Pervasive developmental disorder is a disease described by Kanner in 1943 for children with a delay in language development who are unable to establish social relationships, as this syndrome usually appears before the age of three years.
Similar syndromes have since been described in children with symptoms similar to those seen in classic autism but differing in the severity of the symptoms.
Asperger syndrome is also within the scope of autism, and when the condition is associated with a genetic syndrome with the underlying syndrome, there are children within the scope of autism who can reach good achievements with regard to their independence and at the social level.
Symptoms of pervasive developmental disorders
Children with autism suffer from problems with social communication and interactions and often repeat certain behaviors. The main symptom is the inability to build social relationships and a defect in eye contact. Children exist in their own world. The most prominent symptoms include:
Avoid contact with eyes.
Inability to express what they are thinking through language.
Have a high or low tone of voice.
Difficulty following a conversation.
Difficulty controlling emotions.
Mental retardation in 75% of children with autism.
Epileptic seizures in 25% of children.
Sometimes too much movement and too much focus on things that attract children''s attention usually as they feel comfortable only in the framework they are used to and in the environment they know.
Causes and risk factors for pervasive developmental disorders
Possible causes of this disease
Having a genetic syndrome such as Fragile X syndrome.
Angelman syndrome.
Rett syndrome.
Complications of pervasive developmental disorders
The most prominent complications include the following
anxiety.
depression.
inability.
Increasingly disruptive behaviors and habits making it difficult to function at school or in the workplace.
lasting effects of self-harm.
Diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders
Clinical symptoms
Diagnostic methods include the following
1. Differential diagnosis at an early age
Include the following
Hearing disturbance.
Congenital linguistic syndrome or Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS).
A genetic syndrome whose symptoms include difficulty communicating.
Mental retardation accompanied by autistic behaviour.
2. Physical examination
Physical examination generally does not provide us with additional information unless genetic syndromes are present.
3. Laboratory tests
It is performed in the event that the examination or medical or family history indicates another direction.
4. Growth assessment
There are developmental tests that help in diagnosis, such as the CARS - Childhood Autism Rating Scale.
Treatment of pervasive developmental disorders
In addition to this, there are several intensive treatment methods, including the following:
1. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA- Applied Behavioral Analysis)
According to this method, behavior is treated intensively with the aim of developing an adaptive skill for language and communication, as research indicates that 50% of children who were treated in this way were able to integrate into society and showed significant improvement in various skills.
2. DIR - Developmental Individual Difference
Treatment is carried out according to this method by paying attention to the data of each child, with an emphasis on the relationship between his emotional state and his behavior. Interactive play is the essence of this treatment, and parents have an important role during the game.
3. Method of treatment and rehabilitation of autistic children and children with communication disabilities (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related)
This method aims to push the child as much as possible to live independently as it is important to adapt it to the needs of the family and the parents are partners in this treatment. There is importance to mixing with children whose development is healthy according to the readiness of the child being treated.
3. Drug therapy
There are several medications that can positively affect moods such as irritability and obsessive-compulsive symptoms common among children with the disease, such as:
Fluoxetine.
Antipsychotic medication.
Risperidone.
Prevention of pervasive developmental disorders
Until more is known about the causes of pervasive developmental disorders, they cannot be prevented. However, the sooner a child with symptoms begins treatment, the better he or she will do in the long term.
