On rare but real occasions, sufferers of autism do carry out repetitive actions or have sudden, violent tantrums. There are times when they actually do hurt themselves, although a number of professionals do not think it is intentional. I would say that even then, it is safe to assume that an autistic child still has a brain that functions well, albeit one that does not reach out to you quite the way you expect.
Using objects in the environment to cut or injure oneself is not a pleasant pastime, for you or for anyone watching. If you find your child doing something like this, you are certainly going to be concerned. Now a number of autistic patients have this unpleasant characteristic, but not all of them do. Before you conclude that this is what your child is suffering from, you need some kind of professional opinion. Never take a step without it.
I suspect from much experience, and researchers also agree, that there might not be a single cause for the syndrome called autism. What we know already are a lot of the symptoms of the condition, and a lot about where the patient might end up. What we do not know though, is how it comes about, and if we can put an end to it for good. Thankfully, Americans are fighters; we will find that cure someday.
Autism could be a disease all by itself, or it could be a collection of a number of separate disorders acting in unison to mess with the heads of little children. All we can tell so far is that most kids start to show the signs around three years of age, and keep it up sometimes for life, or sometimes till they are well advanced in age. Only with more work and results than we have now will we know more for sure.
Related posts: