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It’s the month of April, also widely celebrated a World Autism Month among other events. However, given the severity of this condition, awareness about autism should be pervasive all year-round and not only for a single month. The awareness for autism commands a great amount of empathy from everyone as ASD’s vary among individuals suffering from it.

Certain therapies and treatments can do wonders for some while being completely futile for others. Caregivers like parents and nurses can also harbor different opinions on how to best deal with a condition of ASD.

This article is focused on not only spreading awareness about Autism but also helping parents and other caregivers better manage the conditions in their loved ones.

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder, or as it is popularly known as ASD is a complex developmental condition that saddles individuals suffering from it with challenges like inept social interaction, speech problems, non-verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. The severity of ASD’s varying from person to person. 

ASD is quite frequently first diagnosed in childhood, with signs first becoming noticeable around 2-3 years of age. Some children with autism may develop normally before ultimately losing all their previously gained skills. 

The CDC estimates that at least one in 59 children have autism. It is also more common in boys than in girls, and the girls who do have ASD exhibit less obvious signs than boys. Although ASD is a permanent condition, many children who are diagnosed with the condition go on to live normal and independent lives.

The Characteristic of People suffering from ASD

Like we said, no two people will show the same behavioral signs when dealing with autism. Symptoms can mild or severe and change as time passes by. Some of the common characteristics are as follows:

Social and Communication Problems

This includes exhibiting difficulty in having a straight forward normal conversation, not showing interest, or sharing emotions. Issues in trying to understand social cues like eye contact or facial expressions.

Difficulty in Empathizing with People, things and events

Trouble in making friends, interacting with people and not making eye contact

Repetitive behaviors

 This can include a number of things, mainly pertaining to hand flapping, flipping objects, lining up toys, speaking in gibberish or atypical manner, exhibiting interest in unusual activities, toe walking, etc.

It is important to note, that while many children with ASD have normal intelligence, some have very mild and significant intellectual delays. 

Diagnosis

Early diagnosis of ASD is crucial in parents and caregivers being able to manage this condition. It is the only way by which a child’s symptoms can be reduced and his life ultimately improved. Like we said there is no definitive cure-all for autism spectrum disorder. It is mainly diagnosed by the obstinate observance of the child’s behavior like he talks and interacts with other children his age. 

Trained practitioners can easily diagnose the condition by talking to the child and enquiring with his/her parents and caregivers. It is in compliance with federal law that any child suspected of having any kind of developmental disorder should be given a free evaluation. It is highly recommended that the child undergo all sorts of screening procedures to identify developmental disorders, if any, by age three.

If you have doubts about whether or not your child is developing properly, then bring it to the attention of your practitioner immediately. Every second is precious in handling the condition of autism wisely. 

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) identifies the following red flags as possible signs of ASD:

• •     Not responding to his/her name by 12 months of age
• •     Not pointing out to objects to display interest by 14 months of age
• •     Getting upset very easily
• •     Spinning in circles, flapping their hands incessantly
• •     Having unusual and intense reactions to sight, smell, taste and feel
• •     Avoiding eye contact
• •     Preferring loneliness
• •     Not playing ‘pretend’

As of now, no expert has clear answers on what actually causes autism. It can be due to genes, or the condition and environment in which a child is born and raised. A child is also at a greater risk of having autism, if there is a close family member who is already suffering from the condition.

How Autism is Treated

As of now there is really no cure for the condition of Autism. However, there are many therapies and treatments that can help people alleviate their symptoms and feel much better. 

Some of those treatments are listed below

• •     Behavioral Therapy
• •     Play therapy
• •     Occupational therapy
• •     Speech therapy
• •     Physical therapy

Alternative Treatments

Many alternative treatments are also in effect today, some of them include the following:

• •     High dose Vitamins
• •     Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• •     Melatonin to handle sleep issues

The research on these treatments is mixed, and results may vary from person to person. It is highly advisable to weigh the research and financial costs of such treatments before considering them for you or your loved ones.

Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Parents can really help their child overcome the problems posed by ASD by following the below simple tips:

• •     Learn and be well informed about Autism Spectrum Disorder
• •     Provide consistent structure and routine
• •     Seek professional help
• •     Build a rapport with other parents who are raising children with autism
• •     Take your time and be patient while dealing with your child

DENmaar Partners with Autism Lizard to Offer Efficient Autism Management Program 

A child with autism can be extremely stressful for the entire family. Handling it can be a headache, very time consuming and break your savings. DENmaar knows how important it is to take into account the emotional and physical health of the entire family, and thus have partnered with premier behavioral training service providers who offer legit, tried and tested autism solution for your family at an affordable price. DENmaar clients and subscribers can now avail tempting discounts for Autism lizards Family Autism Independence System program.  Offer is available for a limited time only, so HURRY!!

At first glance, both telehealth and telemedicine seem very similar terms, that however, cannot be any further from the truth. Today the fields of Mobile IT health, digital health and telemedicine are changing so rapidly, that it is hard to settle on one accurate definition for these terms, hence you will see both Telemedicine and Telehealth being used interchangeably. 

Both terms consist of very similar services which include patient monitoring, e-health, medical education, patient consultation etc. If you really want to get to technical with the terms then Telemedicine is a subset of Telehealth. 

Telehealth, on the other hand is much broader term in scope which includes all telecommunication services that offer or engage in health care. Telemedicine refers only to clinical services.

Here’s a definition that could clear your mind on the concept:

Telemedicine refers to traditional clinical diagnosis and screening provided by technology, whereas Telehealth encompasses many different types of diagnosis, management and education. Telehealth concerns itself with many different range of telemedicine services which include both clinical and non-clinical services. 

Telehealth being the more popular term can be found in general health care services, while Telemedicine deals specifically with a clinician that provides a very specific kind of health service.

Examples of Telehealth

• A video conferencing platform for consultation and education
• A health app that alerts people of impending outbreak
• Fit Bits that monitor your pulse and heart rate

Example of Telemedicine

• An app that helps physicians treat their patients remotely via video conferencing
• A software that allows patients to send photos of a rash or a mole that has been bothering them to their doctors.
• An app that schedules appointments with doctors within minutes.

As you can see Telemedicine is simply a small part of telehealth. Telemedicine has become even more popular and is being widely consumed thanks to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. If anything, it has proved its worth in times of emergency and will gain further validity once the pandemic is defeated.

DENmaar’sTeleHealth Services

At DENmaar, our telehealth solution offers both patients and providers with a communication technology that allows the access and management of health care services from homes of patients or the practices of doctors.  This tele-conferencing feature allows practitioners to attend to their patients, on their computer screens, where-in they can consult and serve their clients without having to make them wait in their clinics or making them transit long distances. 

All you have to do to access our feature, whether you are a provider or patient, is to sign up to our app and avail our telepsych feature.

We all want our healthcare to be both effective in its treatment and affordable in its cost. When telehealth is implemented efficiently, both of the above aspects become easier to achieve. We can see improvements in patient satisfaction as well as management of healthcare amidst your own organization.

An advance in communication technology is only making things better for the telehealth industry. Smartphones today are faster and actually smart. Stronger internet connections are ensuring care is rendered uninterrupted. Today, telehealth is so much more than simply calling up your nurse to explain your symptoms.

In this article, we will look at Tele-nursing, its pros, and its cons. So without much further ado, let’s jump right into the meat of this article.

Pros and Cons of Tele-Nursing

Better management of Chronic Conditions

RPM aka Remote patient monitoring has replaced traditional clinical visits today to manage chronic conditions like diabetes and COPD. In RPM there’s less fragmentation of care when a patient lapses with their responsibilities. With fewer contact, there are less clinical visits and readmissions. In one study, participants of the ‘behavioral health intervention telehealth program’ experienced less hospital admissions than the patients who did not participate. 

Increased Access to Care

Patients who live in rural areas are the most significant beneficiaries of telehealth. Rural areas have always received the harsh end of a stick when it came to accessing to health care. Tele-health changed all of that. Now, rural areas, thanks to the strong internet connection and better smartphones have access to healthcare.

Avoid Risk

In the context of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Telehealth provides a great opportunity for doctors to still consult their patients via videoconferencing while adhering to the mandatory discipline of social distancing.

Save Time

With telehealth, patients don’t have to travel long distances to meet their doctors. They don’t have to wait in long lines as well. Tele-health saves time which is precious to both doctors and patients.

Cons

Some Visits are Necessary

Although telehealth is crucial in providing convenient health care to patients, it still cannot make up for physical consultation which is necessary for most situations. Doctors cannot feel your stomach through telehealth, they cannot swab your throat, or listen discerningly to your lungs or heartbeat.

Licensing issues

Licensing issues restrict nurses from providing health care to patients that do not fall in their state. Nurses can only practice and provide care in the states that permit them to practice health care.

Reimbursement

Insurance coverage for telehealth services is still shoddy and needs a lot of work. Only 21 states today require private insurers to cover telehealth services. Medicaid programs vary from state to state in paying for services offered by nurses through telehealth.

DENmaar’s TeleHealth Services

At DENmaar, our telehealth solution offers both patients and providers with a communication technology that allows the access and management of health care services from homes of patients or the practices of doctors.  This teleconferencing feature allows practitioners to attend to their patients, on their computer screens, where-in they can consult and serve their clients without having to make them wait in their clinics or making them transit long distances.