculation around autism

Many doctors and scientists have made a career in research on the problem of autism. But she also attracted a lot of scammers. So, the British scientist Andrew Wakefield raised a huge wave in society, publishing a study that vaccinations against mumps, rubella and measles affect the development of autism in children. This topic received a huge response. However, in time it was completely disproved. But opponents of vaccinations continue to speculate by pseudo-investigation, not mentioning that it was erroneous.

How to help a child with high-functioning autism?

Autism is an incurable disease. He accompanies a person all his life. The child grows up, and the quality of his adult life depends on the insistence of his surroundings. If adults did not do corrective therapy and did not teach the child to interact with surrounding people and objects, then he will never become independent.

There are a number of recommendations on how to organize an autistic life with a highly functional form of the disease. Their implementation facilitates the autistic interaction with the outside world:

1. Make a schedule, adhere to a clear mode of the day, warn about any changes in advance, so that the autist is used to thinking about changing the habitual regime.
2. Identify external stimuli. Both the child and the adult with the highly functional autism can fall into aggression from the most insignificant details. This can be a specific color, sound or action. Protect the autist from irritating factors.
3. Learn how to calm down the hysterics that often occur in patients with VFA.Do not let the autistic person over-strain and get tired.
4. Take care of safety during hysterics. Remove all dangerous items from the access area.
5. Do not scream or scare the autistic person, do not criticize his actions. This behavior will increase stress, and the patient longer can not calm down.

Do not give up the help of psychologists, speech therapists and correctional programs. This will help a child with a highly functional autism to adapt a little in a complex and hostile world for him.