The cause of autism spectrum disorder in children is unknown.

Scientists have not yet determined the cause of autism in children.

Of the 30,000-35,000 children who visit the National Children's Hospital each year, about 25-30% are diagnosed with developmental disorders and about 50-60% of those with developmental disorders are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. This number has tended to increase recently.

Every day, the Department of Psychiatry, National Children's Hospital receives about 200 children for examination. Every year, the Department of Psychiatry also intervenes for about 250-300 children with autism spectrum disorder.

According to Master, Doctor Nguyen Mai Huong, Deputy Head of the Department of Psychiatry, National Children's Hospital, currently, the cause of autism has not been clearly determined by scientists. Scientists are currently leaning towards genetic factors and interactions with the environment.

According to resident physician Nguyen Minh Quyet, Department of Psychiatry, National Children's Hospital, risk factors for autism spectrum disorder: Older parental age with father over 40 years old, mother over 35 years old when giving birth; premature babies, usually under 32 weeks, are higher risk factors; low birth weight babies, usually under 2,500 grams, are higher risk factors for autism spectrum disorder.

In addition, children with asphyxia after birth, care in the neonatal intensive care unit after birth, severe infection after birth; families with siblings or relatives diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, epilepsy; birth intervals that are too far apart (usually at least 7 years) or too close together (less than 24 months), etc. are also risk factors for autism spectrum disorder.

According to Nguyen Mai Huong, Deputy Head of the Department of Psychiatry, National Children's Hospital, autism is an unpreventable disorder. The only way is to raise awareness in society to care for pregnant and postpartum women to limit further damage.

Nowadays, with the development of social networks, mothers can stay at home and search for information on “doctor google” to learn about their child’s illness. Many families use tricks, not believing that their child has a problem, and when the child is 4-5 years old, they take him to the doctor, losing the golden opportunity to intervene.

In particular, many parents misunderstand that autism is caused by vaccines, but in reality there is no connection between vaccination and children with autism spectrum disorders. Or some people think that it is due to parents' lack of attention, little time to share with their children, being busy with economic activities...

Dr. Huong shared that among the cases that come to the clinic because their children are suspected of having autism, many children are only taken by their grandparents. When their children are diagnosed with autism, grandparents and parents will have many thoughts that their children have autism because they lack parental attention, have no one to play with, or watch too much TV. Blaming among adults often occurs.

In this case, Dr. Huong said, doctors at the department always discuss with families that environmental and family factors only aggravate autism symptoms, but are not the cause of autism spectrum disorder.

Effective educational interventions for children with autism

Master, Doctor Nguyen Minh Quyet, Department of Psychiatry, National Children's Hospital, currently, there is no method to cure autism spectrum disorder.

Educational interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, helping children learn important skills, and improving their ability to integrate into society.

Multidisciplinary coordination in the treatment of this disorder is extremely important. In which, child psychiatrists; pediatricians trained in the diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders; rehabilitation doctors as team leaders along with specialists such as clinical psychologists, special education teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, etc.

Some drugs are effective in treating accompanying problems in children such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behavioral disorders (self-harm, aggression, etc.), sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, epilepsy, etc.

Drugs approved to treat these comorbidities must be prescribed by specialists, such as Risperidone, Aripiprazole, Clonidine, Methylphenidate, Melatonin, Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Sodium Valproate, Oxcarbazepine…

Dr. Quyet also added that other measures such as music therapy, art therapy, dietary adjustments, detoxification, stem cell transplantation, etc. do not have clear scientific evidence of their effectiveness in intervention for autistic children. These methods only have a partial supportive effect, or are very limited in effectiveness.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chua-xac-dinh-nguyen-nhan-tre-mac-roi-loan-pho-tu-ky-post868694.html