1. AUTISM Roseleeny Bt Saari 113822 Nutrition 3 Roseleeny Bt Saari 113822 Nutrition 3 AUTISM

2. Also called ‘Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)’ or ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’. It is complex disorders of brain development It is also bio- neurological developmental disability that generally appears before the age of 3. It occurs in all ethnic and socioeconomic groups and affects every age group.

3. Experts estimate that 1 out of 88 children age 8 will have an ASD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 30, 2012). An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. Estimated to affect more than 2 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. Government autism statistics suggest that prevalence rates have increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years. About 20 to 30 percent of children with an ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.

4. Brain abnormality Difficult with social interaction, communication skills (verbal or non-verbal) and cognitive function. People with autism will stick to a set of behaviors and will resist any major (and many minor) changes to daily activities.

5. Factors of Autism.. Over the last five years, scientists have identified a number of rare gene changes, or mutations, associated with autism. Genetic risk factors. Involves events before and during birth. -They include advanced parental age at time of conception (both mom and dad), maternal illness during pregnancy and certain difficulties during birth, particularly those involving periods of oxygen deprivation to the baby’s brain. -Flu and persistent fever during pregnancy raise autism risk. If a pregnant woman gets the flu or has a fever that persists for more than one week, there is a greater chance that her offspring will be diagnosed with an ASD by the age of three, researchers from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, reported in the journal Pediatrics (November, 12th, 2012 issue). Males are four times more likely to have an ASD than females.

6. Social interactions and relationships Significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions, and body posture. Failure to establish friendships with children the same age. Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people. Lack of empathy. People with autism may have difficulty understanding another person's feelings, such as pain or sorrow. Verbal and nonverbal communication Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 40% of people with autism never speak. Problems taking steps to start a conversation. Also, people with autism have difficulties continuing a conversation after it has begun. Stereotyped and repetitive use of language. People with autism often repeat over and over a phrase they have heard previously (echolalia). Difficulty understanding their listener's perspective. For example, a person with autism may not understand that someone is using humor. They may interpret the communication word for word and fail to catch the implied meaning. Limited interests in activities or play. An unusual focus on pieces. Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car, rather than playing with the entire toy. Preoccupation with certain topics. For example, older children and adults may be fascinated by video games, trading cards, or license plates A need for sameness and routines. For example, a child with autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on driving the same route every day to school. Stereotyped behaviors. These may include body rocking and hand flapping.

7. Usually noticed first by parents and other caregivers sometime during the child's first 3 years. Although autism is present at birth (congenital), signs of the disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during infancy. Parents often become concerned when their toddler does not like to be held; does not seem interested in playing certain games, such as peekaboo (game played primarily with babies); and does not begin to talk. Sometimes, a child will start to talk at the same time as other children the same age, then lose his or her language skills. They also may be confused about their child's hearing abilities. It often seems that a child with autism does not hear, yet at other times, he or she may appear to hear a distant background noise, such as the whistle of a train.

8. Very Early Indicators no babbling or pointing by age 1 no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2 no response to name loss of language orsocial skills no smiling or social responsiveness. excessive lining up of toys or objects poor eye contact Later Indicators impaired ability to make friends with peers impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others absence or impairment of imaginative and social play stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus preoccupation with certain objects or subjects inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals. DIAGNOSED

9. Treated Educational/ behavioral interventions Medications.Other therapies.

10. Educational/behavioral interventions. - Therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis. Family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with an ASD often helps families cope with the particular challenges of living with a child with an ASD. Medications. -Doctors may prescribe medications for treatment of specific autism-related symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antipsychotic medications are used to treat severe behavioral problems. Seizures can be treated with one or more anticonvulsant drugs. Medication used to treat people with attention deficit disorder can be used effectively to help decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity. Other therapies. - There are a number of controversial therapies or interventions available, but few, if any, are supported by scientific studies. Parents should use caution before adopting any unproven treatments. Although dietary interventions have been helpful in some children, parents should be careful that their child’s nutritional status is carefully followed.

11. Research suggests that a woman can reduce her risk of having a child with autism by taking prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and/or eating a diet rich in folic acid (at least 600 mcg a day) during the months before and after conception. Children with an ASD who received early intervention tend to have better brain function, communication skills and overall social behavior compared to ASD children with no early intervention, researchers from the Yale School of Medicine reported in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder (November 2012 issue).

12. Autism. (2008). Retrieved Nov 23,2013, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/ What is Autism?. (2013). Retrieved Nov 23, 2013, from http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism Autism Fact Sheet. (2009). Retrieved Nov 23, 2013,from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_a utism.htm http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_a utism.htm