Autism Spectrum Disorder: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

PSY3032 – Clinical Research Report Template
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Background
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that leads to significant social,
communication and behavioral challenges. ASD is also classified under neurodevelopment disorders
that is characterized by repetitive patterns of behavior and difficulties in making social communication
and interaction. The term spectrum is used to denote a wide range of symptoms and skills along with
different level of disabilities.. Some children or adults with ASD are able to perform all the activities of
daily living while others might require significant support in order to accomplish those activities.
According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Asperger syndrome,
childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder are part of ASD. ASD is
common among every racial and ethnic group, irrespective of the socio-economic levels. However,
boys are more vulnerable to become victims of ASD in comparison to the girls (National Institute of
Mental Health (NIH), 2019). According to the survey conducted by Center of Disease Prevention and
Control (CDC) (2018) every one out of 68 children as ASD.
The main symptoms of the patients with ASD include repetitive behaviors (Echolalia) and not
comfortable in welcoming any change in life or daily living activities. This mental health complication
mainly surface during early childhood and according to the DSM-5, people with ASD experiences
difficulty in communicating with others, restricted interests and other symptoms that hamper the ability
of the child to perform properly at school (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,
2019). The children suffering from ASD also try to avoid eye contact during communication and
experiences difficulties in communicating their needs. They also expressed trouble in relating to others
or understanding other people’s feelings. Children with autism are found to avoid playing pretend game
and show unusual expression towards any particular taste, smell, sound or look. Children with autism
also experiences sleep problems along with irritability. However, they have certain unusual strength
that sets them apart from others like excellent mathematical skills, strong auditory learners and ability
to remember information for a long period of time. The symptoms of ASD in the later stages of disease
include impaired ability to sustain conversation, lack of focused interest (National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2019).
The exact cause behind the development of ASD is still not clear. However, scientists are of the
opinion that presence of genetic pre-disposition increase the chance of developing ASD among
children. Having older parents, very low birth weight and co-occurrence of other genetic diseases like
Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome increase the susceptibility of developing ASD. Environmental
factors also play an important role in the disease development however, no specific causes has yet been
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identified. The vaccination given to prevent childhood infections does not increase the risk of
developing autism (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2019).
Diagnosis of ASD is usually done by observing the behavior of the person and following their
developmental patterns. ASD can be diagnosed reliably by the age of 2. Diagnosis of ASD among the
children is a two step process. The first stage includes general developmental screening conducted
during well-child checkups (9 months, 18 months, 24 months and 30 months) (National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2019). Children showing developmental problems during the time
of screening will be referred for second stage of evaluation. Stage 2 is the second stage of evaluation
and is termed as additional evaluation. This is conducted by an experienced team of experts including a
pediatrician, child psychologist, neuropsychologist and speech-language pathologist. The process of
evaluation is based on assessment of the cognitive skills, communication skills, and age-appropriate
ability of accomplish the activities of daily living. For comprehensive evaluation, blood tests and
hearing tests are also conducted. Diagnosis among older children or among the adolescents is done
based on the observational skills of parents or teachers based on facial expression, body language and
tone of voice (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2018).
Treatment for ASD must be initiated as soon as the disease is being diagnosed. Early treatment of
ASD is important as giving early care can help to reduce the difficulties of the individual while
assisting ASD individuals to learn new skills and make majority of their strengths. There is no single or
best treatment for ASD. Working collaboratively with the doctors and allied healthcare professionals, is
important for designing right treatment on right time. Medication management for ASD is done in
order to manage symptoms like irritability, repetitive behavior, aggressiveness, hyperactivity, anxiety
and depression problems and attention problems. Apart from medication therapy, behavioral,
psychological and educational therapies are also used in order to improve the quality of life of the
children suffering from autism or ASD. These therapies include improvement in the communication
skills, language skills, reducing challenging behavior and aiding to learn to lead life skills in order to
lead an independent life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2018).
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