| Hearing your child has autism can be a heart | | | | full work up with family history. If your doctor |
| wrenching ordeal. Your first inclination might be to | | | | does suspect any problems, your doctor may |
| get a second opinion and no one would stop you. | | | | refer you to a specialist in autism and similar |
| However, once your child has been diagnosed | | | | disorders to get a proper diagnosis. |
| with autism, instead of looking for a way out, you | | | | A doctor will start with performing auditory tests. |
| should begin treatment. There are signs to look | | | | There could be other reasons your child isn't |
| for if you think your child might suffer from | | | | speaking well or not playing well. It could be due |
| autism. If you witness any of problems or | | | | to hearing problems. There are two ways to do a |
| abnormal behavior, call your doctor. | | | | hearing test. The first way is done while a child is |
| Autism is a brain development disorder and is | | | | awake and reacts to the tones he or she hears. |
| usually diagnosed before a child turns three years | | | | The other is done while the child is sedated and a |
| old. Here are some symptoms to look for in your | | | | machine measures the brain activity to certain |
| child. | | | | tones. |
| - If your child is showing speech regression, there | | | | Blood and urine tests are usually taken as well to |
| might be a reason for concern. Also, if your child | | | | analyze DNA. The doctor is probably looking for |
| is taking a long time to start talking, longer than | | | | the Fragile X syndrome, which normally shows up |
| most children at that age. | | | | in children with autism. Along with DNA tests, the |
| - Another problem you might see is the way your | | | | doctor may perform an MRI or a CAT scan to |
| child interacts with other children. Perhaps your | | | | examine brain functions. |
| child refuses to play with other children or doesn't | | | | If your child does get diagnosed with autism, it's |
| seem to respond well in social settings, you should | | | | important to give your child structure. This is |
| visit a doctor to get more information. | | | | going to start with the doctor. Don't drag your |
| If a doctor suspects a problem, they will perform | | | | child around to the three or four doctors hoping |
| a battery of tests. Every child is different, so one | | | | the diagnosis is going to change. Get one doctor |
| test will not show if a child has autism. Every child | | | | who is going to give your child a uniform |
| has different symptoms and responds to the | | | | treatment. This will help your child in trusting other |
| disorder differently. Your family doctor will do a | | | | people if they see the same face all the time. |