Autism Is a Common Developmental Disorder in Children

 Faculty Member of Department of Pediatrics in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences stated that autism is a common developmental disorder in children which has increased in recent years.

 According to WEBDA, Dr. Ezzat Khodashenas stated that 1 child out of 70 in Khorasan Razavi Province and in our country suffers from autism or self-distress while the number of autism cases in the Iranian society is reported to be 1 out of 150 children.

This pediatrician said that in recent years, the rate of detecting autism patients and other developmental disorders in our country and the lifetime of these children have increased due to the development of medical sciences.

Pointing out the importance of the diagnosis of developmental disorders at a young age for treatment interventions, Dr. Khodashenas stated that only 30 percent of children with developmental disorders in the society are now detected before entering school.

He pointed out that evolution or development includes a set of changes during a person’s lifetime for physical, mental, verbal, and social improvement. These changes are influenced by different genetic and environmental factors.

Mentioning genetic and environmental factors as factors affecting the development of developmental disorders, he stated that environmental factors are divided into three categories including before birth, during birth, and after birth.

He added that diseases of the mother during pregnancy, infection, poor nutrition and consumption of certain medications during pregnancy, stress, anxiety and accidents during pregnancy, related factors during and after parturition such as parents’ education, economic status of the family, and parents’ dietary habits and behaviors contribute to the development of developmental disorders.

Mentioning that the symptoms of developmental disorders are different in each age, he stated that delay in the child’s speaking, walking, inability to perform delicate tasks with fingers, and the way to communicate with others are among the symptoms of developmental disorders.