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Every person with autism has a unique personality and combination of characteristics which can make the diagnosis of this disorder really complicated. Some mildly affected individuals may exhibit only slight delays in language and greater challenges with social interactions.
Persons with autism may also exhibit some of the following traits:
- Insistence on sameness; resistance to change
- Difficulty in expressing needs, using gestures or pointing instead of words
- Repeating words or phrases in place of typical, responsive language
- Laughing for no apparent reason, or showing distress for reasons not apparent to others
- Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
- Sustained odd play
- Spinning objects
- Preference for being alone
- Tantrums
- Difficulty in mixing with others
- Not wanting to cuddle or be cuddled
- Little or no eye contact
- Obsessive attachment to objects
- Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
- No real fears of danger
- Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
- Uneven fine motor skills
- Non responsive to verbal cues
Symptoms characteristic to schizophrenia are markedly different. They could be divided into positive and negative. The most common positive symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior. Some of the more common negative signs are affective flattening, alogia and avolition.
Possible causes of autism and schizophrenia
The exact cause of autism is still unknown, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems. However no gene has yet been identified as the cause of autism. Other experts are investigating problems during pregnancy or delivery, as well as environmental factors such as viral infections, metabolic imbalances, and exposure to environmental chemicals. It is important to point out that this condition isn’t caused by bad parenting.
Risk factors for developing autism
Autism tends to occur more frequently among individuals who have certain medical conditions, including:
- Fragile X syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Congenital rubella syndrome
- Untreated phenylketonuria
Some harmful substances ingested during pregnancy have also been associated with an increased risk of autism.
There are several theories that have tried to explain the cause of schizophrenia.
Possible causes are:
- Genetic causes
- Abnormal brain development
- Infection
- Birth complications
- Head injury
- Psychological causes
- Drug use
Schizophrenia and autism: Differential diagnosis
Even now, experts sometimes have difficulty differentiating between these two disorders. Schizophrenia shouldn't be diagnosed separately from autism, unless delusions and hallucinations are prominent.
The main problem with the differential diagnosis of these two disorders is that the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and the symptoms of autism mimic one another. So when someone with autism is being considered for a schizophrenia diagnosis, the psychotic features and some negative symptoms are the the most important ones to be considered. People can avoid speaking for various reasons including language difficulties, speech difficulties, anxiety, etc. If a person does not speak, it doesn’t mean they are autistic nor that they even have autistic traits.
In the last several decades, considerable evidence has suggested that autism and schizophrenia are unrelated. However, recent reports have suggested that individuals with autism may be at greater risk for schizophrenia and that the conditions may be more closely related than generally believed.