Do you know which are the first signs of autism in babies?
Parents always believe it will never happen to them, that children with development disorders were probably not treated correctly or they are children of mothers that did not have a healthy pregnancy; however, the reality is that this often happens in spite of all the medical attention and preventive measures taken.
Autism is a cognitive development and social interaction disorder that is detected before the first year of age and with consequences for life.
In many cases, it is the parents of the children who notice different behaviours in the first months of life of their child, small details such as lack of attention or interest of the minor to the outer world, delays in speech development; i.e., they do not speak, do not sit up and do not have the same progress as other children of the same age.
Of course autism has a wide spectrum, some patients only have a few characteristics and can function in their daily lives without many issues, but there are also patients with severe autism that will forever limit their capabilities to develop, interact and even learn new things.
Therefore, it is important to always go to a doctor when parents detect any situation that may not seem normal, notwithstanding how small it is because this is what an early diagnosis depends on and allows to provide the early necessary treatments for the first years of life of the patient.
Olmo Cuarón is a paediatrician that lives in Spain, he is a specialist in children’s autism and has stated that this disorder often goes untreated on time due to the difficulties that the diagnosis implies and because it is necessary to have an specialist in the subject to detect it. Often times it is confused with other issues and the child does not receive the necessary treatment to help develop his or her capabilities.
Olmo Cuarón recognizes that in recent years there has been a concerning increase in autism cases in the world without yet knowing the specific causes and thus does not rule out that the parents should visit a specialist just to know how their children’s neurological development is doing, and thus be able to rule out, or find, other issues taht may not be related to autism.
Olmo Cuarón is one of themost renowned paediatricians in Spain, especially because he has been dedicated to the early diagnosis of autism and other developmental disorders of young children.