Types of Autism
People have the misconception that there are five types of Autism when in actuality there is only one type. The other four are Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Autism is a very complex developmental disability. Autism has many levels of severity. This is the second leading childhood developmental disorder. It is considered the most severe of all the levels. The children develop language late or not at all.
Concerning their social skills, these children can have these problems.
- Difficulties talking with other people
- A lack of emotional contact or affection with others
- Muteness or abnormality with speech
- There has to be sameness in their routine.
- They do not take to change well
- High levels of Visiospatial skills but major learning difficulties in other areas
With these types of Autism, symptoms first start to appear during the third year of a child’s life. Autism continues through the rest of the child’s life. The four other types of Autism this article is going to discuss are called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Autism Spectrum Disorders are developmental brain disorders that cause several problems.
- Impaired social interaction
- Problems with nonverbal and verbal communication
- Unusual, severely limited activities and interest, or repetitive actions
The first is Aspersers Syndrome in which the child can display a variety of characteristics. It can range from mild to severe. The children show deficiencies in social skills, and have trouble with changes or transitions. Any change in routine, no matter how small, can upset them. They have problems determining the proper body space and difficulty reading body language. They have a reduced sensitivity to pain and an increased sensitivity to bright lights or loud noises. The children have an average or above-average intelligence.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder shows severe regression social behavior and communication skills. It also affects all motor skills. The children start to regress between two and four years old. They stop playing, making friends, forget potty training skills, and more.
Rett Syndrome is a developmental and neurological disorder that occurs mostly in females. It is marked by poor head growth. The first symptom is loss muscle tone, and then it may include problems crawling, walking, and diminished eye contact. They stop using their hands to do things except for repetitive motions. The most severe disabling feature is the child’s inability to perform motor functions. Infant seem to start growing and developing, then just stop.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder describes children who have all or many of the different types of Autism disorders. As you can see, there are many types of Autism and a child can show signs at different stages in their life. Some of these Autistic children are mentally challenged. They were put in an institution for the mentally retarded. This was in the early nineteen hundreds when children with Autism were declared mentally retarded. The doctors did not know about Autism at this time and parents did not want to deal with a child that was “different.”