What is ASD?

, , Comments Off on What is ASD?

ASD is short for Autism Spectrum Disorder and it refers to a group of illnesses involving abnormalities in brain development. ASD or autism does not correspond to a single type of brain development disorder but rather refers to a variety of complex illnesses that have a common characteristic which is abnormal brain development. When a patient has abnormalities in his/her brain development, system and behavioral difficulties are expected. Some patients will have only mild affectation in terms of motor and verbal skills while others will have obvious difficulties in terms of cognition and overall brain function.

The three main areas of concern in ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder are social skills, communication skills, and motor or play skills. Children affected by autism or ASD typically have difficulties in these three areas. In terms of social behavior, many autistic children have literally worlds of their own because they often play alone and do not interact much with other kids. As for communication, children with autism also are not able to express themselves as normal kids would and this also leads to further difficulty in terms of social interaction and playing with other kids. Some kids may be able to play but they are often restricted to a few activities or repetitive actions.

Various factors can cause autism in a child. Research has shown that genetics play a big part in having children that are prone to have ASD at varying levels or degrees. Environmental factors are also said to highly influence the chances of babies being born with autism or ASD. Pregnant women who became sick or those who got pregnant at an advanced age were also said to be predisposed to having children with some form of autism. The problem with autism or ASD is that different types and levels exist for the illness which also involves different probable causes.

Tea Time Quiz

[forminator_poll id="23176"]