Everyone seems to be searching for the autism cures, but the sad fact is there is none. Autism is a spectrum disorder that effects communication skills and causes repetitive behaviors. It is one of those disorders that have been growing rapidly in the last few decades and it's to the point that your child is more likely to get autism than juvenile diabetes. All that is out there are treatment options and early detection. These are about the closest thing you'll find to a cure.



Typically doctors will diagnose a child with autism at around 4 or 5 years of age. The signs of autism can actually be detected within a child's first 2 years. The reason doctors like to wait is that some children progress a little later with their communication skills and it's actually quite normal. It is really up to you to decide how you handle this. If you believe that your child has autism when they really don't, they shouldn't have any problems. If you take your doctor's advice and they turn out to have it, than you're playing catch up.

I'm going to show you a few of the early signs of autistic behavior, but it is important to note that this could be just a late development for a young child. The first obvious concern is a lack of mimicking behavior. For example, if you smile at a baby, it will smile back. It is just part of nature. An autistic child will probably not smile back, probably won't even make eye contact with you. The same applies for words. Even though babies can't talk, by the end of the first year they can pick up on certain words and even their name. An autistic child will end up not responding to this type of stimulation.

The reason early detection is important has to do with the time a child develops certain areas of the brain. Communication starts very early and it's usually progressive. A child will learn to respond to the emotions of another before they'll ever talk. Treatment is designed to help build those communication skills as they start. Research has shown that if this type of treatment is applied later in life, which it is less likely to stick.

When it gets right down to it, there are four basic treatment options that can be done; behavior modification, communication therapy, dietary modification and medication. Behavior modification is about the most simple. The idea is if you reward good behavior and ignore bad behavior, you'll get more good behavior. Communication therapy is a much larger and long-term type of therapy that just about every autistic person will go through. It ranges from learning to talk to learning to empathize. Dietary modification is a relatively simple one. The belief is that being on a proper diet can eliminate a lot of those odd feelings and reduce the amount of tantrums, panic attacks, anxiety, etc. Lastly, medication, which is designed specifically for the sufferers needs.