Child with Autism can be treated, they can lead independent life and can also attend regular school, we just need to start treatment early to get good results.

No, this is misconception, only a small percentage of Children with Autism has mental subnormality. Most the children could not perform day to day tasks due to their problem with interaction and social issues.

Prevalence of Autism in India is around 1 in 100 children. If older sibling has Autism than the chances of second chance develop Autism in 14 times than general population.

You should discuss this with your paediatrician first, they will refer you to a paediatric Neurologist or Developmental Paediatrician to evaluate your child further.

Autism is a developmental disorder which cannot be treated but with therapies and early intervention these children can get better and can lead independent life.

With proper intervention and therapies most of the children with Autism can speak.

Acceptance of Autism in Improving in India, now many of the school are inclusive and accept children with Autism and behavioural problems.

Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls (12.9% compared to 5.6%).

There are no simple tests to diagnose Autism/ADHD, you doctor will examine the child and may perform interviews with them to reach the accurate diagnosis. There are different rating scales which can be used during these interviews.

Treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can help relieve the symptoms and make the condition much less of a problem in day-to-day life.
ADHD can be treated using medicine or therapy, but a combination of both is often best.

The medicines are usually prescribed at very low doses and then the dose are slowly build up to minimise the side effects.

Most common side effects are:
- some children can become agitated, aggressive or irritable
- Loss of appetite
- Problems with sleep
- Headaches

If your child develop any of theses side effects please contact your doctor.
Side effects can be managed easily.

Sensory Processing Difficulties mean the child is overly sensitive to stimuli.

A child with Sensory Processing Disorder may have issues like:
- Can’t sit still, on the go all time.
- Does not like somebody touching them

- Problem with brushing, hair cutting etc
- Seek thrills (loves jumping, heights, and spin
- Does not like solid foods, textures food, smell etc
- Can spin around. look at fans/light bulbs etc.
- Chew on things (including their hands and clothing).
- Seek visual stimulation (like electronics).
- Problems with sleep.

Brain has trouble organising and responding to information from various senses. Certain sounds, sights, smells, textures, and tastes can create a feeling of sensory overload leading to the child responding to them in a unique way.

To deal with these:
1. visit your nearest neuro-paediatrician
2. get your diagnosed properly
3 .consult to an occupational therapist or Sensory integration therapist

Hyposensitivity means when a child is under-responsive to a wide range of stimuli.

Symptoms of hyposensitivity are:
- Think clothing feels too scratchy or itchy.
- Does not like bright light.
- Think sounds seem too loud.
- Think soft touches feel too hard.
- Experience food textures make them gag.
- Have poor balance or seem clumsy.
- Are afraid to play on the swings.
- React poorly to sudden movements, touches etc.

No, Autism/Sensory issues cannot be diagnosed by EEG or MRI but it may help to diagnose other neurological problem if associated.

Sensory Processing Problems will get better if treated early. They may not disappear completely , but they usually become milder as kids mature, and learn to manage them.

Different kids are affected by sensory issues in different ways.
Sensory issues can make it hard for children to succeed at school.
Sensitive kids might be overwhelmed by bright lights or loud noises e.g. kids yelling at recess
Under-sensitive kids might be fidgety and unable to sit still. They might get into trouble for seeking stimulation by bumping, jumping or crashing into other kids.
Kids might have trouble sitting still or concentrating or they might have melt down during transitions from one activity to another.

Stereotypy or self-stimulatory behaviour refers to repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects. These movements are used solely to stimulate one's own senses

Helping your child to stop stereotypes:
1. Rule out medical conditions:there may be any physical pain, headache, stomach ache or ear infection that may trigger stimming.
2. Encourage physical exercises which may help child to reduce tension and reduce stimming
3. Use stims as a reward
4. Self regulations may help child to manage stimming

Toe walking may be directly or indirectly related to vestibular-visual problem , to treat this: –
An occupational therapist works with the child's foot sensation by providing different textures on foot or stretching the leg and foot muscles; this can help release tension and increase range of motion also they are given vestibular Stimulation like swing, spin, or engage in other actions .

Prism Lenses – A vision therapist with vision training may prescribe ambient prism lenses. These lenses help improve one’s perception of where one’s body is relative to their surroundings.

Temper Tantrums are desired behaviour, when a child desire for something and you denied then the child will show tantrums.

Meltdown is an intense response to overwhelming circumstances, there is a complete loss of behavioural control.

Children with autism often have difficulty expressing when they are feeling overly anxious or overwhelmed, which leads to an involuntary coping mechanism that is melt down.