There are basically two types of autism: childhood autism (Kanner's syndrome) and atypical autism. However, if you look at the problem of autism more broadly and include also the so-called autism spectrum disorders, as a type of autism, one could also treat, for example, Asperger's syndrome. So see the breakdown by type of autism.

Types of autismThere are generally two types of autism:autismand atypical autism. In a broader approach, however, considering autism in the category of pervasive development disorders, we can talk about disorders withautism spectrum , which include definitely more problems than the two above-mentioned units.

Autism is commonly believed to be associated quite unambiguously as a child psychiatric ailment, in which the child's communication with its environment is significantly disturbed, stereotypical behavior in an autistic child and serious development disorders.

It is understandable that different children with autism can sometimes have very different disorders, but the reality is that autism has many names.

Types of Autism: Childhood Autism

Childhood autismis considered the primary form of autistic disorders in children.

People with childhood autism display typical behaviors for this problem. They have problems communicating with other people - a significant proportion of children with Kanner's syndrome do not develop speech at all, while others use their own communication system to communicate with the environment, based on, for example, gestures.

There are also problems with interpersonal interactions with this unit - patients with childhood autism may have difficulty both expressing their emotions and understanding the emotions of other people.

Characteristic for this unit is also the fact that in her case, young patients may seem completely uninterested in entering into close interactions with the environment - they may, for example, prefer independent play, instead of involving, for example, their caregivers.

Childhood autismIt is also called early childhood autism or Kanner's syndrome

When mentioning the games, it is worth mentioning that the various entertainment that the child takes onKanner's syndrome can also be quite distinctive.

Well, in children with this type of autism, their games are typically quite stereotypical, e.g. a toddler can over and over again - exactly in the same way and in the same order - build a tower out of one block, he can do it even in a situation where when he has a room filled with various and even more attractive toys.

Here another feature of patients with autism appears, i.e. the need for regularity in their lives. It is not uncommon for these children to function without a clean routine - any differences from the standard daily plan (e.g. deviation from the after-lunch, everyday walk) may arouse fear and sometimes even aggression in the little patient.

The criteria for diagnosing childhood autism take into account the diagnosis of various disorders in the child, however, the age of the patient seems to be the most important.

Well, this type of autism can be diagnosed in patients when various deviations appear in a child before the age of three.

This mention is especially important because, yes - when potential symptoms of autism occur in an older child, it is also possible to recognize a problem from this group, but then a diagnosis of another form of autism is made.

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Poles attribute mainly negative traits to people with autism. Almost half of them oppose getting married and attending a traditional school

The vast majority of Poles would accept a person with autism as a neighbor, colleague or school friend of their child, according to a study conducted for the JiM Foundation. Over 60 percent believes that people with an autism spectrum should have the right to education and work. At the same time, almost 40 percent. does not believe that autistic children will be able to cope with traditional schooling, and more than half are opposed to marriage by autistic people. This is mainly due to the superficial knowledge of Poles about this disorder.

Source: lifestyle.newseria.pl

Types of Autism: Atypical Autism

Atypical autism is defined as a type of autism in which various deviations appear after the patient turns 3 years of age.

This feature is the key difference between early childhood autism and atypical autism, but it is not the only difference.

Atypical autism is also diagnosed inthose children with various symptoms suggesting that they suffer from autism, and at the same time these ailments do not fully meet the criteria according to which early childhood autism is diagnosed.

Is it possible to somehow generally describe atypical autism? Most likely not, because in his case a child may have different, but not all of the above-described symptoms typical of childhood autism, and in fact, different patients with atypical autism may have different disorders.

The position of atypical autism in psychiatric classifications is currently the subject of controversy - in the latest version of the American psychiatric classification (i.e. in DSM-5), atypical autism does not stand out at all.

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Types of Autism: Autism Spectrum Disorder

The types of autismvary; in the case of their discussion, you can most often meet the description of the two above-mentioned disorders.

More and more often, however, is the so-called autism spectrum disordersautism spectrum disorders other problems.

As examples of individuals belonging to the autism spectrum disorder, one can give:

  • childhood disintegrative disorder (a problem in which the development of a child until the age of 24 months is completely normal, and after this time, the previously acquired skills, such as speech or motor skills, are lost) ;
  • Asperger's syndrome (considered to be one of the mildest autism spectrum disorders);
  • Rett syndrome (a genetic disease that occurs practically only in girls; ailments associated with it may resemble autism spectrum disorders, but precisely because it is caused by a genetic mutation, according to some scientists, Rett syndrome should not be included in ASD - this is why Rett syndrome is no longer included among other autism spectrum disorders in the DSM-5 classification.

When discussing the various types of autism, it is also worth mentioning a term which, although it does not appear in any diagnostic classification for autism, seems quite interesting.

We are talking about highly functional autism - this term is used when a patient suffering from autism is diagnosed with intellectual functioning that does not differ from the general population (defined as having an IQ exceeding 70 points).

Sources:

1. Research Autism materials, on-line access: http://researchautism.net/autism/types-of-autism

2. Autism Support of West Shore Materials, Online Access: https://www.asws.org/WhatisAutism.aspx

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of the medical faculty at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

Category:

Psychiatry