As the parents are gradually getting cautious about Autism, one must understand the symptoms of this disease. As the doctors explain, as early the disease is diagnosed the more are the chances of cure. Following below is a list of symptoms of Autism. In case you find any of these in your child, you're advised to consult your child's doctor immediately. A simple evaluation & check up can save your child in time.

1. The child does not meet the development stages on time. While some children start crawling at a tender age of 4 months, some do not reach this achievement until several months. Both ways, it is fine. Similarly, there are many stages that a child reaches in his growth process. Though there is no fixed time span for all these stages, if the child is showing a delayed response in every step, you must check with the doctor.
2. Your child is not able to talk. As children get aware of the environment around them they show responses in several ways. They start blurting a few words at a very young age and suddenly some day you realize that they are able to speak full sentences. The usual age when the child starts babbling some words is 16 months. In case your child does not react with words even after 16 months, it can surely be a matter of concern. The doctor might call for some evaluation tests that are necessary.
3. Your child does not make any eye contact. Babies & children usually look at you while you talk to them. Children suffering with Autism avoid all sorts of eye contact. They seem to be lost elsewhere rather than looking at you. Try pointing out an object to them and they would look past the object, reacting nothing to what you tell them.
4. Your does not emote. Children suffering with Autism do not emote at all. They do not smile back to someone passing them a smile. Normally children start crying if they see another kid crying. An Autistic child won't react to any such situation. Unlike the normal kids, an Autistic child does not like to be cuddled or held in the arms. They would not approach their parents to be hugged or cuddled.
5. Your child likes to be alone. Children suffering with Autism normally do not play with the kids around them. They rather like to be left alone and play all by themselves. They make very few friends or may be none. They cannot differentiate jokes. As a result, they would follow each and every word told to them literally.
6. The child keeps forgetting anything taught to him. You taught him to make the bed today and just 4 days later he behaves as if he never knew anything about it. Autistic children cannot retain anything you teach them. They need to be told about the very basic chores & skills time & again.

These are very few symptoms of Autism. Also we must understand that all children suffering with Autism won't show all the signs together. They might show one or some of them.

If you note any of these in your child consult your doctor and get the essential evaluations done within time. Remember, the earlier you diagnose the ailment, the sooner you can initiate the treatment. You might find that there was nothing wrong with the child, but it’s always safer to reassure in case of any doubts.

Gluten free diet

Gluten is a special type of protein that is commonly found in our day-to-day food items. While it is an essential element of our diet, the body of an Autistic child reacts differently than a normal child. Hence, it is essential for the parents to plan gluten free diet for your child suffering with Autism.

Initially, one must understand that gluten free diet is not a cure of Autism. It primarily lessens the symptoms of Autism in the child. Further, one must hold on to this diet for several months rather than a few weeks. While the gluten free diet the child intakes does its job well, it takes a long time to remove the gluten that is already consumed.

In certain cases however, people do find immediate results. It needs a lot of planning to follow gluten free diet. The regularly used cereals like rye, wheat, and barley contain high content of gluten. Therefore, it is also found in most types of bread. Yet, grains such as wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds contain are surely gluten free.

Certain vinegars and sauces also contain gluten. The artificial flavorings and many other snacks & cookies available in the markets also contain gluten. To your surprise, gluten can be present in foods that you would never have expected such as the spices.

So while following the gluten free diet, be sure to read the labels on each and every food pack. Gluten free diet can be quite expensive to follow as these items are sold mostly at the specialty or health stores. While this might get too heavy for your pocket, nowadays major grocery stores also deal in these products.

Gluten free flour, pancake mix, waffles, cookies, snacks, and many other foods are also now readily available. Hence, it is advisable that parents make a group and shop in bulk for these products. This makes the costs relatively cheaper and later the families can share the food items.

Planning economically, it is also convenient to cook gluten free food at home. The recipes are available at many common resources like the internet & cook books. A whole lot of information in this regard can also be gathered from the book shop or the library nearby.

Children suffering with Autism can consume meat, fruits, fish, vegetables, eggs, nuts, etc. as these are all gluten free. To make this diet interesting for the child, one might plan children's beloved snacks made out of gluten free ingredients like muffins & cookies made of gluten free flour. Once this practice gets into the system of the household, it gets easier.

The dairy products contain casein that the autistic children are commonly allergic to. So while following this diet, many people minimize or stop the dairy products as well. Yet, it is advised that you should get done your child's allergy testing. Your doctor can guide you more on the same.

Excerpted from the book Understanding And Treating Autism by Wings Of Success.

This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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https://boostlane.com/p/boostlane/1074/understanding-and-treating-autism/