| A psychologist or psychiatrist experienced with | | | | communication areas. The child is observed as being |
| Autism Spectrum Disorders can make a diagnose for | | | | different than other children, he is anxious, responds |
| adults, and in what concerns children, they must be | | | | unusually to many different stimuli, has poor attention |
| tested by a number of professionals, which will | | | | and motivation, and speech can be delayed or largely |
| provide the needed information to make decisions | | | | absent. The child can also have a range of ritualistic |
| about program and treatment approaches. | | | | behaviours, like hand flapping, finger gazing or toe |
| It was seen that the age of diagnosis ranges, | | | | walking. It was seen that the child or adult with |
| depending on the circumstances from approximately | | | | autism can be also intellectually disabled. |
| 18 months through to adulthood. | | | | We can mention a loosely used term to describe a |
| Autism Spectrum Disorder deals with several labels, | | | | child or adult who meets the criteria for a diagnosis |
| for example at an end of the spectrum there can be | | | | of Autism, but is not as severely affected as the |
| diagnoses like "Asperger Syndrome", "High Functioning | | | | more classically autistic person-High Functioning |
| Autism" and "PDD-NOS", and at the other end, we | | | | Autism. |
| can find labels like "Autism", "Classic Autism" and | | | | Asperger Syndrome deals with severe and sustained |
| "Kanner Autism". Several labels place people at | | | | social impairments, but the impairments in the |
| different points of the spectrum. | | | | language and communication area aren't so severe. |
| We can say that the term Autism Spectrum Disorder | | | | The speech develops within the normal age range, |
| is used because there is a great variation from | | | | but effectively communication is impaired. |
| person to person, which depends on the severity and | | | | It was seen that the impairments become more |
| combination of each area of impairment. It is known | | | | evident as the child reaches pre-school and school |
| that together with Autism Spectrum Disorder may | | | | age, being more subtle in the very young child. |
| exist also other conditions or disorders, like speech | | | | There can also be given a diagnosis for children who |
| and language disorders, anxiety and depression, | | | | present with some of the characteristics of either |
| intellectual disability, epilepsy, attention disorders, | | | | Autism or Asperger Syndrome, but not severe |
| Tourette Syndrome and Down Syndrome. | | | | enough for a diagnosis of either of these conditions |
| Usually, before the age of 3, in autism, clearly appear | | | | and this is Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not |
| severe and sustained impairments in the social and | | | | Otherwise Specified. |