Explore the Levels of Autism in Brief: A Comprehensive Guide

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which alters a person’s social and communication skills. Globally, around 61.8 million have been affected by ASD. Almost 1 child in every 54 children bears the consequences of ASD in the US.

It also affects the person’s ability to communicate and engage in activities effectively. In the United States, ASD usually affects children between the age of 3 and 7 years. Can we get Indian data?

Moreover, the patient suffering from this condition shows patterns of repetitive behaviour or interests.

Levels of autism spectrum disorder

On the basis of the type of support an individual with ASD requires and according to DSM-V, the classification of three levels of autism spectrum disorder is thus, those requiring support fall under level 1, those requiring substantial support fall under level 2 and those requiring very substantial support fall under level 3. Therefore, the levels of autism are:

Level 1 (Requiring Support): It forms the lowest level of all the levels of autism. Generally, the symptoms of level 1 autism in adults and level 1 autism in toddlers are limiting social interactions and alteration in planning and organisation capacity and moreover the patients who come under level require little support.

Level 1 autism symptoms in children

1. Finds social interactions challenging.
2. Difficulty in adapting lifestyle changes.
3. Shows difficulty in communicating verbally and maintaining interest.
4. Common patterns of repetitive behaviour.
5. Sensory sensitivity like either being hyper responsive or hypo responsive.

 Level 2 (Requiring substantial support): The middle level of ASD is for those requiring substantial support. Therefore, the commonly seen difficulties are difficulty in communication, limitations in interest and showing repetitive behaviour.

Challenges and characteristics of individuals falling under level 2 autism spectrum disorder:

1. Extreme difficulty in interacting socially and communicating effectively.
2. Changes in behaviour patterns and limited interests.
3. Not able to initiate and maintain social interactions and relationships.
4. Prefers being in restricted environment.

Level 3 (Requiring very substantial support): The level 3 is the most severe and among the highest levels of autism. So the patient falling under this category show signs of level 1 and level 2 but the severity is very higher than all levels of autism. Additionally, they also show restrictions in social communication and interaction.

Challenges and characteristics of individuals falling under level 3:

1. Extreme difficulty in performing day to day activities.
2. Significant deterioration of both verbal communication and non-verbal communication.
3. Difficulty in adapting to routines due to extreme resistance.
4. Difficulty in communicating daily needs and requirements.
5. Not able to perform self-care.

LEVEL ONE(1) Requiring Mild support	LEVEL TWO(2) Requiring substantial support	LEVEL THREE(3) Requiring very substantial support
1. Lowest level and good functioning	1. Middle level and optimal functioning	1. Highest level and most severe
2. Trouble in social interaction and communication	2. Difficulty in both verbal and non-verbal communication	2. Extreme difficulty in social communication and non-verbal communication
3. No fixed routine	3. Difficulty in changing from routine activities	3. Finds changes in routine and transitions extremely difficult
4. Usually independent and require minimal support	4. Require considerable amount of support	4. Completely dependent on others and require daily extreme support

The above table highlights the difference between three levels of autism.

ASD symptoms in children

The classification of symptoms of different levels of autism i.e. level 1, level 2 and level 3 autism in toddlers falls under two categories i.e. social difficulties and behavioural difficulties.

1: Social difficulties:

• T chooses to be isolated from others.
• Avoids eye contact.
• Not able to perform social activities like pointing or showing things.
• Repeats same words continuously and hindrance of speech.
• Reacts differently to people and stimuli.

2: Behavioural difficulties:

• Strong movements in repetitive mode like spinning, flapping hands or rocking
• Uncharacteristic reaction in crowded places and towards loud sounds
• Habitual to a routine and any changes in routine triggers distress
• Difficulty in training for toilet
• Limited range of interest. For example, playing only a specific game or using only a specific toy.

In children just older than toddlers, signs and symptoms may vary. They are:

• Generally, pose a difficulty in sensory sensitivities like decrease in touch, view and sound senses.
• Difficulty in identifying social signals and understanding differences in body language
• Not able to mingle socially and make relationships
• Restricts to only a particular topic of interest
• Strict adherence to instructions.

The following section focuses on symptoms of ASD in adults.

Are ASD symptoms in adults different from that of children?

In adults, the symptoms and specific signs particularly for ASD are firstly, feels being in isolation even when in a group. Then, trouble initiating conversations and feels sense of anxiety. Next, giving attention to minute details.

Furthermore, sensitive to loud sound or environment where there is more lighting and lastly, taking every word and concept seriously.

Potential ASD early warning indicators

According to National Institute of Mental Health the early signs that serve as indicator for different levels of autism are:

Difficulty in paying social attention, Flat, dull and monotonous voice, Difficulty in engaging in conversations, doesn’t make eye contact, Interests and activities different than others, Difficulty in understanding others viewpoint and prefers a regular routine and sensitive to sensory stimuli.

Therefore, above are the early signs that act an indicator for ASD.

Diagnostic criteria of ASD

Early diagnosis of ASD is essential to ensure that the patients receive right support at the right time.

1. Developmental check-ups: it is the responsibility of the doctors to ensure regular screening of the children since symptoms sometimes go unnoticed. Moreover, a regular check-up of development and growth helps in easy diagnosis.
2. Assessments follow-up: if there are any changes in growth and development pattern than additional tests will help in identifying the signs and symptoms of ASD.
3. Childhood Autism Rating Scale: it is a tool which relies on rating to determine the severity of autism.
4. In fact, it is advised by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) to begin examining all the children for PPD since the age of 18 to 24 months. Therefore, it is important that the medical practitioners follow DSM V criteria for the diagnosis of the ASD.
5. ADOS it is a tool which helps in identifying and determining the extent of social interaction and assessing communication capabilities.

The following are the ways to tackle the challenges faced by autistic children.

How to tackle challenges faced by autistic children?

1. Encourage and Implement training of social skills.
2. Cognitive therapy to counter repetitive behaviours and improve cognition.
3. Personalized education plan to ensure the child receives attention.
4. Wearable technologies use to monitor and manage children with ASD.
5. Incorporation of VRESS, VR training software. In fact the software helps the ASD patients in reacting to various social situations by explaining the activities.
6. Incorporate game like concepts to develop communication and social skills.

Now coming to the section which focuses on autism treatment strategies. It includes behavioural, cognitive and social therapy among others.

Treatment strategies for autism

The most important point that highlights autism is that as such there is no cure for ASD and treatment strategies that we employ only help in managing the symptoms.

1. Behavioral therapy	To encourage and promote positive conduct – ABA (applied behavioral analysis)
2. Cognitive therapy	To enhance and improve cognition and cognitive abilities
3. Social development therapy	In order ensure the person grows socially and develop communication skills, clinicians can employ speech and language therapy
4. Medications	To manage symptoms like anxiety, insomnia and stress

The above table highlights the treatment strategies of ASD.

MSCs mechanisms in ASD

Regenerative stem cell therapy is making a mark in the treatment of ASD.

1. Immune system modulation: MSC suppress immune response and reduce dysregulation of immune system which modulates immune system and exerts therapeutic effect.
2. Neuroprotection: MSC provides neuroprotection by inhibiting proliferation and differentiation of astrocyte and activation of microglial cell.
3. Release of neurotrophic factors: Additionally, to promote survival of neurons, they release certain growth factors, cytokines and neurotrophic factors.
4. Activation of neural progenitor cells: To restore and regenerate the neurological pathway, stem cells trigger neural progenitor cell’s function.
5. Synaptogenesis function: Furthermore, MSC stimulate formation of synapse and enhances synaptic function.
6. Reduce neuroinflammation: Stem cell promotes growth of neuronal growth i.e. a process of neurogenesis and promote reduction of inflammation. Additionally, enhances brain cognition.

Apart from stem cells, exosomes also play a vital role. Hence, the next part focuses on stem cell-based exosomes.

Similarly, the benefits of MSC are as follows.

Benefits of MSC in autistic individuals

MSCs are a potential treatment option and the numerous benefits of stem cell treatment for Autism in autistic individuals are enhance neural repair and growth, increase in cognition and improvement in social skills and communication. Next, increase immunity and improvement in immune dysregulation and reduction in use of medications.

Then, enhancement of cognitive functions like learning, memory, execution function and intelligence quotient (IQ).

And lastly long term or long-lasting benefits. Therefore, because of numerous benefits, MSCs offer a great alternative option for the treatment of ASD.

Role of stem cell-based exosomes

The release of anti-inflammatory molecules by stem cell-based exosomes reduces neuroinflammation in ASD.

It alters the immune system response through the release of these anti-inflammatory molecules. Additionally, these molecules also enhance cellular activities such as tissue reconstruction, immune system response regulation, and restoration, by transmitting them to other cells.

Autism Rehabilitation Strategies

The following are the rehabilitation strategies that support autism treatment.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology supports regular speech and ensures the patients develop effective communication. It aims to communicate the required message. Moreover, the AAC devices incorporates 2 set of actions i.e. prediction and voice recognition. Thus, AAC devices aids in improving interaction.

Verbal instructions and commands help in easing out the vocal action. For predictive set of action, a programmed algorithm suggests words or phrases after identifying the objective of the input, for instance. Furthermore, this technique helps in patients with typing or selecting symbols difficulty.

Autism Patient Success Stories

With the help of technological interventions, communicating thoughts and maintaining social interactions has become extreme easily and it is helpful in children facing difficulties in social interactions.

The use of NAO robots in the treatment of ASD has gained wide popularity as it helps children overcome social and emotional difficulties. Basically, the NAO robot provides positive assessment and guides children in coping the social and emotional difficulties.

Moreover, it teaches them how to maintain eye contact, understand other people’s emotions, and communicate effectively.

The following section provides conclusion on the different levels of ASD.

Brief conclusion

From the blog it is understood that ASD is categorized into 3 levels on the basis of support needed. Therefore, level 1 requires mild, whereas level 2 requires substantial support and level 3 requires very substantial support.

Moreover, stem cells offer innovative solutions in ASD therapy. People who receive stem cells for ASD treatment report social skills, communication, and motor skills improvement, for instance.

Therefore, the above blog highlights the information about different levels of ASD.

FAQs:

Q: What treatment is best for autism?

Regenerative stem cell therapy is making a mark in the treatment of ASD. In ASD, the numerous benefits of MSC are increase in cognition, improvement in social skills and communication, increase immunity and improvement in immune dysregulation, enhance neural repair and growth and enhancement of cognitive functions like learning, memory, execution function and intelligence quotient (IQ).

Q: What is autism spectrum disorder?

A neurodevelopmental disorder which alters a person’s social and communication skills is known as autism. Globally, around 61.8 million have fallen prey to ASD. Moreover, almost 1 child in every 54 children bears the consequences of ASD in the US.

It also affects the person’s ability to communicate and engage in activities effectively. Moreover, the patient suffering from this condition shows patterns of repetitive behavior or interests.

Q: What are the early warning indicators for different levels of autism?

According to National Institute of Mental Health the early signs that serve as indicator for different levels of autism are difficulty in paying social attention, flat, dull and monotonous voice, difficulty in engaging in conversations, doesn’t make eye contact, interests and activities different than others, difficulty in understanding others viewpoint and prefers a regular routine and sensitive to sensory stimuli.

Q: What are the different levels of autism?

According to DSM-V, the classification of three levels of autism spectrum disorder is on the basis of the type of support an individual with ASD requires. Thus, those requiring support fall under level 1, those requiring substantial support fall under level 2 and those requiring very substantial support fall under level 3.