What is the earliest diagnosis of Autism? Meaning can a diagnosis occur at birth or at three months?
99950
A factually based diagnosis can only occur after at least 2 to 3 years. Autism is market by slow growth. This is all relative and can not be observed until a baby walks, talks, crawls etc...
163059
Get thee to a pediatrician!  Three months?!
1012193
PDD is very closely related to autism in young childern... the NOS is Not Otherwise Specified\nand this may mean that the doctors are still trying to classify his type of the affliction or that they can not fit it into any kind of typical definition that exists..\nHere is a couple links that describe the illness in detail.\nhttp://www.childbrain.com/pdd.shtml\nhttp://www.autism-pdd.net/\nBest of Luck to All :)
723860
Whether due to better diagnosing by doctors, greater general awareness in the community or a true increase in cases- Autism is going up.  Where a few years ago it was a rare and almost unknown disorder affecting 1 in around 1000 - 1500 children, it now affects 1 in 166 children.   It has been proven that the increase is not due to a loosening of diag. criteria, is not due to artificailly inflated statistics and that there is a true, rapid increase of cases.   In fact, many feel that it was under reported or misdiagnosed in the past as mental retardation and still is today. \nAutism and PDD are real and affect children in a real way.   I know because my son has High Functioning Autism and I work with special needs children.  And every day I meet more and more parents with young children recently diagnosed with it and it is startling and worrysome.  I was a preschool teacher and never saw or heard of it until about 5-10 years ago.  Now it is so common.  \nSo, I would say in my experience as an educator and as a parent that yes, it is increasing and it is not a myth.  And it is proven by more and more studies showing that conclusion.
309706
OK, firstly, vaccinations DO NOT cause autism. There is NO scientific evidence to back up this claim. The study which sparked off this whole controvercy was based on 13 children and was NOT a properly controlled study. The whole link is totally coincidental - if a child is going to be diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, it will be somewhere between 18 months and 2 years of age. Which is in the few months after the MMR vaccination. But it is NOT caused by the vaccination.\n\nAnyway, in response to your question, it depends where you are in the world. Here in the UK, the recommended vaccination schedule is as follows:\n\n2 months - DTP, Polio, Hib, MenC\n3 months - DTP, Polio, Hib, MenC\n4 months - DTP, Polio, Hib, MenC\n\n12-15 months - MMR\n\nDTP stands for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough). Hib is agains a bug called haemophilus influenza which causes epiglottitis and meningitis. Men C immunises against a certain form of meningitis. And the MMR is against measles, mumps, and rubella.\n\nAs a health professional I would fully recommend that you have your baby immunised. If you don't, you leave your baby at risk of developing serious illnesses which can cause complications such as deafness, brain damage, and even death.
724670
Yes. After I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, my mother decided not to vaccinate my youngest sister, who is 11 years younger than me. She was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, which is also on the autism spectrum.
1108907
A four year old autistic kid probably does not speak what so ever yet.  He also will fixate on one object or sound.  Also where the ADHD is hyper and doesn't slow down much the Autistic kid could just stare at something for hours.   An ADHD child would most likely talk and talk a lot, the Autistic won't.  ADHD child will try to do many things at once and not focus his attention on any one thing for a long time.  Autistic child will focus their attention on ONE thing for a long time.  They both can act out inappropriately.  However the ADHD child would be verbal.\n\nThese are just general behavours and symtoms as everyone with both ADHD and Autism are different
434235
Are these two separate questions, or do you want to know what are the common characteristics, or what?\n\nAutism:\n"All people with autism have difficulty with social interactions and relationships. Parents often describe their child with autism as preferring to play alone and making little eye contact with other people. Other symptoms of autism include:\n\nDifficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. Language development in children with autism is almost always delayed. \nLimited, repetitive, and overused (stereotyped) patterns of behavior, interests, and play. Many typical behaviors—such as repetitive body rocking, unusual attachments to objects, and holding fast to routines and rituals—are driven by the need for sameness and resistance to change. \nThere is no “typical” person with autism. Although autism is defined by the above characteristics, people with autism can have many different combinations of behaviors in mild to severe forms."\n\nMental Retardation:\n\n"There are many signs of mental retardation. For example, children with mental retardation may: \n\nsit up, crawl, or walk later than other children; \nlearn to talk later, or have trouble speaking, \nfind it hard to remember things, \nnot understand how to pay for things, \nhave trouble understanding social rules, \nhave trouble seeing the consequences of their actions, \nhave trouble solving problems, and/or \nhave trouble thinking logically. \n\n\nAbout 87% of people with mental retardation will only be a little slower than average in learning new information and skills. When they are children, their limitations may not be obvious. They may not even be diagnosed as having mental retardation until they get to school. As they become adults, many people with mild retardation can live independently. Other people may not even consider them as having mental retardation.\n\nThe remaining 13% of people with mental retardation score below 50 on IQ tests. These people will have more difficulty in school, at home, and in the community. A person with more severe retardation will need more intensive support his or her entire life. Every child with mental retardation is able to learn, develop, and grow. With help, all children with mental retardation can live a satisfying life."
509091
Isn't it sad when people with Autism are considered to be partially and, in the case of your country, lumped in the same group as people with mental retardation?  I have yet to meet a child with Autism that is not VERY bright.  They all seem to ahve a high intellect, but lack the ability to communicate this.\n\nAt an rate, Autism is a HUGE spectrum, so to give a lifetime prognosis is difficult, and would have to be done on an individual basis.  Every person is SO different.  The best treatment that I have seen is the Applied behavioral Analysis (ABA) program.  It seems to have an amazing affect on almost every individual that goes through it.  best of luck!!
14464
You can gat a ultrasound at anytime during your pregnancy. The doctors wait until 20 weeks because the fetus has developed enough to tell if there are any defects.  It is hard to tell the gender before 20 weeks.
22272
At such a young age it is not the norm to isolate from all people, including family. It could be a form of attachment disorder, and it could be the blossoming of other disorders. A child that exibits such behaviors needs to be assessed for many things. A good child psychiatrist and therapist can test for autism spectrum disorders, but if the child has good verbal skills, that is unlikely. They can also be assessed for attachement disorders, and other types of disorders. Find a good children's center or hospital in your area.
672770
When you say "deemed," it makes me wonder who is doing the determination. Autism or any autistic spectrum syndrome, such as Asperger's, has a set of criteria for diagnosis. Only a medical professional can make the diagnosis of autism. \nSecondly, "social autism" doesn't exist in isolation apart from other aspects of the person - cognitive, emotional etc. To learn more about these neurological syndromes, visit the following site:
1055091
the impact of early day-care experience in reference to the uprising amount of diagnosed cases of Autism.\n\nThe age in which children benefit more from a preschool experience.  Should they start before 4?\n\nThe most beneficial type of pre-school as it relates to academic standing later in life.
209883
Autism is diagnosed in children with the use of various testing instruments - each instrument is generally appropriate for children of different ages and communication ability. Some common tests include the CHAT (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers), the ABC (Autism Behavior Checklist) and CARS (the Childhood Autism Rating Scale). \n\nI suspect that your physician has assessed your child with one or more of these instruments, and has referenced the "rating" that your child scored on the test.\n\nInterpretation of the number that you've reported would depend on the particular testing instrument that was used, so the best answer to your question can only come from a more detailed conversation with your doctor.\n\nYour doctor should be able to provide information to you in a manner that makes you feel that you completely understand the diagnosis, and you should feel comfortable that your doctor is going to serve as your best and most effective resource in understanding and responding to your child's diagnosis. If your doctor does not make you feel comfortable in asking questions, I would recommend that you seek out the advice of another doctor whose patient skills might be more conducive to your comfort and understanding. You will be your son's most important caregiver, and you can only help him thrive if you are thoroughly knowledgeable about his condition.\n\nVery best of luck and patience to you.
303548
When you say you can't get a diagnosis...\n\nHave you spoken with your doctor about getting a referral to a child psychiatrist or neuropsychologist?  A GP is not fully qualified to diagnose this stuff.\n\nIs he getting into trouble at school, and has this been happening for more than 6 months (it MUST have been happening for more than 6 months)?  Then you can get a diagnostic evaluation by a school psychologist. Ask that your son's teacher put in the paperwork. Make the request in writing, one copy to your teacher and one to the principal.\n\nIf it has been less than 6 months...\n\nKids often go through moody periods. My concern is that you say he doesn't remember afterward (although that could just be him trying to avoid consequences), and that you mentioned he appears extremely afraid of things.\n\nYou really do need to get a psychiatric/psychology expert...get that referral from your doctor.
1148867
I would say I was about  hmmm 5 or six when I started using words and such.  Most aspergers and autistics have trouble using body language and you say your child uses body language.  So far at four I would think he is closer to ADHD than autistic nor aspberger's.  My mother was quite concerned with me and took me to psychiatrists and other specialists on autism.  True the non-speech may point to autism but the body language and the hugs and kisses point strongly away from autism.  I really hope he starts speaking soon.  You wanted my e-mail no problem its canucksfan729@hotmail.com.
246723
Autism disorder is one of many disorders in a group called the Pervasive Development Disorders also known as the Autistism Spectrum Disorders.  Autism is the most severe of the disorders on the spectrum.\n\nThere are tons of books and information on the subject; here is a link to a good overview: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm