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Robin*, mother of 6-year-old Jake*, felt almost as helpless as her son. "We went several years without a true diagnosis. It was very frustrating. He's really a very smart kid—he's just so trapped in his body."
Jake had been diagnosed as having mild mental retardation two years earlier, but the full extent of the problems he was experiencing was not captured until he was finally, and correctly, diagnosed with autism. His school keyed in on it first and it was later confirmed by his physician. While it is common for a child with autism to have developmental delays, autism and related disorders have additional characteristics that may require different approaches to early intervention.
Katherine A. Loveland, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, explains that children are diagnosed at different ages, depending on when the family seeks professional help. "It's common now for children to be diagnosed in the second or third year of life. It's still uncommon for a child to be diagnosed in the first year, but with better methods of screening and greater awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) very early diagnoses can be made in some cases.”
ASD is four to five times more prevalent in boys, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) findings, .6 to1 percent of children are estimated to have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Because ASD's influences on intelligence, communication, speech and ability to relate to people can vary so greatly, it is almost impossible to create a "typical" profile of a child with ASD. This wide variation is the reason we now refer to autism as a “spectrum” rather than just a categorical disorder.
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The mouth:
a window to the body
Researchers have found connections between periodontal (gum) infections and other diseases throughout the body, suggesting a link between gum disease, heart disease and other health conditions.
Research suggests that gum disease may be as serious a risk factor for heart disease as hypertension, smoking, cholesterol, gender and age. Those with gum disease seem to be at higher risk for heart attacks. Possible explanations involve mouth bacteria that loosen and flow to the arteries, creating arterial plaque.
If your dentist diagnoses you with gum disease, inform your medical health care professional, as well.
