Autism Prognosis

When parents discover that their child exhibits autism, it is normal to be unduly worried about the prognosis associated with the disorder. What will be in store for the child with autism as he grows up in life?

Here is a video showing new research that explains what will happen to our kids with autism as they develop into adults.

It is now known that people with autism have normal life expectancies but with impaired social functions. As autism is mainly exhibited as symptoms, early intervention when the child is young will lead to better outcomes.Some people with autism eventually lead normal or near-normal lives. Although there is no cure, appropriate early educational intervention may improve social development and reduce undesirable behaviors. Further, autism varies a great deal in severity.

The most severe cases are marked by extremely repetitive, unusual, self-injurious, and aggressive behavior. Such severe cases may persist over time and prove very difficult to change, posing a tremendous challenge to those who must live with, treat, and teach these individuals.

On the contrary. the mildest forms of autism may appear more as a personality disorder associated with a perceived learning disability. In the mildest form, symptoms in many children will improve with intervention or as the children mature.

Associated with autism, about a third of children with autistic spectrum disorders will eventually develop epilepsy. The risk is highest in children with severe cognitive impairment and motor deficits.

As the child moves into adolescence, he will face more pressures that may result in worsened behavior problems. These adolescents with autism may become depressed or increasingly unmanageable.

It must be pointed out that parents with autistic children should be aware that as their autistic child moves through the different phases of life, they will face changing needs and parents have to be ready to re-adjust treatment to help their child.