Autism Spectrum Disorder is the Misunderstood Disability

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When people hear the word autism, they think of someone with mental disabilities. Psychology Concepts describes autism as a “complex and poorly understood disorder.” (541) According to the National Institute of Mental Health, autism is defined as “a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively called autism spectrum disorder (ASD)”. There are five different disorders in the spectrum, which include autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder (not otherwise specified), Rett’s disorder, and childhood disintegrative disorder. Many people do not know there are various disorders that are considered a form of autism.
Autistic disorder is also known as classic autism and is what is commonly thought of when people hear the word autism. Children with this disorder have impairments with communication and social interaction and can often experience language delays. Also, children tend to show repetitive actions and have intellectual disabilities. The Autism Community website provides a list of symptoms that can help diagnose children. Based on this list, there are a certain number of symptoms from each category that suggest that a child should be tested for autism. According to an article written by Yong- Hwee Nah and his colleagues, “The Autism Detection in Early Childhood” was developed in 2007. Treatments for classic autism include an assortment of options such as speech and occupational therapy.
Asperger’s disorder is one of the milder forms of autism in which people can still be high functioning. Children diagnosed with this disorder suffer from social isolation and have difficulties communicating. Also, they show restrictive and repetitive actions. According to Aspergers. com, people with...

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...epetitive daily schedule, and a large interest in cars. He is usually very quiet at family events, however he will open up to a few people. He really likes talking to my older brother and loves spending time with him. Steve does not like change; he always orders food from the same restaurants and eats around the same time each day. He also always has a bottle of water and hand sanitizer with him. I can tell he loves cars because he has many car magazines, model cars, and always talks about cars with my brother. Steve would be considered high functioning because he is able to hold a steady job as a bus driver. However, he never moved out of my grandparent’s house and has never had a relationship. Steve has experienced difficulty dealing with his disorder and went through depression a few years ago. Thankfully, he managed to overcome that and has improved.

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