Autism is a complex disorder involving the nervous system and is common in children. However, the disease still has a high risk of onset in adults. Autism in adults can stem from many different causes, the symptoms are also very diverse and unique.
What is autism in adults?
Autism in adults, also known as adult autism spectrum disorder, is one of the most complex disorders of the nervous system. Symptoms of the disease will seriously affect the function and functioning of the brain.
Autism is characterized by disturbances in communication skills, behavioral disturbances, interests, and thought and behavior control. The symptoms of autism spectrum disorder vary widely, and in fact no two people with autism have the same symptoms. This is also the reason why autism in adults is called the autism spectrum because of the diversity and abundance of signs of the disease, their expression levels will also be somewhat different.
Whether signs of autism are often diagnosed early, in toddlers. However, there are also some cases where it is not until adulthood that these autism spectrum disorders are really detected and properly diagnosed. If autism is recognized too late, it will greatly hinder the treatment process, and also cause many serious impacts on the patient’s health and quality of life.
Causes of autism in adults
Until now, there has not been any research and scientists dare to confirm exactly what causes autism in adults. According to the proposed theories, this disease is related to a number of lifestyle and environmental factors. As follows:
- Genetic factors: According to experts, if in the family there are relatives, relatives who have ever suffered from autism or some related mental health problems, the child’s likelihood of having the disease will increase. future grandchildren will be taller than normal. However, the influence of genetic factors has not yet been fully and specifically determined which genes or combinations of genes can cause the disease.
- During pregnancy, the mother infected with Rubella virus can also affect the brain development of the fetus, so it is easy to cause autism.
- Some thyroid diseases that are capable of depleting women’s tyroxin during pregnancy are also considered as one of the reasons for the formation of changes in the fetus’s brain, thereby leading to fetal distress. autism spectrum disorder.
- During pregnancy, if a pregnant woman has diabetes, the risk of autism in her child will also increase twice as much as normal.
- Certain medications such as tranquilizers, stomach medications, Valproic Acid, and arthritis medications, if taken during pregnancy, can also be a factor in autism.
- If during pregnancy, pregnant women constantly fall into a state of stress, fatigue, depression, there is a high chance that the baby will be born with autism.
- Regular exposure to toxic substances such as herbicides and pesticides with high concentrations will affect and change genes. This will give rise to genetic mutations and negative impacts on the health of pregnant women and fetuses.
- Some controversy among experts about the link between autism in adults and vaccines given in childhood has not been conclusive.
Signs that help identify autism in adults
When it comes to autism, most people think that this is a disease that can only occur in children. However, this health problem exists at many different ages, in many cases lasting for a lifetime. If the disease can be detected at an early stage, when the symptoms are still at a mild level, the recovery rate is high, but the cure rate is still not guaranteed.
For cases that cannot be detected in time and have good interventions, by adulthood, the signs of the disease begin to appear and manifest at a more serious level. At this time, the treatment process will also face many difficulties, the patient will also be more severely affected both physically and mentally.
According to experts, autism is a long-lasting psychological problem and the symptoms of the disease will also occur in many areas, namely in social interaction, communication (verbal and non-verbal). language) and behaviors that are frequently repeated.
When adults with autism are highly functional, they are more likely to have only mild challenges, which can sometimes be easily confused with the telltale signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there are also many cases of severe symptoms, such as severe language impairment.
Depending on the level of each person, the manifestations are also somewhat different and its impact on life will also be different. However, most cases of the disease have the following typical symptoms:
For the surrounding relationships:
- People with autism will face many difficulties in social communication. For example, they do not know how to express their faces, are not flexible and natural in body postures and gestures.
- Patients will have a lot of difficulty making friends, maintaining and getting along with people around them, including friends and colleagues of the same age.
- Autism in adults makes them not know how to share, care and enjoy their own rights. Even when they achieve desirable achievements, they do not know how to enjoy it.
- They lack empathy with all those around them, do not know how to share, sympathize and understand before the joys and sorrows of others.
Signs to recognize autistic people in work and communication:
- Autistic patients will have a lower ability to absorb and learn than normal. They are also quiet people, even statistically it is found that up to 40% of autism cases never talk.
- They tend to live in isolation, never starting a story or a conversation. People with autism will often find it difficult to maintain a communication once they have started talking to the other person.
- They often act in a stereotypical, somewhat mechanical way and often use repetitive language. They may repeatedly use a word or phrase that they have heard before.
- They often have difficulty or may be completely unable to fully understand the meaning of hidden statements that others refer to. For example, it would be difficult for an adult with autism to understand that someone is trying to be funny.
Recognizing signs in behavior:
- People with autism often do not observe objects or events in a comprehensive way, but they only focus on a part, small detail of familiar objects. For example, they only pay attention to the wheels of a car instead of observing the whole car.
- They perform behaviors in a mechanical, structured manner.
- Always show concern and concern about a particular topic. For example, being attracted to
Diagnosis of autism in adults
While autism in children can be easily recognized through abnormal behaviors and impaired communication skills, autism in adults faces many challenges in diagnosis. Because:
- If autism is not diagnosed and recognized from childhood, it proves that the signs of the disease are mild, difficult to detect and this is also one of the major obstacles for doctors to diagnose.
- Until now, there is no specific method that can accurately diagnose autism in adults.
- If patients already have early symptoms of autism, they are more likely to know how to control and disguise them so that others cannot recognize them.
Ideally, when you notice abnormal signs and suspect that you are suffering from autism, you need to be more proactive in visiting reputable and quality specialist facilities for more thorough support. . To be able to diagnose a person with autism, specialists will perform the following ways:
- Learn and exploit abnormalities from childhood to the present.
- Interact and communicate a lot with suspected patients.
- Exchange and learn some necessary information through close relatives or people who often come into contact with them.
- Perform some general health examination measures, find out the causative factors.
- If, after conducting specific diagnostic methods and examinations, but no physical factors can be found, the doctor will refer and ask the patient to see a psychiatrist or other mental health professionals. for a more specific diagnosis.
Although the process of diagnosing autism in adults is difficult, it offers many great benefits such as:
- A diagnosis can provide relief along with an explanation for the long-term challenges the patient has experienced.
- It also helps those close to you to better understand autism.
- A diagnosis of autism in adults opens up a number of benefits to accessing useful services, such as at school or at work.
- It can also substitute for an inaccurate diagnosis, most commonly ADHD.
If you are diagnosed with autism in adulthood, your doctor will advise you specifically on the most appropriate treatment. At this time, you need to comply and strictly follow the instructions of the specialist to achieve the desired treatment results.
Remedies for autism in adults
Autism is a disease that can persist until the end of life and so far there is no specific drug or method that has been proven to be effective in treating the disease. However, if autism can be detected at an early stage and appropriate interventions are applied, then abnormal symptoms can be well controlled.
For cases of autism in adults, the treatment process will be challenging and requires long-term persistence. Depending on the condition of each person, the doctor will consider the most effective treatment regimen. Often the patient will be prioritized to apply a combination of both methods, which is the use of drugs and psychological interventions, cognitive and behavioral therapies will often be used.
Some other treatments include:
- Improve with experienced psychiatrists who have treated many cases of autism in adults.
- Apply individual therapies, group therapy under the guidance and support of psychologists, psychologists, social workers.
- Thanks to the support, concern and care of the family.
- Join live groups and forums to chat and exchange autism treatment experiences.
Autism in adults can be triggered by many causes, the symptoms of the disease are also more diverse and complex than in children. Therefore, as soon as the recognition signs of the disease are recognized, it is necessary to quickly examine and make a specific diagnosis to come up with an appropriate treatment plan.
