Autism is a developmental condition that is usually diagnosed in childhood and persists throughout a person’s life. The fact that there is no cure for autism raises many questions among caregivers and the autistic community. Common inquiries include Can you grow out of autism? or whether a person can recover from autism ?, Can autism symptoms worsen with age?, Do most autistic people text too much ?, Can you develop autism? and Can autism go away? In this blog, we will try to address some of these questions.
Table of Contents
Understanding Autism
Autism is a developmental condition that begins with social interaction, communication, and behavior challenges. Autism is usually diagnosed at the age of 2-3 years. Since autism is a spectrum and it remains throughout life, the behavior of autism keeps changing with age. Autism is divided into 3 levels Mild autism, Moderate autism, and Severe autism.
3 levels of autism are explained based on DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition). From these levels, we can see the intensity of support for our child based on repetitive behavior and social communication.
Importance of Intervention and Therapies
A variety of approaches are used to treat autism, including FDA-approved medications, off-label medications like Stimulants, Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, Alpha-adrenergic agonists, Anticonvulsants, etc., and therapies such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy, and speech therapy.
Can you grow out of Autism or Can Autism Go Away?
It can be misleading to say that one will grow out of autism. Autism is a lifelong condition, but this does not mean that autistic children will never overcome their behavioral or communication challenges throughout their lives. Some children can behave typically, engage in conversations, and do everything that a neurotypical person can do. This progress is often made possible through early intervention therapies such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, and sensory integration therapy. These therapies can significantly reduce many challenges faced by children with autism.
For some parents, therapies may not be affordable. In such cases, taking periodic advice from therapists and working with the child at home through Supportive Activities for Autistic kids can also be beneficial. However, some children may need lifelong support and might not achieve full independence. On the other hand, some individuals with autism develop tools and strategies that help them succeed in school, college, and the workplace like AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication).
It is important for society and caregivers to understand that each autistic child has their own unique set of challenges, and everyone’s growth is different. Recognizing this, caregivers and the community should provide autism awareness, understanding, support, and care to autistic individuals.
Whether a person can recover from autism
According to the medical community, there is no traditional recovery from autism. However, some individuals can overcome their challenges and make significant progress with the support of good caregivers and appropriate treatment with medicines and therapies. Some people discover talents that help them cope socially and adapt to their environment, while others learn to communicate using assistive tools.
Can autism symptoms worsen with age?
The autism journey of every autistic individual is different and the impact of autism symptoms is also different but the symptoms of some autistic children may worsen with age, such as when the child moves from school to college, starts a career, goes to a job, and some new changes in life. All these are stages of life when the behavior of the autistic child can be affected or their symptoms can worsen.
School to College
When an autistic child goes from school to college, he may face new challenges. The college environment is often more complex in which children need self-management skills, social interactions, and academics. This change can increase the anxiety level in children.
Career Phase in life
When an autistic individual enters adulthood, he has to face social relationships and financial independence. And these responsibilities can increase their stress level, which can lead to sensory overload, anxiety levels can also increase which can affect their daily life functioning.
Life events and major changes
Life events and major changes can affect the autistic person which can worsen their symptoms such as the death of a close person, moving house, etc.
Family plays a very important role in such transitions. Whenever such changes occur, understand the needs of autistic children and provide them with support and care. When children enter adulthood, they also undergo a lot of hormonal changes that can affect their emotional regulation, which can trigger more behavior issues.
Children do not have many social expectations during childhood, but as they grow up, they have to independently form social relationships, due to which their social expectations increase a lot, which can affect their behavior.
Do most autistic people text too much?
Not necessary, When autistic people do not feel comfortable in face-to-face talk, they express their feelings through text. Some autistic people can text a lot to talk comfortably. However, it has also been observed that autistic children text less because they do not like writing text. At last, we can say that text-related issues are not only for autistic people, it depends on the communication and social interaction needs of each individual.
Can you develop autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that usually develops in childhood; it is not a condition that develops later in life. It is believed that children with autism do not have the right brain development, which happens either before birth or in the developmental stages of your child.
In some cases, autism is not diagnosed in childhood as the symptoms are mild and parents are unable to recognize it. But, as the child grows up, his minor symptoms become more prominent. When the diagnosis is made, it is known that autism is already present. Many times parents ignore these minor symptoms due to the innocence of childhood, but at later stages, these symptoms reappear in the form of major life changes, such as social anxiety, sensory processing issues, and other neurodevelopmental challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is AAC?
The full form of AAC is Augmentative and Alternative Communication. It is a means of communication for children whose communication abilities do not develop typically, such as those with autism, cerebral palsy, Rett syndrome, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. These children may be unable to communicate effectively and thus they have to take the support of AAC.
Can Autism Go Away?
Autism is a lifelong condition, but this does not mean that autistic children will never overcome their behavioral or communication challenges throughout their lives. Some children can behave typically, engage in conversations, and do everything that a neurotypical person can do.
Is Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD Capitalized?
No, autism spectrum disorder is not usually written in capital letters, it is written in lowercase because it is a kind of noun. But the word autism spectrum disorder, which is the full form of ASD, only ASD can be written in capital letters. And if any sentence starts with “Autism spectrum disorder”, then the ‘A’ of Autism will be written in capital letters just like it happens in other sentences, and all other labels will be written in lowercase only.
Can autistic people be afraid of unusual things?
Yes, autistic people are afraid of unusual things. This anxiety is due to unique sensitivities like light, texture, and sound. If someone has had a negative experience in the past, he/she can feel anxiety due to that reason.
Why do some people with autistic people want 1 kid?
Some autistic parents want only one child because they find it difficult to manage the challenges that come with parenting. They find it stressful to understand and handle sensory issues, behavior problems, and social demands, so they want only one child who can make the parenting experience better for them.
Can autistic people be Psychiatrists?
Yes, autistic people can become psychiatrists if they fulfill the necessary educational and professional requirements of this field as do other normal children. They have to obtain a license to practice psychiatry. However, success in this field depends on many factors such as personnel strength, training practice, and ability to provide support.
A serious case of Autism?
In a serious case, children may be increasingly nonverbal and have difficulty understanding social cues and behavioral issues, requiring support and intervention to meet their daily life challenges so they can make their lives better
