With the number of children affected by Autism increasing, researchers have been making vast improvements on helping those afflicted by it. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of normal children. They may stare into space for hours, throw uncontrollable tantrums, show no interest in people (including their parents) and pursue strange, repetitive activities with no apparent purpose. They have been described as living in a world of their own. Some autistic individuals are remarkably gifted in certain areas such as music or mathematics.
Asperger’s is a milder form of Autism. In Asperger's Disorder, affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. There are impairments in two-sided social interaction and non-verbal communication. Though grammatical, their speech is peculiar due to abnormalities of inflection and a repetitive pattern. Clumsiness is prominent both in their articulation and gross motor behavior. With Asperger’s the onset is usually later in childhood, the outcome is much more positive, the family history is more frequently positive, and the neurological disorders are less common.
Treatment for both disorders have some similarities. Psychotherapy to help the child process the feelings about being socially handicapped; parent education and training; behavioral modification; social skills training and educational interventions, are all accepted treatment to both disorders. Individual therapy may also be helpful.
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