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Behavioural Disorders
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Autism
The developmental disorder, autism, can be mild or severe and affects individuals differently. Some children only feel secure with routine and are afraid of change, some have speech disturbances, others may have a great talent in one area e.g. maths.
Autism is a developmental disorder which impairs a child's social interactions affecting relationships and their ability to form emotional bonds, communication, understanding and imagination.
Autism is a 'spectrum' disorder, which means in its most severe form it may be accompanied by learning difficulties, extreme behaviour problems and avoidance of human contact. Some people with autism may have an extraordinary talent in one area such as maths, despite their handicap in other areas. A milder form of the disorder is often referred to as Asperger syndrome (AS) and symptoms can improve as the child ages.
Causes
The causes of autism are not known and the recent theory that the MMR vaccine could play a part has been largely disproved.
Features of autism
Children with autism go through various phases. From the age of two until five their behaviour is often very difficult and they display all the typical features of autism. Between the ages of six and 12 they show some improvement in sociability, skills and behaviour. During the teens and twenties, problems may reappear or become more marked, but difficulties tend to lessen again in later life.
Typical features of autism include:
self-examination
a fascination with objects, or certain aspects of objects such as spinning wheels, lines etc
resistance to change in the environment and a desire for routine and order
not responding to sound though there is no physical hearing loss and aversion to loud sounds
inability to hold eye contact and looking at objects out of the corners of the eyes
abnormalities of mood
speech disturbances
Treatment
Some of the difficulties of AS and autism may respond to treatment with homeopathy. It is also worth consulting a nutritionist to rule out any particular food sensitivities.
Dietary supplementation with certain types of fatty acids has been shown to be effective for autistic children. In addition, there are computer programmes and intensive learning programmes available that can help children to further develop their abilities to learn about emotions, facial expressions and their meanings.
