The 4 types of Autism (and their characteristics)

Many people feel a certain rejection towards things that according to their criteria are not "normal", generally this is due to ignorance and a lack of interest in alleviating their ignorance. Well, we know very well that what is different is what makes us unique and the only way to accept these differences is by knowing everything about it and being empathetic about it.

After all, how is it possible to understand something if we don't educate ourselves about it? It is also about having an open mind and generating a contribution that is positive and beneficial for everyone.

One of the great taboos of society are diseases or mental disorders, especially those that need more dedication than the rest, as is the case with autism spectrum disorder. In which, these children tend to be seen as rude, disrespectful or distant, they are judged without knowing their history and without being able to see beyond their condition, which does not affect them at all to be great people.

Taking into consideration and with the intention of informing, educating and raising awareness,

we bring this article where we will talk about autism and its different typologies.

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Why is the term 'autism' no longer considered correct? With the new edition of ‘Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-5) The decision was made to change the name to autism spectrum disorder due to its subcategorization into different types, with their own characteristics.

This disorder manifests itself during childhood and it is possible to detect it even in preschool ages, the more the early diagnosis, the greater tools parents and children will be able to have to have an ideal adaptation to their environment. As well as the ability to overcome their limitations, which focus on verbal expression, communication and social interaction and affective display, depending on their level of severity.

However, we can find around us many people with this disorder who lead a life regular daily life, thanks to the fact that they have had a correct stimulation, excessive love and a lot of understanding in their environment. In addition, they have been able to see their strengths, such as logical-mathematical skills or abstract creativity.

Types of autism spectrum disorders

We know below the types of autism and the characteristics of each one of them.

1. Childhood autism or Kanner syndrome

This neurodevelopmental disorder was discovered in the 1930s thanks to Dr. Kranner, by which it bears his name. Which has several levels of severity: 1 (mild, needs help), 2 (medium, needs significant help) and 3 (high, needs help very notable) depending on their level of affection in the intellectual, social, communicational spheres and patterns of behaviors repetitive.

Their most notable characteristics are precisely these repetitive behavior patterns (they have a simple but fixed routine and get stressed out if break it) and their difficulty in relating to others (since they prefer to remain isolated in addition to not being able to express themselves in regular)

In the same way, they have conditions with verbal and non-verbal comprehension, fine and gross motor control, emotional expression, and symbolic and imaginative play. However, they do have some interesting characteristics such as being passionate about a subject, admiration and fascination for things that catch your attention, and creative agility.

2. Asperger syndrome

Another of the most common in autism and for which it is often confused regularly, so how to differentiate them? People with Asperger's usually have a medium-high intellectual capacity, so their conditions seem only limited to their social area. People affected by Asperger's have very little empathy, low emotional expression and understandingThey have a very basic and literal language (so they do not understand jokes or jokes), they are usually very methodical, perfectionist and somewhat obsessive.

However, this syndrome is one of the most difficult to diagnose and it is even necessary to carry out analyzes for several years to ensure it. In other words, a child may be diagnosed with Kanner syndrome at first, but then be reassessed to confirm Kanner syndrome. Asperger.

Neurology experts agree that this syndrome is due to localized lesions in the areas of the brain responsible for social relationships and emotions (amygdala, temporal lobe, cerebellum).

3. Childhood Disintegration Disorder

Also known as Heller syndrome, it is one of the disorders that takes the longest to detect, since no abnormal symptoms are shown but up to about 2 or 3 years of age, they can even take up to time to be detected. This disorder is unusual, but its regressive and sudden symptoms make it one of the most serious.

In this sense, when children have a normal development in their physical, mental and emotional growth, until they reach 2-3 years or more, where present a regression chain in the developed skills (motor, cognitive, social, communicative and linguistic) that are not possible to recover.

4. Pervasive developmental disorder, unspecified

This category appears when the symptoms presented in children agree with the autism spectrum, but it is too general to identify in any of the above subcategories. Therefore, it presents all conditions in the social, communication, motor and emotional areas, but they can also appreciate a passion for topics, organization, abstract creativity and following routines specific.

Farewell to Rett syndrome

In previous editions of the ‘Statistical Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders’, up to its fourth version, Rett syndrome was included within from the category of autism spectrum disorders, then in the most recent version (DSM-5) it was decided to withdraw it from this, to give it its own category.

Why did they make this decision? The main reason is its genetic origin of exclusivity on the X chromosome and not on Y, which is why this disorder only occurs in women. In addition to presenting a marked difference in regular physical development, characterized by loss of muscle mass (known as hypotonia) and which is the sign that can be seen the earliest, even if the signs of recoil.

Regressive degenerative symptoms occur in this disorder, that is, girls present a regular neural, physical and communicative development until reaching the age of 2 or 3 years (although there may be cases where the regression begins until later) when development stops and stagnates and acquired skills begin to be lost (case similar to Disintegration Disorder childish).

Why is its diagnosis difficult?

This is due to two main reasons: the similarity between the symptoms of the three categories, so double the effort is needed, dedication and observation to be able to find the correct condition and in the background, because it is very likely that inevitably fall into bias due to the difficulty in making the relevant evaluations of their capabilities.

Therefore, sometimes erroneous or inconclusive results tend to be given in terms of the level of its severity in the different areas of development, as well as in the abilities they may have. This is due to their nature so self-absorbed that it is almost impossible to get to know them.

The same happens with the test standards (which are sometimes not very flexible) and not taking into account the uncontrollable factors that affect their behavior or personality. Therefore, they can be pigeonholed in aspects that are not really present in all cases of the autism spectrum.

Usual treatments in autism spectrum disorder

This condition, despite having certain limitations it is not an impediment for children to have a functional and happy life, especially if the following treatments are followed

1. Psychological treatment

In this, they carry out interventions in the behaviors and behaviors of children, as well as provide parenting strategies for parents. One of the most used techniques is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in which it focuses on the needs of the person, in the reinforcement of acquiring new skills and in stopping the negative impact of the disorder.

2. Social skills training

Yes, the social skills they can be learned, in order to be able to have a better adaptation to the environment. It is not about faking these skills, but about teaching them to recognize and use them, for example, the interaction, improve verbal expression, practice polite rules and gain more confidence own.

3. Find a new language

Just because children on the autism spectrum cannot communicate verbally adequately does not mean that they cannot communicate. So you have to be creative and find new ways to express language, such as pictograms, use of symbols or signs.

4. Recreational and nutritional activities

Extracurricular activities allow children to acquire new skills, create interpersonal relationships, increase their confidence and adapt better to the environment. Some highly recommended are swimming, art classes, crafts, music, etc. as well as the inclusion of games of mental agility, plastids, trapaia balls or clay to model at home.

5. Love and independence

Parents' love and understanding of their condition is very important so that children with autism spectrum disorder can improve and grow in the most functional way. For this, it is necessary to act as mediators when presenting a situation of social interaction, always give them encouragement, stimulate them at home and create spaces for them to develop their own autonomy and independence, in this way they can defend themselves in the future.

Now you know that, like us, people with the autism spectrum are very different from each other.