Pediatria pre prax 4/2006

EARLY DIAGNOSTICS OF CHILDHOOD AUTISM

Childhood autism is a pervasive developmental disorder. Its first manifestations are usually displayed before the third year of child’s life. Autistic children don’t pay as much attention to other people, things hold by others and to being addressed by others as healthy children do. The impaired eye contact frequency and quality and the reduced or missing gesticulation are the significant factors of possible autism diagnosis. The paediatrician is usually the only professional who is the child of this age in contact with. If the paediatrician recognizes the first signs of autism and sends the child to special investigation he can speed up the diagnosis identification and make the timely therapy possible to start.

Keywords: childhood autism, early diagnostics, eye contact, early childhood, developmental disorder, diagnosis, differential diagnostic, gesticulation, infant, toddler.