What is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorder caused by abnormalities in the brain. The autism/ASD spectrum is very board.

The variety of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses vary in the severity of the individual symptoms. It varies from classical autism where the child has a delay of speech development to a milder form of autism where the child has no delay in speech development as in the case of Asperger Syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Autism Spectrum Disorder tends to be more common in boys than in girls.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is basically characterized by 3 areas of abnormalities. They are:

Social interaction impairments
Communication difficulties
Repetitive and Stereotyped patterns of behaviour

What causes Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Till date, scientists aren’t certain about what exactly causes Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, researchers have identified that Autism has a strong genetic basis. Controversies surround other proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines. The vaccine hypotheses are biologically implausible and have been dis-proven in scientific studies.

While high percentage of Autism Spectrum Disorder is idiopathic (no medical causes), ASD can also be secondary to a medical condition. Secondary ASD refers to cases associated with medical condition or genetic abnormality. Conditions associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder include:

Fragile X syndrome
Soto syndrome
Tuberous Sclerosis
Mitochondrial disorder
Other chromosomal abnormalities

Coexisting issues

Autism can coexist with other medical conditions or learning difficulties. Some of the more common coexisting conditions include:

Dyslexia
Hyperlexia
Mental retardation
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivities Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Depression secondary to autism
Tourette Syndrome
Epilepsy

Prognosis

Prognosis in a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder depends on a variety of outcomes such as communication skills, cognitive skills, self-care skills and independent living skills.

Studies suggested that a lack of early joint attention and imitation as well as failure to develop functional speech by 5 years of age were predictive of poor outcome.

How can Therapy Alliance SG help?

If you suspect your child is showing one or more of the above mentioned 3 area of abnormalities, do not hesitate to contact us for a no-obligation discussion on your child’s condition with our therapist/specialist before deciding to perform an Autism Test for complete analysis of your child.

Email us any inquiries and we will be most glad to offer our best advice.

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Testimonials

“My son YH is autistic and he had been with the Therapy Alliance Singapore for >3 years where he attended Occupational Therapy, Language, social interactions and Math tuition classes. The Therapist/teachers are very patient and concern over his progress. YH had shown significant improvements over these years in terms of behavioral, academic and focus. Thanks for the Excellent & Exceptional efforts!”

— YH’s Mom, Ms Lee

“Thank you to all of you for your kindness. Thanks for supporting our special kids. Thanks for believing in them. Thanks for being there for us and teaching us to accept our kids. I’m touched by the sincerity you all have shown. You have shown the kids true love!”

— Zave’s Mom

“Marcus was diagnosed with Austism (ASD) in KKH. He attended the social skills and tuition class since 2012. He had remarked with a lot of improvements through your effective and caring guidance. Nowadays, he shows lesser tantrums and able to listen to instructions and he shows great interest to attend the classes. I foreseen that Marcus will benefit the most in his learning journey with Therapy Alliance Singapore.”

— Marcus’s Mom, Ms Chris Ho