With time passing, parents are becoming more aware of their child's condition but often their judgment is clouded with the wrongful diagnosis. Among other conditions, the rate of autism diagnosis is increasing day by day. Sometimes parents get hasty and make the child suffer from wrongful diagnosis. Therefore, before you proceed to judge your child's condition, it is important to know about other disorders who share some common behavioral symptoms with autism.
Rett syndrome:It is a very rare neurological disorder that afflicts primarily females. The physiology of the brain in this syndrome is significantly different than in autism but their behavioral symptoms conform with that of autism. For example, toe walking, repeated hand movements, body rocking, and sleep problems.
Tardive dyskinesia:It is a movement disorder in which the child experiences dysfunctional, involuntary movements. It is usually associated with long term, chronic use of neuroleptic medications. Some of the movements of tardive dyskinesis which overlap with autistic movements include head nodding, eye blinking, ankle movements, lip-smacking, and shuffling gait.
Angelman syndrome:It is a neurogenetic developmental condition with a specific behavioral manifestation. The behavioral phenotypic characteristics are very difficult to quantify mainly due to its similar connotation in autism behavior. Some of its symptoms which are seen in autism as well are hand flapping, speech impairment, and problems with balance and movement.
Prader Willi Syndrome:It is a genetic condition, characterized by mental retardation, behavioral dysfunction, and dysmorphic features. The most classic character of this disorder includes the child's obsessions with the food. The symptoms which are common in both autism and Prader Willi syndrome includes learning disabilities, issues in language and motor development, temper tantrums, and higher pain threshold.
Williams syndrome:It is a rare genetic disorder with a particular behavioral phenotype. Many children with Williams syndrome exhibit autistic behaviors which may include language delays, hypersensitivity, picky eating, and problems in gross motor skills.
In any scenario, it is vital to seek professional help to confirm the diagnosis of your child and to pursue the treatment plan accordingly.
