Autism is a lifelong neurological condition that affects how affected individuals perceive the world, and the way they behave, interact, and communicate with others. Simply put, autistic people hear, see, and feel the world in a different way to other people.
Autism has different ranges. This means that some individuals are affected more than others. For example, some people with autism do not use spoken language, while others have a firm command of it, but they may find it challenging to understand properly what other people mean. They all have different challenges, abilities, and strengths which affect their lives in various ways in different environments and at different ages. Some autistic people also have learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Others have various mental health issues, most commonly depression and anxiety.
So How Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder Differ?
The term ASD stands for “autistic spectrum disorder.” It’s the term labeled by medical professionals for a person who shows autistic behavior.
It can be very confusing understanding these two terms. A person may be autistic or may have autism; i.e., they show a variety of clinical symptoms. If a patient show symptoms that resemble autistic features, but didn’t show up autism in the diagnosis, then the patient was diagnosed as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD).
Talking about symptoms, adults or children with ASD might:
- Do not point at objects to show their interest (for example, don’t point at an airplane flying over)
- Do not look at the object when another person is pointing at it
- May have trouble relating to people or may not show any interest in other people
- Most autistic people are introverts and avoid social gatherings
- Facing trouble in understanding other’s feelings or expressing their own feelings
- Do not prefer to be held or cuddled, or might want to be cuddled when they have a mood
- Do not respond to people who talk to them, but may respond to surrounding voices
- Be very interested in some people around them, but not know how to play, talk, or relate to them
- Repeat phrases or words said to them
- Face trouble expressing their requirements using motions or typical words
- Have trouble adapting to new changes in life
- Show unusual reactions to the way things taste, smell, look, sound, or sound
Somewhere along the line, physicians and researchers found this very confusing. So they ended up creating a constellation of symptoms to help themselves in the diagnosis, where they can say an individual has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where it usually encloses all those various previous diagnoses.
Now what they say is if an individual meets certain clinical criteria – he will have Autism Spectrum Disorder. The old terms of Asperger’s, autism, PDD are no longer used now. Now it’s more defined and simplified and the diagnosis is more streamlined. So, to all purposes and intents, the terms ‘ASD’ and ‘autism’ mean the same thing.
No matter what you call the condition, the troublesome symptoms can be eased following tried and tested therapies. One of the most promising and emerging ones is stem cell therapy for autism. At the Stem Cells Transplant Institute, we provide quality stem cell therapy that helps ease ASD symptoms and improve the quality of life for autistic people. Our dedicated team has successfully treated patients suffering a wide range of neurological conditions and diseases – including ASD.
