I May Be Different. So What?

Autism 1

I May Be Different. So What?

"First discovered by Kanner in 1943",Cohen, Flusburg, Cohen (1993) "Autism is considered to be a neurological disorder", Smith (1990), "in which psychological developments characterized by unresponsiveness to other people and by lack of communication." Collier (1994). "The main characteristics are in behavioral deficits are eye contact, orienting to ones name, joint attention behaviors, pretend play, imitation, nonverbal communication, and language development." NRC (2001). The cause of this disorder is not clear, and there is no cure. But autism is a treatable condition which many people do not know. Researchers are still doing studies on autism, and here are some questions that can be answered.

1. What is autism and how do we base autism with that of other autism relations?

2. What are some of the few causes scientist's researches have found that may be in consideration?

3. What should you do if you suspect your child to have autism, and by whose evaluations?

4. How do doctors diagnose autism?

5. What treatment options could help symptoms?

6. What are goals for helping an autistic child?

The main characteristics, as noted above, "are usually notices before thirty months of age. It occurs in two to four children of 10,000, and is mostly found in boys. Speech in Autistic children is usually absent or delayed." Collier (1994). But there are also other

Autism 2

autistic related disorders that are branched off into sections. Such as "Retts Syndrome, Aspergers syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, also known as CDD, and other types not identifiable in the realm of autism. Autism is the former or classical form of the disorder. Retts syndrome is a very rare genetic disorder that affects only girls. It causes them to develop autism like behaviors after seemingly normal early development. Aspergers syndrome usually has an average intelligence and normal language development but impaired social skills and awkward movements. Other may see them as odd or eccentric. Childhood disintegrative disorder, or CDD, are children that have a rare condition develop normally during their early years before losing many of their language and social skills after age three. Children with CDD may also show other signs of autistic behavior. There are also other types of autism that are not specified yet, and this applies to children with some, but not enough, to be diagnosed with the classic form of the disorder." Kira (2004). "Doctors and scientists also use a checklist to conduct a list of behavior, but depend mostly on observations." Cohen, Flusberg, & Cohen (1993).

Although the cause is unknown, scientists have considered maybe there is more than one cause. Autism has no single, identifiable cause. "The disorder seems to be caused by abnormalities in several regions of the brain. Neurons in these regions appear to be smaller than normal and have stunted connections to other areas of the brain, but researchers don't know why. A number of genetic factors may be behind these abnormalities. Autism also seems to occur more frequently in children who have other medical conditions, including fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, untreated

phenylketonuria and congenital rubella syndrome. Researchers are investigating a

Autism 3

number of theories about the cause of autism." Larson (1996).

"In recent years, some news reports have raised concerns about a connection between autism and vaccines. These reports have targeted the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR), as well as vaccines containing thimerosal, a preservative that contains a very small amount of mercury. However, extensive reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that there's no scientifically proven link between these vaccines and autism." Smith (1990).

As was said earlier in this essay, autism is usually measurable by eighteen months. There are many signs and symptoms to watch for, but some of the main symptoms are, "an appearance of living in his or her own world, bizarre reactions to people and objects in environment, poor communication, and aversion to cuddling, and even adherence of physical contact, and virtually total lack of social interaction." Larson (1996).

"There was a study called, "a greetings study", in which few of the autistic children and adolescence ever smiled compared to the normally developing and psychiatric control children. They showed significant variable, but almost always smiled during at least one observation." Cohen, Flusberg, & Cohen (1993)

"Autism children may be fascinated by objects and carry an extraordinary talent. Many of the autistic children function at a subnormal intellectual high and perform well in school, but have severe social adjustment, called aspergers syndrome. This produces social awkwardness, but they function in school and may become gainfully employed." Larson (1996).

Autism 4

Two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have strikingly different skills. If a child has any of these autism spectrum disorders, he or she may develop normally for the first few months or years of life, then become less responsive to other people, including the parents. Through social skills there are learning blocks such as failing to respond to his or her name, poor eye contact, appearing not to hear people at times, screaming to be let down when picked up, appears unaware of other feelings, and prefers to play alone. Through language development there are things to watch for such as the child speaking later then other children, loses previous ability to say sentences or words, speaks with an abnormal tone, like a singing sound or a robot voice, and may start repeating words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them. They may also have behavior problems such as rocking back and forth or hand twisting in a repetitive fashion, may develop a routine or rituals, may be hyperactive, and may be sensitive to sensory stimulation, such as light, sound, and touch. These are only a few things to check for autism children, but many studies by a family pediatrician, who depends on close observation with their eyes and