Autism varies widely in its severity and symptoms and may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children or when it is masked by more debilitating handicaps. Doctors rely on a core group of behaviors to alert them to the possibility of a diagnosis of autism. These behaviors are:

impaired ability to make friends with peers
impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals
Doctors will often use a questionnaire or other screening instrument to gather information about a child’s development and behavior. some screening instruments rely solely on parent observations; others rely on a combination of parent and doctor observations. if screening instruments indicate the possibility of autism, doctors will ask for a more comprehensive evaluation.

Autism is a complex disorder. A comprehensive evaluation requires a multidisciplinary team including a psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist, and other professionals who diagnose children with ASDs. the team members will conduct a thorough neurological assessment and in-depth cognitive and language testing. because hearing problems can cause behaviors that could be mistaken for autism, children with delayed speech development should also have their hearing tested. after a thorough evaluation, the team usually meets with parents to explain the results of the evaluation and present the diagnosis.

Children with some symptoms of autism, but not enough to be diagnosed with classical autism, are often diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Children with autistic behaviors but well-developed language skills are often diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Children who develop normally and then suddenly deteriorate between the ages of 3 to 10 years and show marked autistic behaviors may be diagnosed with childhood disintegrative disorder. Girls with autistic symptoms may be suffering from Rett syndrome, a sex-linked genetic disorder characterized by social withdrawal, regressed language skills, and hand wringing. hope this helps

I have two children with autism and their symptoms at a young age were very different. My son who is high functioning was able to maintain eye contact and was very quiet and content as a baby (too quiet). He didn't show much interest in toys but it wasn't until about 14 months, then lack of speech was the first definite sign. My daughter on the other hand was an extremely fractious and unsettled baby who cried unless she was being fed. Had no eye contact and became severely distressed over obscure things like bright lights, public places and things on television. i can remember from a very young age trying to cover her ears alot. Autism is very individual to the child but if you feel that something isn't quite right. go to your GP or clinic as EARLY diagnosis is the best way to move your child's development forward.

no creases on their feet or hands..
irregular eye movement. (Darting, unable to focus, or hold eyes still.)
twitching, or a tick of somekind usually.(Not always)
can add/multiply/divide/and log 15digitnumbers instantly.

If you took a blog break during the holiday, here’s my late December post about creating realistic characters who have survived trauma.

Today I’ll focus on the most lethal eating disorder: Anorexia Nervosa. There’s actually a link between one kind of trauma — sexual abuse — and eating disorders. One study found that 1 out of 4 women with Anorexia Nervosa has been sexually abused. the rates of sexual abuse were even higher for other eating disorders: 1 out of 3 women with Bulimia Nervosa, and 1 out of 2 women with Binge Eating Disorder. I’ll cover Bulimia Nervosa in my next post.

“Anorexia” means a lack of a desire to eat, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of appetite. Individuals who develop this disorder at first have to stave off severe hunger to achieve weight loss. the diagnosis must also include “Nervosa”, referring to psychotic thinking including intense fear of weight gain, distortion of body image, and obsessional preoccupation on food, weight, and shape.

There are four symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa:

1. Severe underweight (less than 85% of expected body weight or less than 17.5 Body Mass Index). For example, a 5’7″ woman would meet criteria if she weighed less than 111 pounds (50.35 kg).

2. Intense fear of gaining weight. Many individuals fear that if they gain one pound, they’ll suddenly gain one-hundred pounds. the eating disorder provides a false sense of control, and individuals fear losing that control.

3. Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight. Individuals determine their self-worth solely based on their weight/shape.

4 Amenorrhea in women (absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles). Individuals meet criteria if they only have menses when on the birth control pill.

When people joke they wish they could get Anorexia Nervosa, I fume inside. This disorder is a personal hell, locking individuals into an addiction that brings so much misery to them and their families. their self-worth is so impaired they don’t feel deserving of caring for themselves — of living, really. It’s selflessness gone awry.

Walter Kaye, M.D. is doing some fascinating research on the brains of individuals with AN, finding logic in the illogical refusal to eat when underweight. He’s shown that individuals with AN have high levels of serotonin activity in their brains. Serotonin is a chemical messenger implicated in sleep and appetite, and the high levels of serotonin activity produce agitation for those with AN. When these individuals stop eating, the serotonin activity decreases, providing a sense of calm and happiness. however, eating a combination of carbohydrate and protein elevates serotonin levels, jacking up their anxiety and the “noise” in their brain. if eating made you feel this horrible, would you eat? probably not.

Individuals with this disorder have difficulty making decisions, tend to be emotionally stoic (not only are they restricting their food intake but they’re also restricting their emotions), perfectionistic (often achieving 4.0 GPA’s), and highly anxious.

Men can and do suffer from Anorexia Nervosa though it’s more common in women. I’m not familiar with fictional heroines suffering from this illness — are you? A famous singer who died from AN is Karen Carpenter:
Her music is is beautiful, and it’s a tragedy the world lost her smooth voice to this illness. In effect, Anorexia Nervosa steals a woman’s voice.

Here are two of my favorite books about eating disorders:

There’s a lot more I could say but I’ll stop here. Please let me know any of your questions or comments.

Now onto the Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop, hosted by Lisa Sanchez.

The adult symptoms of autism are the same as in children.

Some people can aquire autistic-like symptoms after an extremely (and I mean EXTREMELY) stressful/frightening experience, but never autism itself.

However, a person can be autistic for their whole life, and only diagnosed in late teens/adulthood because they weren't really that obvious.

If autism is initiating itself during teen years, this further leads me to believe that autism is caused by environmental factors.

Autism symptoms in adults are the same as those in children.

varying difficulty in verbal communications
difficulty establishing friendships
lack of empathy
preoccupation with one subject or interest
a need for routine
body rocking
hand flapping

Try going to the Autism Society of America for the answers…here the link:
autism-society.org/site/PageServer

I thought it's something that you're born with. I've worked with autistic adults and it's very apparent that they had a disability.

Hey I was just wondering what exactly are the symptoms for anorexia? because I think that I am going through it.

Extreme fear of weight gain

Preoccupation with weight, calories, etc.

Distorted body image (sees self as fat when is actually thin)

BMI of 17.5 or below

Loss of menses for 3+ months

~M~

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_ne…