What is Autism?
Autism is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate. Autism is more formally called Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, and it is usually diagnosed in children. Leo Kanner first discovered autism in 1943 at Johns Hopkins University. Once Leo Kanner discovered autism, research about the disorder never stopped. Even today, there are researchers trying to find out more about autism. Researchers want to discover not only a cure but also possible causes of autism, but they have not yet been successful yet. While many people are trying hard to find a cure, there is also a controversy against finding one. Some people believe that autism is not a disorder, rather it is a special type of human being (Ballaro). Every person with autism is unique with his or her own combination of symptoms.
The autism diagnosis used to have many different categories to it, but in May of 2013, the DSM-5 diagnostic manual was published, which combined all types of autism into Autism Spectrum Disorder. The DSM-5 diagnostic manual is the manual that has all the descriptions of autism. In recent years, autism has been diagnosed in more and more children. According to Ann Ballaro, “Many people feel that autism occurs more frequently today because of exposures to environmental toxins, infectious agents, vaccines, prenatal medications, food additives, or similar exposures never experienced by previous generations of children” (Ballaro). Others believe that there are more children diagnosed with autism because of more awareness and better testing.
What are the Symptoms of Autism?
Not all symptoms of autism are present at every age. Different symptoms of autism can be seen at different times throughout a person’s life. Som...
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... toy, then that choice can be used to teach a skill” (Stahl). One example of this is if a child likes to play, and the lesson is about certain colors, then the child can play, and while the child is playing, the teacher will ask the child what color the toy is. This will help the child learn and understand the color. When I am playing with Zack, to help him with his math skills, we make numbers out of Play-Doh, and he will tell me what the number is. Sometimes, we will add and subtract using the Play-Doh. Verbal behavior therapy is a type of speech therapy focused on why words are used. If a child has severe problems speaking, he or she will go to regular speech therapy first, and then after he or she has progressed, verbal behavior therapy can be started. While there is no cure for autism, therapy is helpful in letting those with the disorder live more normal lives.
According to Autism Speaks Inc. (2015) research has determined there are more than 100 autism risk genes. Both Autism Speaks Inc. (2015) and Autism Society agree that there is a high genetic factor in children with autism, as well as an environmental risk factor. Autism Speaks Inc. (2015) suggests that many things can be responsible for autism in children. Some of these things include parental age, maternal illnesses, extreme prematurity, low birth weight and oxygen deprived babies. According to CDC (2015) people who are older who are having kids are putting their child at a higher risk of being diagnosed with
Recently, controversial changes to the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V) have been the topics of heated discussions in the psychiatric world. The more recent Fifth Edition (DSM V) has been released with changes that now group all of the sub- categories of Autism in to one. Some of the community views this change as a personal attack on their identity while others are welcoming the change.
Discrete trial teaching is a teaching method classified by the fast pace delivery and shortened period of instructions (5-20 seconds) and incorporation of prompts, which is also referred to as errorless learning. DTT is under the umbrella of ABA and it is a method used to teach new skills and behaviors to children on the autism spectrum. As well DTT uses a unique style of teaching, errorless learning. Which unlike the normal teaching of trial and error. This style of teaching has been shown to be very effective with children with autism. Furthermore, Applied Behavior analysis seeks to address the antecedent and consequences of behavior ( Hunter class). There is over 60 years of research to support the effectiveness of ABA to address the behavior or children with development disabilities. Furthermore we discussed in lecture that punishment and reinforcement are the driving principle behind changing behavior. DTT uses carefully timed reinforcement to support newly learned behaviors and skills. This research indicates that the use of ABA leads to very effective results in children. (Hunter, 2015)
In 1943, Leo Kanner observed eleven children, each with similar behavioral patterns, and published a paper in which he stared,” The condition differs markedly and uniquely from any reported so far” (Miller). Although many cases of autism, and autism-like disorders appeared before throughout history, no one ever properly defined this disorder until Kanner’s paper. The first said to mention the word autism was Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation, while describing a severally autistic boy, but this is a doubted speculation. The first to medically coin the term autism was Hans Asperger. Even though, he thought he was observing autism, he was actually observing and describing Asperger Syndrome, which doctors realized was a different disorder in 1981 (“Who discovered Autism?”).
Children with autism have multiple characteristic impairments in their social interaction skills. This results from the lack of “Theory of Mind” in autistic individuals. Autistic children have difficulty interpreting what another person may be thinking or feeling. Social impairments may cause the child to act inappropriately in social interactions and prevent the children from truly taking part in interactions. The children have difficulty recognizing social cues and responding to cues. Autistic children have a hard time forming relationships as a result of these impairments. Social stories, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Pivotal Response Training are three therapy techniques that help children with autism learn appropriate social behavior. Social stories allow the children to practice the situation in a lower stress environment. Applied Behavior Analysis utilizes positive reinforce to teach desired skills. Pivotal Response Training allows the child to learn social skills while in a natural play environment. Learning social skills through these techniques enable the children to have more meaningful relationships and engage more in their community.
Looking around tons of children are incapable of providing for themselves, thanks to fast food causing autism. Fast food is the cause of several current issues, one being autism. Because of fast food industries’ nonstop need to utilize processed materials as nourishment, which is a leading cause of autism spectrum disorder, children all over America suffer.[2&3] Autism owns its very own causes and effects, but before something can create a repercussion, it must develop. Autism has causes, effects, and development. There are multiple ways of development for autism, all leading to the depressing result of ADHD, SPED programs, or down syndrome. Autism commonness has shot up since the 1980’s. The additives in fast food are also another chemical, relating to the causes of autism. The effects of autism are SPED programs, which isolates the children from the rest of their school, resulting in future social awkwardness, speech impediments, and more unusual and almost unfixable effects. When no two autism diseases are the same, it is overly difficult to discover a cure, having very few antidotes, already. There are different stages of autism spectrum disorder,
The Autism Spectrum is a mystery. With no cause or cure, researchers have been working hard, to the best of their abilities, to diagnose, treat, and educate those with autism. For centuries, since 1943, with enhanced technology, the view on autism has improved tremendously. New advancements have been developed to diagnose autism earlier, help create more successful treatments, and to help better an educational plan for people with autism.
Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. The Autism spectrum is vast and varies in degree of severity from person to person. The challenges that come with Autism Disorder include difficulty in social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Autism has been a diagnosable disorder since 1951. Treatment options have changed since the first diagnosis. Available treatment today has advanced over the sixty-three year span and has become the best possible form of treatment available for Autism.
Luiselli, James K. "Verbal Language and Communication." Teaching and Behavior Support for Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Practitioner's Guide. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
Children diagnosed with a Developmental Language Disorder at a young age benefit from early intervention. The earlier a child is able to receive treatment, the more effective the treatment will be. This article explains how most children diagnosed with autism earlier than 3 years of age retain that diagnosis when they turn 3. This diagnosis is critical because it can influence how the child receives early intervention. The goal of this study is to determine how accurately a child could be diagnosed with autism and retain that diagnosis 1 year later. The study also seeks to determine characteristics that children with autism demonstrate under the age of 3.
Understanding autism, which is professionally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, otherwise known as (ADS) can be a difficult task, especially for someone who is not trained in helping persons with disabilities. The first person to discover autism was a child psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943. He names the spectrum disorder after the Greek word autos, meaning of or for oneself, due to the way the child display social avoidance. Many doctors’ believed in the past that autism was caused by the way the mother not caring for her child properly or ignoring him or her. There was also a time when it was thought to be caused by certain environmental stresses that cause neurological issues within the brain. Autism is one of the most misunderstood
Autism was discovered in the early 1900. It was then used to name a range of different neuropsychological conditions. The Term Autism is derived from the word “autos” that in Greek means self. This word was used because Autistic people usually keep to themselves and keep away from social interactions. The first person to use this term was a Eugen Bleuler. He was a Swiss Psychiatrist. He started this in 1911 and he used this to refer to certain symptoms from schizophrenia. The term became used in the USA in the 1940’s. It was then used by a doctor from John Hopkins University to name withdrawn behavior that he observed by children.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that effects the brains development. It is characterized by affecting communication, cognition and social interaction. The spectrum of the disorders ranges from a mild condition called Asperger’s syndrome to a more severe form, which severely impairer’s development. The Office of Communications and Public Liaison states that the disorder affects one and eighty-eight children, however ASD effects boys more frequently than girls (Office of Communications and Public Liaison, 2013). ASD emerges in all age, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The significant varied character and severity of the disorder is why ASD is considered a spectrum that poses a broad range of symptoms.
Applied behavioural analysis (ABA) is a theoretical framework of learning that emerged from the behaviorist tradition and is based upon human behaviour and how it occurs within the environment (Heflin, & Alaimo, 2007). The origins of ABA within ASD education was consolidated with Lovaas at UCLA in the 1980’s where he pioneered discrete trial training (DTT) utilising the stimulus-response principle which underpins the theoretical model of ABA. DTT was originally used for the development of expressive language skills for students with autism. It’s rigorous schedule of adult-led individual intervention over a twenty to forty hours weekly schedule occurred in a highly structured and clinical teaching environment. DTT is a staged process whereby
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known as a neurodevelopmental disorder that is capable of weakening communication, behavior and socialization. Certain types of autism might not be identified until three years of life and it happens more frequently in boys compared to girls. Autism is not curable but it can be controlled using certain type of treatments as there is no specific treatment for autism. The question arises for these articles are if the treatment used was effective? There are many types of treatments that are able to control autism and the types of treatments used in these articles were behavioral involvement which is learning system based on interference approach. This will help to lessen and uphold the target’s behavior. Complementary and alternative medicine and special diets are treatments used in autism as CAM and special diets will be able to maintain autism. Communication interventions are very useful for autism and one of the main communication treatments is speech therapy. It maintains the expressive and receptive communication of children mainly it maintains the expression and enhances symbol learning. Educational therapy plays a role in treating children with autism as it supports children through the condition of visual details.