Autism, the risk indicators can be identified already in the first 12 months

They are called Autism Spectrum Disorders, because autism has so many facets. All with a common denominator: a serious difficulty in communication and social interaction, on several levels. And if one of the symptoms that appears already between 18 and 24 months, ie a delay in the development of language and behavioral alterations, the diagnosis for such a heterogeneous disorder is based on the so-called “specifiers”, ie tests that report individual clinical characteristics. Through the observation of the child it is in fact able to better delineate, within the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the characteristics of what were previously considered different disorders: such as autism; Asperger’s Disorder; Disintegrative Disorder of Childhood; Rett’s Disorder and Persuasive Developmental Disorder.

To this day we do not know the exact causes that lead to autism even though research has made significant progress. For example, we know many genetic alterations that are linked to this type of disturbance. It is likely, experts explain, that these genes can interact with each other and with the environment causing autism, but it is well established that the causes are not attributable to educational errors.

Professor Fiorenzo Laghi, professor of Social Psychology and Education explains: “In the choice of rehabilitation therapy, the developmental phase and the diversity of each child with an autism spectrum disorder must always be considered, for this reason the therapeutic approach must be individual. In 2011 the Istituto Superiore di Sanità drew up a Guideline for the Treatment of children and adolescents. The important thing is to rely on specialized health structures and a multidisciplinary team for the global clinical evaluation of the child “.