Autism spectrum disorders have an impact on the socialization and communication of children and adults. But there are different forms and it is important to know how to distinguish them.
Many times ASDs have been relegated to plain autism and this can generate preconceived ideas of people who suffer from it. Today we know that it is a plural condition that encompasses different realities.
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What are autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?
In recent years, the term ASD has ceased to be present only in specialist manuals and its use has become popular among all citizens, especially for fathers and mothers who have children of infant age. However, you can still have the wrong idea of what they are.
ASDs comprise a very heterogeneous group of disorders that begin in childhood and last a lifetime with implications for the behavior of boys and girls. All share some impairment in social interaction and communication. It includes conditions that used to be diagnosed separately and are now covered under the same umbrella. However, each disorder is different and manifests itself to different degrees in each person.
It is important to know that the learning and thinking abilities of people with ASD vary considerably; there are people with ASD with high cognitive abilities and others who may have more difficulties. Similarly, some may require help to carry out their day-to-day activities, while others may be completely autonomous.
The early detection of these disorders is fundamental and is a task that pediatricians usually do but in which teachers and psychologists also participate, since it is important to assess the infant in question from different perspectives. The specialists carry out a follow-up of the child’s development and remain attentive to those signs that may be related to these conditions.
Once a positive diagnosis is obtained, actions can be taken to deal with it. Normally, a multidisciplinary therapy is established that extends into all the environments in which the children live (from school to home and all other areas). These therapies improve the prognosis of symptoms and seek to promote adaptive behavior for good social inclusion.
Today’s article aims to clarify how the main groups of Autism Spectrum Disorder differ, as well as to make a brief description of each one.
What types of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exist?
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its International Classification of Diseases, collecting the single term Autism Spectrum Disorder and includes the following manifestations in this category:
1. Kanner syndrome or childhood autism
Considered the quintessential disorder within autism spectrum disorders, it is a disorder that affects neuronal development and can have implications for social interaction, communication and in the area of interests and behaviors . It is usually detected in childhood and affects males more frequently.
They are usually infants who have social interactions that are beyond what is considered normal. They may have trouble establishing appropriate non-verbal communication (they do not use gestures when interacting) and their way of relating to others is different. They prefer to be alone and find it difficult to establish friendships with other children as they do not show social and emotional reciprocity.
They present important alterations in communication and, as we have commented previously, they do not usually use non-verbal language. In the same way, their verbal language is also usually altered. There may be the case that they do not present any type of language or that it appears in later stages.
Another affected area is usually that of the game since they do not usually play in a symbolic way. For example, it is very rare for them to play mothers or fathers or to play role-play with their dolls. Instead, they do enjoy grouping and arranging objects in an orderly fashion.
As far as their behavior is concerned, they adhere very rigidly to routines and it causes them a lot of stress to break them. Therefore, they need their day to be very well planned and to know well in advance what they are going to do.
Lastly, they are people who tend to show a somewhat peculiar pattern of interests. For example, as if they were industrial designers, they show great amazement at the colors and textures of objects and love to touch and experience them, but without any specific or “functional” objective. They can be strongly passionate about a particular subject, which can be a very positive trait if channeled well. In addition, they may possess high creative agility.
2. Asperger’s disorder
Formerly called Asperger syndrome, it is often mistaken for autism. One of the differences is that there is no language deficiency, as there is in autism. In this way, people with this disorder make adequate use of language and only communication and social interactions are affected .
On the other hand, since it does not affect neuronal development, people who suffer from it have cognitive abilities like any other, and it is a disorder that does not have to affect autonomy, a fact that can be compromised in some types of autism. There are neurology experts who point out that this disorder may be due to some lesions in areas of the brain responsible for emotions and social relationships.
People who suffer from it have alterations in non-verbal communication, so some tend not to make eye contact when interacting socially. Sometimes facial expressions do not match the emotions they are experiencing or may be considered out of place according to society’s standards of behavior.
Sometimes there is no obvious social reciprocity (such as the feeling of gratitude) and they may have low empathy and low emotional understanding. Their language can be basic and literal, and they may not understand jokes or jokes.
They tend to be very methodical and perfectionist people , and as with autism, they can become obsessed with a particular topic (occupying this topic in a large part of their conversations for a long time, for example). They also stick to routines very closely.
It is important to know that it is one of the disorders of this group with the most difficult diagnosis, since years of analysis are usually required to be able to confirm it. In fact, there are infants who are initially diagnosed as autistic but with subsequent reassessments (over the years) are confirmed as having Asperger’s.
3. Heller Syndrome or Infantile Disintegration Disorder
It is a disorder where people who suffer from it develop in a normal way at least until they are two years old. A posteriori and before turning ten, they will lose the previously acquired skills. It differs from autism in that it does not usually show manifestations during the first year of life.
This regression in what the infant had learned has implications for motor skills or language, but it extends to skills that allow the child to play in a symbolic way, as well as good control of the sphincters, so they lose control of urination when they already had it mastered.
In addition, abnormalities appear in social interaction, communication and behavior. Establishing horizontal communication with children their age is very difficult (they may not know how to start or maintain a conversation), a fact that is aggravated by the decrease in symbolic play skills mentioned above, which make it difficult for them to understand what they are playing other children and be able to join.
Although it is a very unusual disorder, its sudden manifestation makes it one of the most worrying. The parents are surprised and try to find the causes, but all this happens without the child having been exposed to any traumatic or stressful situation.
4. Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
Finally, there is this category that is reserved for those cases that meet some diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder, but not all . Therefore, they may present conditions that have repercussions on social relationships, on communication, motor and emotional skills.
What happened to Rett syndrome?
Rett syndrome has been considered for many years a disorder that would fall within those of the autism spectrum, but over the years it has been considered as a disease of its own and distinguishable from the others.
One of the reasons is that it is a disorder that only appears in women , so its origin is very marked by genetics (it is an anomaly that can only occur on the X chromosome). In addition, it is distinguished from the others in that a strong loss of muscle mass appears, which is one of the symptoms that manifests first.
Similar to what happens with Childhood Disintegration Disorder, girls present standard neural, physical, and communicative development until they are 2 or 3 years old, which stops and they begin to lose acquired skills.
Bibliographic references
- Society of Psychiatry and Neurology of childhood and adolescence. (2017). Autism Spectrum Disorder. Valparaiso.
- Barthélemy C, Fuentes J, Howlin P, Gaag van der R. (2019). “People with autism spectrum disorder – Identification, understanding, intervention”. Autism-Europe
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). CDC
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.