h5What is Autism?/h5 pAutism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). The other pervasive developmental disorders are PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder ? Not Otherwise Specified), Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism Spectrum Disorders. /p h5How is Autism Diagnosed?/h5 pPresently, there is not a medical test for autism; a diagnosis is based on observed behavior and educational and psychological testing. /p pAs the symptoms of autism vary, so do the routes to obtaining a diagnosis. A parent may have raised questions with a pediatrician. Some children are identified as having developmental delays before obtaining a diagnosis of autism and may already receive some /p pUnfortunately, parents' concerns are sometimes not taken seriously by their doctor and a diagnosis is delayed. Autism Speaks and other autism related organizations are working hard to educate parents and physicians so that children with autism are identified as early as possible. From birth to at least 36 months of age, every child should be screened for developmental milestones during routine well visits. If concerns about a child's development are raised, their doctor should refer the child to Early Intervention and a specialist for a developmental evaluation. Hearing and lead exposure screenings should be performed and an autism-specific screening tool, such as the Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) should be used. /p pThe MCHAT, is a list of simple questions about your child. The answers determine whether he or she should be referred to a specialist, usually a Developmental Pediatrician, a Neurologist, a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist, for further evaluation. /p pThere are other screening tools available, some geared towards older children or specific Autism Spectrum Disorders. /p pYour child may have been diagnosed by one of the professionals mentioned above. In some cases, a team of specialists may have evaluated your child and provided recommendations for treatment. The team may have included an Audiologist, to rule out hearing loss, a Speech amp; Language Therapist, to determine language skills and needs, and an Occupational Therapist to evaluate physical and motor skills. If this was not the case for your child, you will want to make sure further evaluations are conducted so that you can learn as much as possible about your child's strengths and needs. /p pstrongSymptoms/strong /p pa name="top"/aa href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/symptoms#social"Social Symptoms/a /p pa href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/symptoms#communication"Communication Difficulties/a /p pa href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/symptoms#repetitive"Repetitive Behaviors/a /p pa href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/symptoms#physical"Physical and Medical Issues that may Accompany Autism /a/p h3Treating Autism/h3 pTreatment for autism is a very intensive, comprehensive undertaking that involves the child's entire family and a team of professionals. Some programs may take place in the child's home with professionals and trained therapists and may include Parent Training for the child under supervision of a professional. Some programs are delivered in a specialized center, classroom or preschool.nbsp; /p pThis information was made available by a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org"www.autismspeaks.org/a for more information please visit the website. /p pImprecious Entertainment, Kornerboy Entertainment, Siddy Rich Ent, and Chocmami Productions support autism awareness please join us in helping those that can only minimally help themselves.nbsp; /p pnbsp; /p pIndependent Artist Siddy Rich, K-Nine, and the Young Kornerboys are supporting autism by selling puzzles pieces 100% of the proceeds go to a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org"www.autismspeaks.org/a to buy a piece or become a puzzle builder please click a href="http://puzzlebuilder.autismspeaks.org/puzzles/show/user/NjQxNA" target="_blank"here/a. /p pAlso, Artist Siddy Rich is currently donating 10% of the proceeds from the sale of his single ?Throw It In The Air? to a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org"www.autismspeaks.org/a if you would like a copy click a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/throw-it-in-the-air-single/id449156424" target="_blank"here/a. /p pnbsp; /p pStayed Tuned for the next segment of Each One Teach One?./p
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