Childhood Autism

The purpose of this paper is to identify and gather information on a childhood disorder and a facility that addresses the needs of that specific population afflicted with the disorder. By researching a disorder that the reader (and researcher) knows very little about, it offers an opportunity to gain more in-depth understanding of the biopsychological dimensions of human behavior and the social environment. The disorder chosen for this paper is autism, a spectrum disorder, which means it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees. Prior to being highly publicized by the memorable performance of Dustin Hoffman in the movie Rainman, autism was virtually unheard of. Having only the interpretation of an actor as a starting block, one is compelled to seek out more information and learn what it is to truly have this disorder. What are the difficulties a child may face as he develops and grows with this disorder? This paper will examine autism and describe an agency with the main purpose of serving those with autism.

The uniqueness of each individual with autism makes the experience of raising a child with autism different for each family. Autism is a spectrum disorder, and even though it is characterized by a certain set of behaviors, children with autism can exhibit any combination of these behaviors in any degree of severity. That means two children with the same diagnosis can behave completely different from one another and have varying capabilities. Autism is the most common condition in the group of developmental disorders known as spectrum disorders. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. For many years, the most cited statistic is that autism occurs in 4.5 out of 10,000 live births. This was based on large-scale surveys conducted in the United States and England. More recently, estimates on the prevalence of autism have ranged been as high as 1/4% to 1/2% of the population (Edelson, S., 1999). Many autistic infants are different from birth. As infants, they are often described as either passive or overly agitated babies. Two common characteristics they may exhibit include arching their back away from their caregiver to avoid physical contact and failing to anticipate being picked up. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child. As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.

Autistic children have been observed to show disturbed perception in visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, vestibular, and pain modalities, often from a very early age. The distortions include hyper- and hyporesponsivity to stimuli in the environment, and both of these extremes often occur within the same child as well as varying across children. Some children appear not to register a large proportion of surrounding stimuli but may be acutely aware of specific stimuli in an idiosyncratic and inconsistent way.

(Prior, M., 1984)

Children with autism may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people. They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can't understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don't watch other people's faces for clues about appropriate behavior. The impression that autistic children are flat in affect may stem not so much from a lack of emotional responsiveness as from their infrequent social referencing and bids for shared affect and attention (Capps, L., & Kasari, C., 1993). They lack empathy. "Theory of mind" refers to one's inability to realize that other people have their own unique point of view about the world. Many autistic individuals do not realize that others may have different thoughts, plans, and perspectives than their own.

Children with autism appear to have a higher risk for co-existing conditions, including fragile X syndrome, which causes mental retardation, tuberous sclerosis, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder. For reasons that are still unclear, about 20 to 30 percent of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood (Edelson, S., 1999).

About 10% of autistic individuals have savant skills. This refers to an ability, which is considered remarkable by most standards. These skills are often spatial in nature, such as special talents in music and art. Another common savant skill is mathematical ability in which some autistic individuals can multiply large numbers in their head within a short period of time; others can determine the day of the week when given a specific date in history or memorize complete airline schedules.

Autism knows no racial, ethnic, social boundaries, family income, lifestyle, or educational levels and can affect any family, and any child. Scientists aren't certain what causes autism, but it's likely that both genetics and environment play a role. There is general agreement in the literature that pervasive developmental disorders are related to abnormalities of brain structure or function and that the most likely basis of these abnormalities is genetic susceptibility (Kabot, S., Masi, W., & Segal, M., 2003). Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Studies of people with autism have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. Other studies suggest that people with autism have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. Some feel that social and environmental factors play a role as well. Researchers at Cornell University suggest a connection between early childhood television viewing and the onset of autism. In fact, they argue that "early childhood television viewing could be an environmental trigger for the onset of autism"(Juan, S., 2006).

In contrast to 20 years ago when many autistic individuals were institutionalized, there are now many flexible living arrangements. Usually, only the most severe individuals live in institutions. A growing number of children with autistic spectrum disorders are now being enrolled in ordinary preschool facilities, and indications are that families would like to have this option more widely available (McConkey, R., & Bhlirgri, S. 2003). Their social inclusion in mainstream facilities has two clear goals. The first is to honor the right of all members of a community to take full part in its day-to-day life. The second goal is to improve the quality