Saudi Gazette report Most children who suffer from autism are diagnosed with the disorder by the age of three. Autism can affect a child's personality and development, which is why experts urge parents to take their children to a specialist if they see signs of the neurodevelopmental disorder. Once diagnosed, treatment of the disorder involves constant medical supervision and monitoring of the child's behavior by a group of experienced consultants including neurologists, child psychiatrists and speech therapists. Al-Sharq daily reports on how the disorder affects children in the Kingdom. Dr. Musa Al-Zaalah, child psychiatrist, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, said autism occurs due to a central nervous system malfunction, causing the affected child to lose the ability to communicate, learn and interact. “These symptoms are associated with an introvert nature that makes the child isolate himself from social interaction with others,” Al-Zaalah said. “One out of four children are diagnosed with autism. Symptoms become clearer between 18 and 24 months and they include an inability to talk, play or socially interact with others,” Al-Zaalah explained, stressing that each case is unique. Mysterious causes According to Al-Zaalah, scientists still do not know the real cause of autism but an autistic child can get better and chances of living a normal life are higher if the child undergoes an intensive rehabilitation program between the ages of two and five. “A child's family should be trained on the development and interactive programs they should practice with their child and encourage their child to independently perform daily activities such as eating, getting dressed and going to the bathroom.” Treatment There is no one single treatment method for autism. All methods focus on helping the child cope with this medical condition. “The most effective method of treatment is the one that gives consideration to each case individually. Treatment should combine speech therapy, linguistic skills and medications to reduce the effect of the symptoms associated with autism,” Al-Zaalah said. A decrease in the level of intelligence is always associated with autism. However, some autistic children show normal intelligence levels. It is important that parents not rush into conclusions and instead consult a specialist to get the correct diagnosis. Karima Al-Sabbagh, speech therapist, said an autistic child needs lengthy speech therapy sessions before he or she can improve the language skills. “One of the challenges facing speech therapists when handling autistic cases is to make the child focus and stay still during the session,” Al-Sabbagh said.
