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APRIL 2ND 2022 AUTISM AWARENESS DAY! WHAT IS AUTISM, WHAT ARE ITS SYMPTOMS?
Antalya MedicalPark Hospital, Special Education Teacher and Psychologist, “Autism Awareness Day has been declared by the United Nations to raise awareness and find solutions to the problems related to autism. While one in every 40 children has symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, experts point out that autism is often in between the ages of 1-3 years. The main symptoms of autism include deceleration and inability to make eye contact.”
World Autism Awareness Day is being realized with the support of various associations and organizations in our country, as well as all over the world. Autism is the most common neurological disorder encountered today. Although autism is not a mental illness, its symptoms can cause mental illness. The most common symptoms of autism are speech retardation and inability to make eye contact. The fact that patients do not have a social smile, which should start from the age of 2 months, the delay of speech steps such as agulama, the inability to make out a meaningful word by the age of 1, the dislike of being held turns out to be the first symptoms,” she said.
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WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism spectrum disorder is described as a complex neuro-developmental disorder that is either congenital or occurs in the first years of life, making it difficult and hindering communication with others.
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SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Autism is diagnosed at the earliest at the age of 8 months. the result is obtained when screening with tests at the age of 18 months. For a reliable clinical diagnosis, it should be expected to finish 3 years of age. Eye contact, looking back and pointing when called out is important for normal development. There are diseases whose symptoms are confused with autism. In particular, some forms of language problems overlap.
– Inability to establish eye contact,
– Inability to make friends with peers,
– Indifference to sharing fun, interest or success with others,
– Lack of empathy. Autistics may have difficulty understanding others’ feelings, such as pain and sadness,
– Inability to learn to speak or delay in speaking. 40% of autistics never talk,
– Difficulty starting a conversation or difficulty maintaining a conversation that has started,
– Stereotyped or constantly repeated speech,
– Insistence on doing the same things, strict adherence to routine,
– Sensory more or less arousal,
– Do not have difficulty understanding the point of view of your listeners. For example, he may not understand the joke made by the person opposite him. He perceives and understands words, but he cannot understand what is implied.
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HISTORY OF AUTISM AWARENESS DAY
April 2nd was declared as “World Autism Awareness Day” by the United Nations in 2008 in order to create solutions to the problems caused by autism by raising awareness about autism all over the world. Every year, during April, the ”Autism Awareness Month”, autism problems and solutions are discussed worldwide, research is encouraged and treatment with early diagnosis is aimed at spreading.
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TYPES OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
There are three types of autism spectrum disorders,
Autism:
This is sometimes called “classic” autism. Most people think so when they hear the word ”autism”. People with autism often have significant language delays, social and communication problems, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorders are also mentally retarded.
Asperger Syndrome:
People with Asperger syndrome usually have milder symptoms of autistic disorder. They may have social difficulties, unusual behavior and interest. However, they usually do not have language or intellectual disability problems.
Generalized Developmental Disorder:
This is sometimes called “atypical autism” or PDD-NOS. People who meet some criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger’s syndrome, but not all, can be diagnosed with atypical autism. Such people usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those with autistic disorders. Symptoms can cause not only social and communication problems.
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TREATMENT OF AUTISM
Currently, there is no single standard treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But there are many ways to minimize the symptoms and maximize the capabilities. People with OSB, with appropriate treatments and interventions, have the opportunity to use all their abilities and skills.
The most effective treatments and interventions are usually different for each person. In some cases, treatment can help people with autism lead lives like normal people. For this purpose, behavioral training and special therapies are applied. It is also important that the treatment to be applied is appropriate for the family. Speech therapy, therapies aimed at increasing motor abilities, therapies aimed at gaining social communication skills are among the treatments applied in.
Medications can be used in conditions that accompany autism, such as depression, attention deficit-hyperactivity, obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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DO NOT MISS THE FIRST SYMPTOMS
Turkish Associate Professor from the Department of Pediatric Neurology Doctor gave information about autism spectrum disorder as part of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. Assoc. Doctor emphasized that the cause of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is not fully known, “Autism is a disease that begins in infancy and can also be seen in childhood. It is known that genetic and environmental factors are effective in autism. Genetic factors have a special significance, but many cases of autism have also been proven that do not have a genetic origin. Genetics does not mean that the mother or father has autism. Because small differences in DNA that occur in an unknown way, the cause of which is unknown, can cause autism when a child develops in the womb. One of the most important reasons that causes autism in environmental factors is the medications that the mother uses, especially the diseases and infections that she experiences during pregnancy,” she said.
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ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND MENTAL RETARDATION INCREASE THE RISK
Genetic and environmental factors affecting children with autism Assoc. Dr. “Radiation exposure in the womb, mother and father being over the age of 40, having a history of premature birth, that is, being born before in 5 weeks and under 2.5 grams are among the environmental factors,” Dr. explained. Another environmental factor is the history of staying in intensive care during the newborn period and living in areas with high concentration of chemical materials. Excessive exposure to technological means of communication such as mobile phones, tablets and televisions, and especially in children who grow up far from the social environment, this risk factor can trigger autism. The conditions that cause genetic factors are some special disease groups such as Fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis. Autism can also be seen frequently not only in diseases with mental retardation”.
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SPEECH RETARDATION AND ATTENTION TO EYE CONTACT
Assoc. Doctor stated that one out of 40 children has autism in recent studies, and listed its symptoms as follows: “Autism is often seen in between ages of 1 and 3. The most common symptoms of children with autism are speech retardation and inability to make eye contact. The first symptoms are that patients do not have a social smile, which should start at the age of 2 months, speech steps such as crying are delayed, children cannot make out a meaningful word by the age of 1, they do not like to be held. They do not respond to touch at all or overreact, they are not interested in their peers when they reach the age of play and they do not want to play games with their peers. Especially in the scenario, they have problems setting up games and cannot make sentences. The most important characteristic that comes to mind when you say autism is social and communication, there is a limitation in interaction, the inability to provide common attention and the inability to adapt to social life. Nowadays, awareness about autism has increased. Because families can now access information very easily and notice the change in their children earlier”.
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THE SYMPTOMS ARE DIFFERENT IN EACH CHILD
Stating that the symptoms of each autistic person are different from each other, Assoc. Dr. “The reason it’s called autism spectrum disorder is because the signs and symptoms are classified differently or by weight,” said. In other words, while there is only one finding in a child, there may be two or three findings in some children. No cases are standard or unique to each other, they can decode different findings together. The better the mental capacity of children with autism, the more benefit they will receive from treatment. Because autism with mental retardation, that is, mental retardation, can occur together in about 30-40 percent of cases. Therefore, the better the mental capacity and language development, the more likely it is to benefit from treatment. Early detection is also very important. As soon as there is a difference in the child’s condition, he must necessarily be followed by a neurologist, psychiatrist and psychologist. It is especially necessary to warn the child in this direction as soon as it is noticed in which area of development the child has a retardation. The treatment of autism spectrum disorder during the main unit is individual education, that is, behavioral education and its structuring. If there are extra psychological symptoms such as attention deficit, behavioral disorder, impulsivity, depression that accompany autism, they need to be treated. At the same time, vitamin supplements, Omega3 support, probiotics and dietary practices have been coming to the fore especially in the recent period. But our knowledge of vitamins and probiotics is very limited. But in general, if a child has a problem with the intestinal tract, such as constipation, weight gain and developmental problems, we recommend that the diet of these children be reviewed. But the intensive dietary practices used today actually have no proven clear effect on autism. But there is some information that shows that the ketogenic diet is especially effective in children with severe autism, with behavioral disorders. In particular, we recommend that some types of epilepsy can also give symptoms such as autism, come with a behavioral disorder, and that a neurology evaluation should definitely be done when researching patients under the name of autism spectrum disorder,” she said.
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Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.