Autism
A little girl named Sally, quietly sits alone in a corner, rocking back and forth, humming to herself. Her classmates roam about in a chaotic manner, casually conversing, and inadvertently ignoring the little girl. Sally’s parents begin to wonder; is it just a phase or something more. Her parents soon learn that it is something more.
With little more to go on than that of what the parents have observed, Sally’s pediatrician has decided that she should be tested for autism. There is no blood to be drawn, no pulse to be taken, for there are no medical tests that can diagnose an autistic child.(2, pg 16) Through careful observation a team of neurologists, psychologists, developmental pediatricians, speech and language pathologists, and a few other specialists can knowledgeably diagnose Sally. After observing Sally in various social atmospheres and acquiring a developmental history from her parents, this team of trained professionals has diagnosed Sally as autistic.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that appears to be the result of a neurological disorder that affects the brain. Autism impacts normal developmental areas including, but not limited to, impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual or limited activity. “People with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. They also may be extraordinarily sensitive to other sensations. These unusual sensitivities may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as resistance to being cuddled.”(4, pg. 32) Most children are identified as autistic between the ages of birth and three years. Sally being of school age is relatively older tha...
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...ng endeavor of living with autism.
Bibliography:
(1) Horvath, K., Stefanatos, G., Sokolski, K. N., Wachtel, R., Nabors L., & Tildon, J. T. (1998). Improved social and language skills after secretin administration in patients with autistic spectrum disorders. Journal of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians, 9, 9-15.
(2) Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Finding a Diagnosis and Getting Help by Mitzi Waltz, (19990 by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
(3) Sandler, A. D., Sutton, K. A., DeWeese, J., Girardi, M. A., Sheppard, V., & Bodfish, J. W. (1999). Lack of benefit of a single dose of synthetic human secretin in the treatment of autism and pervasive developmental disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 341, 1801-1806
(4) When Listening Comes Alive by Paul Madaule ,Moulin Paper Back (1998) Guide to Effective Learning and Communication
Rowe, Peter. “Delving into the Mystery of Autism.” San Diego Union-Tribune 16 October 2001. 9 December 2001
Giving others who do not suffer from autism or caregivers an insight on how the individual may be feeling and what they are going through. This book can also help numerous medical professionals such as speech-language pathologists and pediatric doctors. As Grandin stated in the book that not all sufferers act, think, and feel the same so this novel may not be beneficial to readers who are looking for information on a wide scale of individuals who suffer from the illness. She also stated that there is no cure for autism, however some medications can help with some symptoms such as depression or anxiety. What intrigued me the most about Grandin was that she never gave up and worked on her social skills. Not only did she became a spokesperson for autism, but also became a professor at Colorado State University in which both require public speaking and being comfortable in front of people.
The dominance of recent research data points to either genetic or possibly prenatal factors as a likely explanation for the condition. Interest focuses on chromosomes, genes, blood levels, and hormones. Secretin is a hormone found to improve the language and cognitive abilities in autistic childr...
4)Overview of Autism by Stephen Edelson, Ph. D., at the Center for the Study of Autism
In this study, ten children were put on the diet, while ten remained controls(Knivsberg et al), the study showed a statistically significant reduction in mean number of autistic traits, as well a greater increase of linguistic age compared to the control group, and the diet group had a decrease in motor problems, which was significant compared to the increase seen in the control group. (Millward et al.) Urinary peptides were not measured after implementation of the diet. Another study, Cade et al, evaluated 70 children with autism and compared their urinary peptide levels to non-autistic controls, they were on average significantly higher (Cade et al). Cade et al’s study also noted significant improvement in social isolation, eye contact, speech, learning skills, hyperactivity, stereotypical activity, panic attacks, and self-mutilation in 81% of the children, after three months to a year on the diet. (Cade et al.) Five of the children who had not improved on the diet had their UPL levels retested and they were shown to still be elevated (Cade et al), despite dietary intervention. However, once again the children who had reported improvement on the diet did not have UPL’s retested, so it is possible that they continued to have elevated UPL’s. Despite the findings of these two studies, a third study, by Elder et al’s double blind study tested UPL’s at multiple points during the trials and found no significant differences in UPL’s (Elder et al.). This study also saw no significant differences within group data evaluating behaviors on the CARS or ECOS
First off, autism is not a form of mental retardation despite what the general public may have you believe. In actuality, autism, which was first described by Kanner (1943) in his study of 11 children with “autistic disturbances of affective contact” (US: American Psychological Ass...
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?”).
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.
Autistic children are isolated from most schools, socially and within the classroom. Although most children with auti...
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...
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 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.
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.
Like any child with a developmental or learning disability, people often define the lives of children with autism by their condition rather than who they really are on the inside. Cariello faced this very problem. Even while her son Jack was still a baby, Cariello felt the nagging sensation that her precious son experienced life differently. After performing numerous diagnostic tests, the blue folder that contained all of Jack’s personal information began to fill up fast. In the eyes of the health professionals working with Jack, the folder’s information that detailed his struggles and weaknesses soon began to define his character. Still, through it all, Cariello knew that her son was “beautiful inside, outside, and
As a professional in today’s society, it is greatly important to be able to communicate effectively with other professionals, with clients, and with those that are encountered in daily living. In order to communicate in a proper manner, not only is talking and non-verbal communication, but a large aspect is the ability to listen. Listening is a vital task in order to build a relationship and find meaning in someone else’s words. In order to find this meaning one must follow the characteristics of active listening, face the challenges to listening, and reflect upon one’s own listening skills.