If your child has a history of autism, then you will want to watch for one of the more serious symptoms: seizures. The first thing that you will have to learn if your autistic child experiences seizures is how to recognize an emergency. The following conditions make a seizure an emergency:
- If the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, or if there are several seizures in a row without a full recovery occurring between them.
- Breathing difficulty that persists. Though it is common for an autistic child to look as though he or she has briefly stopped breathing during the seizure, breathing should quickly resume.
- If there are any injuries sustained during the seizure.
- Confusion or unconsciousness that persists.
- If it is your child’s first seizure.
- If your child has a history of seizures, but there is a significant change in the typical pattern, type, symptoms, or length of the seizure.
The occurrence of autism and seizures together is relatively common. The Journal of Child Neurology published a study called “Prospective preliminary analysis of the development of autism and epilepsy in children with infantile spasms” (Askalan R, et al) which showed that by puberty, 25 percent of autistic children will develop seizures. It is not known why the incidence of seizures increases so dramatically with adolescence. The study also showed a connection between babies who experience West Syndrome, which causes infantile spasms, and children who will later receive an autism diagnosis.
Autistic children who are at the highest risk for seizures are those who also have specific neurological conditions, for example, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, and untreated phenylketonuria.
Many parents of autistic children who display unusual behaviors often struggle to recognize the difference between these behaviors and seizures, or whether their children are indeed having seizures at all. After all, some autistic behaviors can include sudden repetitive movements or swaying, as well as a decreased awareness of his or her surroundings. This can be exactly what a seizure looks like, depending on the person.
To tell the difference between these unusual behaviors and seizures, use the following information:
- Seizures occur suddenly without being provoked by a specific occurrence. On the other hand, unusual behaviors are usually brought about by frustration, fear, anger, or as a consequence of a certain event.
- Seizures will usually follow a type of pattern within one person, though the length and intensity may differ from time to time. However, autism behaviors will often vary in their movements and mannerisms.
- Seizures are often accompanied with a sensation of cold or fear and are frequently followed by weakness, headache, or exhaustion. After a seizure, it is unlikely that an autistic child will simply resume an activity right away.
- Similar to staring ‘off into space’ of an autistic child, absence attacks are a form of small seizure that cause a loss of consciousness for 10 seconds or less, and may involve some mild facial movements or eye blinking. Lip smacking or shuddering may also occur in more complex partial seizures. These people would not respond to any environmental stimuli. However, an autistic child displaying staring mannerisms will.
If your child has a history of autism and you believe that he or she may be having seizures, it is important to speak to your doctor or pediatrician right away to discuss the severity of the seizures as well as possible treatments and preventative measures.
Bearded dragons usually remain healthy if you give them proper temperature, housing, and light. But even with the best care, they may experience various bearded dragon diseases. Some of these conditions include metabolic bone disease, egg binding, and stomatitis. This article will discuss some of the most common bearded dragon diseases.
Metabolic Bone Disease
Lizards in the wild don’t suffer from metabolic bone disease. This problem is caused by improper care by the owner. An imbalance of vitamin D3, phosphorus, and calcium from the diet is one of the main causes. Too little UVB light can also be to blame.
The most prominent sign of this disorder is softening and swelling of the lower jaw. Your dragon may also develop lumps and bumps along his legs, back, and tail. If left untreated, your lizard will die. To treat the condition, the underlying cause needs to be fixed. Calcium supplements may also need to be prescribed.
Stomatitis
One of the next common bearded dragon diseases is stomatitis, commonly referred to as mouth rot. Although it isn’t really a disease, it is a sign of an underlying infection. Bearded dragons with mouth rot will develop a grayish or whitish substance on the soft tissues in their mouth. If the condition is allowed to progress, the teeth will become loose and the gums may start to bleed. The underlying infection needs to be treated, or this condition will keep giving your beardie problems.
Egg Binding
Male dragon owners can relax, as egg binding only affects female. This condition occurs whenever she is unable to pass one or more eggs through the reproductive tract. Various illnesses, improper diet, obesity, and malformed eggs can all cause egg binding in bearded dragons. Since it can be fatal within days, a veterinarian needs to be consulted immediately. If drugs to induce egg laying don’t correct the problem, your dragon will need to undergo surgery.
Adenovirus
An infection by an adenovirus is relatively rare in bearded dragons. This is a very good thing as most don’t survive. Young dragons or those with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible. This disease is made more troublesome because it doesn’t produce many noticeable symptoms. Fluids, forced feeding, and antibiotics are used to try to treat an adenovirus infection.
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