Autistic Children Research Paper

He wakes up at 7 am every morning, asks for his bottle filled with pediasure, and does not get up unless he has his I-pad in his hand. He goes to the bathroom, is aided while brushing his teeth, and later is dressed for the day. Throughout the day he only eats crackers and peanut butter, certain fruit, and a soup with a banana for dinner. He uses his iPad all day to only watch Thomas the train video and enjoys watching “Pocoyo” on TV, only. He loves playing with his train tracks, playing his piano, designing with clay and building perfect towers with blocks. When he’s upset he slaps his arms and sometimes hits people. He has a small vocabulary. Nonetheless he’s loving, sweet, funny and smart. These symptoms are symptoms shared by children with

In “Using Shaping to Increase Foods Consumed by Children with Autism,” researchers, Abby Hodges, Tonya Davis, and Madison Crandall present an experiment using operant conditioning to help doctors, parents, and specialist ways in which they can expand their autistic children’s same routine foods by increasing both volume and variability. They claim, “Food selectivity can be conceptualized as a form of behavioral inflexibility. Individuals with ASD often dis- play behavioral inflexibility, which is often manifested as a strict adherence to routines and insistence on sameness. Moreover, this may lead to disruptive and challenging behavior when a routine is disrupted” (Hodges, 2017). Concerning their IQ, it would range depending on severity of diagnosis but more than have an IQ less than 70 (Charron). Some other signs of ASD could also be epilepsy, sleeping disorders or gastrointestinal problems. These symptoms start early on in childhood and usually stay the same throughout adult hood. In the study I just mentioned, the researchers had great results when they got children to try new foods and even like them. While it may be hard to get an autistic shy child out of routine sometimes it worth it when they end up loving something new, but other times routine is okay and keeps them

A huge growth comparing the prevalence in 2000 which was 1 in 150 children. Some of the reasons why this number has increased could be because of the awareness, more autistic genes being passed down, change in the DSM- 5 criteria’s or children were being falsely diagnosed in the past. Unfortunately, it could also be that children are being falsely diagnosed today too. An article by Jessica Wright from Scientific American says, “What’s more, a diagnosis of autism gives children greater access to specialized services and special education than do diagnoses of other conditions. This benefit makes clinicians more likely to diagnose a child with autism, even those who are on the borderline of the clinical criteria.” (Wright, 2017). ASD is present in all racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic groups. However, in other countries only about 1 to 2 percent of children are diagnosed (MMWR). ASD is also most common in white children in the U.S. However, this might be because African Americans and Hispanic children do not have access to certain services. When it comes to gender 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls have