What is autism?
In December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate 2 April as world autism awareness day every year from 2008 onwards to raise awareness of autism and related research and diagnosis, as well as people with autism.
The concept of autism was first proposed by Johns Hopkins University expert Leo Canner in 1943, autism is also called autism in medicine, which is a disease that has not yet been known and understood by the whole society, and is a representative disease of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD).
The DSM-IV-TR classifies PDD into five types: autistic disorder, Retts syndrome, childhood disintegration disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and unspecified PDD. Among them, autism disorder and Asperger's syndrome are more common. The prevalence of autism is reported differently, generally considered to be about 2 to 50,000 people in the child population, the ratio of male to female is about 3 to 4:1, and there are 3-4 times more boys than girls.
According to the "Report on the Development of China's Autism Education and Rehabilitation Industry" released in 2019, the incidence of autism in China reached 0.7%, and there were about 10 million people with autism spectrum disorders that year, of which more than 2 million children under the age of 12 were about 2 million.
The early manifestations of autism can be summarized as "five noes" ("five less").
No (less) looking: abnormal eye contact, decreased attention to people, especially the human eye;
No (less) should: young children turn a deaf ear to the call of their parents;
No (less) refers to: lack of proper body movements, inability to make requests for something of interest;
No (less) said: Most children with autism have delayed language function;
Inappropriate: Refers to inappropriate use of objects and associated sensory abnormalities, including rotation, arrangement, and continuous visual exploration of objects.
Principles of treatment of autism
Early detection, early treatment. The earlier the age of treatment, the more pronounced the improvement.
Promote family involvement so that parents can also become collaborators or participants in therapy. The child himself, the child health doctor, the child's parents and teachers, the psychologist and the society should participate in the treatment process and form a comprehensive treatment team.
Adhere to the comprehensive treatment training program that focuses on non-drug treatment, supplemented by drug treatment, and promotes each other.
Treatment options should be individualized, structured, and systematic. Treatment is carried out in different places according to the child's condition, and the treatment plan is adjusted at any time according to the treatment response.
At the same time of treatment and training, we should pay attention to the physical health of the child and prevent other diseases.
Stick to the treatment and persevere.