May 31, 2024, News24, Durban, S. Africa : The lowdown on the autism spectrum
As the prevalence of autism diagnoses increases, Dr Nerica Ramsundhar, a neurodevelopment paediatrician practising at Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital in Durban, sheds light on the signs and symptoms that parents should be on the lookout for.
“Just in the last five or six years we have seen the numbers of those diagnosed with autism go from one in 56, to the most current statistics of one in 36 children, according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for 2023. Autism also affects more males than females,” says Ramsundhar. . . .
Ramsundhar says children with autism often don’t express emotions through their facial expressions, which can appear to be flattened or muted and limited in range. “Repetitive behaviours like hand flapping, jumping, body twirling and object spinning can also be seen.” . . .
Neurodevelopmental paediatrics is a sub-speciality that focuses on conditions that impact a child’s development and behaviour, including autism.
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