Treating Autism - Doctors And Diagnosing Autism

Hearing your child has
Autism, Your first inclination might be to
get a second opinion and no one would stop you. However, once your child has been diagnosed
with Autism,instead of looking for a way out, you should begin treatment. There are signs to
look for if you think your child might suffer from autism. If you witness any of problems or
abnormal behavior, call your doctor.

Autism is a brain development disorder and is usually diagnosed before a child turns three

years old. Here are some symptoms to look for in your child

Treating Autism - Doctors and Diagnosis Of Autism

- If your child is showing speech regression, there might be a reason for concern. Also, if your
child is taking a long time to start talking, longer than most children at that age.

- Another problem you might see is the way your child interacts with other children. Perhaps
your child refuses to play with other children or doesn't seem to respond well in social settings,
you should visit a doctor to get more information.

If a doctor suspects a problem, they will perform a battery of tests. Every child is different, so
one test will not show if a child has autism. Every child has different symptoms and responds to
the disorder differently. Your family doctor will do a full work up with family history. If your doctor
does suspect any problems, your doctor may refer you to a specialist in Autism and similar
disorders to get a proper diagnosis.

A doctor will start with performing auditory tests. There could be other reasons your child isn't
speaking well or not playing well. It could be due to hearing problems. There are two ways to do
a hearing test. The first way is done while a child is awake and reacts to the tones he or she
hears. The other is done while the child is sedated and a machine measures the brain activity to
certain tones

Treating Autism - Doctors and Diagnosis Of Autism

Blood and urine tests are usually taken as well to analyze DNA. The doctor is probably looking
for the Fragile X syndrome, which normally shows up in children with autism. Along with DNA
tests, the doctor may perform an MRI or a CAT scan to examine brain functions.

If your child does get diagnosed with autism, it's important to give your child structure. This is
going to start with the doctor. Don't drag your child around to the three or four doctors hoping
the diagnosis is going to change. Get one doctor who is going to give your child a uniform
treatment. This will help your child in trusting other people if they see the same face all the time.