Aspects of Autism
In general, autism is the developmental disability that prevents individuals
from properly understanding what they see, hear, or otherwise sense.
Approximately 3 to 5 out of every 10,000 school aged children have some for of
autism, and males with the disorder outnumber females with it by nearly 5 to 1. It
is estimated that 1 in every 500 display some autistic characteristics (Williams,
xiv). Autism is called a spectrum disorder because there is no one characteristic
and it is different in every person. Parents may hear labels such as: autistic-like,
learning disabled with autistic tendencies, high or low functioning autism. These
labels don’t describe differences in the child as much as the differences in the
professional’s training, vocabulary, and exposure to autism (autism zone, review).
Autism and related disorders are grouped under the broad heading of “Pervasive
Development Disorder” or PDD. Autism, PDD-NOS (pervasive development
disorder, not otherwise specified), Asperger’s syndrome and Rett’s syndrome are
the four diagnoses used to describe individuals who manifest some, but not all
characteristics of autism (Dalldorf, 1). There is no definite test for autism. Autism
is usually first diagnosed in children when they are about 2 years old. A child may
display normal or above normal development until this age and suddenly change.
It is unknown exactly what causes autism, but it is a biological problem and a
child’s environment has nothing to do with the disorder (Martin, 2-4). Also there
is no one treatment to help autistic people. There are dozens of ways that seem to
help and for every person it is different.
First there are the characteristics that are most common in autistic people to
varying degrees. Delays in the development of language or no development at all.
If it does develop then there is often use of words without attachment of normal
meaning, use of unusual metaphors or speak in the formal, and talk in a monotone
voice (Martin). They usually avoid eye contact and appear to tune out the world
around them. They can appear to be deaf one minute and overly sensitive the next
and similar reactions with all their senses. Some autistic people may excel in one
area or another such as music, math, drawing, or memorizing facts whether
important or not. That was the characteristic displayed in the movie “Rainman”.
However, only about 20% of autistic people have average or above average
intelligence (autism zone, review).
...rrier. There are available tests you can take to determine the possibility of your children receiving the disease.
While it is rare to have a diagnosis in children younger than 12 years of age, it does happen. Average age of onse...
any child who fails to pay attention or seems overly active might be deemed as suffering from
...sorders on the spectrum such as AS. Several of the sources used in the composition of this paper refer to the belief that Autism is a form of “extreme male brain”, an exaggeration of male traits caused by high levels of testosterone while in utero. In spite of the disparity between the two genders, there are girls struggling with this disorder, and they often experience more severe symptoms than their male counterpart (Rudacille).
One of the most characteristic features of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is its prominent higher prevalence among the male gender in comparison with the female gender. Although rates of ASD are consistent across cultures, these rates vary significantly by gender. It is the male gender that seems to be more affected by ASD with an average male-to-female ratio of 4.2:1, affecting 1 in 70 males and only 1 in 315 females (Fombonne, 2009). Although a well-known fact, the causes for such a great difference among sex ratios still remains unexplained, there are several hypotheses and studies trying to explain the reason for this inequality. In this paper I will outline some of the different attempts to explain the differences between the sex ratios. Among these attempts we can find diverse hypotheses that vary from the role of the sex hormones and genetic vulnerability to the biases of medical professionals during the diagnostic process (Goldman, 2013).
According to the article "Autism" the author stated that, " Early studies suggested that five children out of 10,000 had Autism Spectrum Disorder." Also, in the same article the author states that, " People with Autism have problems with communication and social interaction." I believe that people should be much more understanding and tolerant of people with Autism. Those people have disadvantages , such as : difficulty with language , which they make up with advantages , such as : putting clues together , and having the unique interest and talents , as my amazing brother Ted.
“Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how someone communicates with, and relates to other people. Autism also affects how a person makes sense of the world around them ”(autism.org). People wonder the causes of this disability, but what they do not know is there has not been an official cause yet determined! Although there hasn’t been an official cause of autism, there are a lot of theories people believe cause autism. One of the main theories is what pills or vitamins women take during their pregnancy. During pregnancy women have to be very careful on what antibiotics or vitamins they take. Sometimes the child can be affected by the pill which leads to problems during birth. “Another major theory is exposure to chemical pollutants, metals, pesticides, etc.” (webmd.). These substances contain a lot of poisons, chemicals, or bacteria that are very dangerous for a fetus to be exposed too. This is why people say pregnant women should just stay away from places where these substances are. But the main theory that many people think causes autism is vaccines. Although vaccines are supposed to prevent disease, people think there is a chemical in them which causes autism, but this theory is false! The cause of autism has not yet been fully determined, but it is not caused by vaccines; it is usually caused by genetics, metabolic or neurological factors, or lastly problems that occurred during birth.
Most of the diagnosis is at childhood. Experts say that over 2 million (3 to 5%) children
Stephanie Lindsey the author of the article Autism and Education addresses some serious issues in the education system between the special needs students and the highly gifted students. Stephanie writes the article based off her children and how they are treated in school. Her son has autism, which affects his capability to learn, speak, and to train himself when it comes to bathroom use. Also never being alone in school due to him having a personal aid alongside him with special classes he is treaded with a different type of education. Her daughter on the other hand tests in the 95th percentile nationwide on standardized testing. She’s twelve and her capability of progressing information and taking complex ideas apart and putting them back together to form new thoughts is like no normal twelve year old. She reads entire novels, solves Sudoku puzzles, and also participates in her school
There is no known single cause of autism. Researchers are investigating a number of possible theories including genetics, heredity, medical problems, problems during pregnancy or delivery, as well as environmental influences. It is widely accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in the brain structure or function. There is evidence from neuropathological studies that autism has its origins in abnormal brain development early in prenatal life which continues postnatally, showing acceleration in brain growth measured by head circumference (Zwaigenbaum, L., Bryson, S., Rogers, T., Roberts, W., Brian, J., & Szatmari, P., 2005). The disorder also seems to have a genetic basis, although researchers have yet to find the specific genes that link to the onset of autism. There could be a cluster of genes that have somehow interfered with normal brain development and function. Studies show that twins of children with autism were more likely to be autistic themselves than the regular population, demonstrating there is a heredity lin...
Thompson, R. G., Lizardi, D., Keyes, K. M., & Hasin, D. S. (2008). Childhood or adolescent
Autism has been misjudged for many years and some people have gone without treatment and were locked up in mental hospitals for the rest of their lives due to the ignorance of the public... The main problem is that there has not been any productive treatment available to help them in the past. The typical case of autism can be frightening to those who are not educated in the characteristics on how one can be affected by autism and its symptoms. It would be easy to be intimidated and overwhelmed by the reactions of people that have autism. There are several ways to diagnose autism, however it is in many cases not being recognized, and especially in children who have debilitating handicaps such as schizophrenia. There are also the children that may seem very normal and may only have a few symptoms, such as rocking or not being able to
Statistics show that boys are affected 5 times more than girls. According to data, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism. To be more specific, 1 in 42 boys is affected and 1 in 189 girls is affected. There is a higher chance of boys getting autism than girls.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects children and individuals all over the world in large quantities. There is no known cause or cure for Autism. Autism awareness is extremely important for individuals that are affected by autism every day. Individuals and their families are struggling throughout the years, financially and emotionally. Insurance coverage for individuals on the autism spectrum is important for the duration of the individual’s life and all those involved. Autism Awareness is an important priority for the wellbeing of humanity. Autism is an epidemic.
Green, K. (1987). The Effects of 'Powerful' and 'Powerless' Speech Styles . . Retrieved , from http://www2.edutech.nodak.edu/ndsta/green.htm