Faculty member of Pediatrics Department of Mashhad University Of Medical Sciences said: autism is a widespread developmental disorder in children and it has increased during recent years.

According to WebDa, Dr. Ezzat Khodashenas stated: “currently, it is reported that one in every 150 children suffers from autism in Iran”.

“During recent years, cases of autism and other developmental disorders have increased in our country; besides, longevity of these children has increased due to medical advancements’ stated the pediatrician.

Referring to the importance of diagnosing developmental disorders in early childhood for medical intervention, Dr. Khodashenas said: ‘only 30 percent of children suffering from developmental disorders are identified before entering the school’.

He noted: ‘development includes changes that a human being goes through during his or her lifetime to improve physically, mentally, vocally and socially and is affected by various genetic and environmental factors’.

He pointed to factors causing developmental disorders including genetic and environmental factors and said: ‘environmental factors are classified into three categories before birth, at birth and after birth’.

‘mother’s diseases during pregnancy, infections, improper nutrition and taking some drugs during pregnancy, stress, anxiety and events during pregnancy, factors affecting labor and post-labor such as parents’ level of education, economical situation of the family and parents’ bad eating habits and their behavior might cause developmental disorders to occur’, he continued.

Mentioning that symptoms of developmental disorders vary for different ages, he said: ‘delay in children’s speech and walking, inability to do delicate work with fingers and to communicate with others are symptoms of developmental disorders’.

April the second is the world autism awareness day