Autism Spectrum Disorder: A guide with 10 key points to design the most suitable strategy for your child

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder, the great challenge

The numbers of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are increasingly significant: a 2016 study by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) of eight-year-olds in 11 U.S. communities established that 1 of every 54 children fell within this spectrum. The prevalence of this disorder is 4 to 1 in boys and girls, which leads to even more uncomfortable figures when transferred to the study of male children: 1 in 34 children has Autism Spectrum Disorder.

For many years little was known about autism. The 1988 film Rain Man, in which Dustin Hoffman played an adult autistic of the savant type (extremely intelligent and with an exceptional memory), contributed to forging one of the myths surrounding this disorder. However, that type of autism represents a very small portion of the total. Since the 1990s, autism cases have grown significantly, and so has interest and widespread knowledge about the disorder. Also, complaints about the components of vaccines, primarily mercury and aluminum, have risen.

What exactly is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? It is understood as a neurodevelopmental disorder, which affects development and can manifest itself in behavior (restricted or repetitive behaviors), in communication or in socialization. According to its current classification, it covers a wide spectrum of disorders (Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). In turn, it is classified into three different degrees according to the support needed for each area.

The concept of autism was first used in 1908 by Doctor Eugen Bleuer, to refer to isolated schizophrenic patients, but it has come a long way to reach the way it is currently understood. It is a complex diagnosis that includes different disorders and deficits, so that it covers a range of different conditions related to communication, behavior or response to stimuli. That is why it is referred to as an autistic spectrum. The spectrum is so broad that it covers children with great cognitive difficulties, children with many abilities who could be considered gifted, children without the ability to speak, children who express themselves very well, and when they become adults it can be applied to people very independent or people with difficulties to carry out daily activities.

The diagnosis of ASD is a great challenge for parents: there is no consensus on the causes that could cause these disorders, nor is there a consensus on its treatment. Associations of parents of children with ASD have become important social actors in many countries of the