A Media Critique Dealing With Olfactory Senses

Park, H. R., Lee, J. M., Moon, H. E., Lee, D. S., Kim, B.-N., Kim, J., … Paek, S. H. (2016). A Short Review on the Current Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Experimental Neurobiology, 25(1), 1–13. http://doi.org/10.5607/en.2016.25.1.1

Chapter 1 focuses on autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs) and other Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Described in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, autism (also known as autistic disorder, childhood autism, or infantile disorder) is one of the PDDs along with Rett's disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) referred to as Heller's syndrome, Asperger disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Rett's is a rare genetic abnormality affecting brain development in girls. There are treatments available, but there is no known cure. Asperger disorder affects an individual's ability to socialize and communicate effectively. Individuals with Asperger disorder may be socially awkward and have a compulsive

In the research, the participant was a 22 year-old Caucasian woman who was the first child in her family. (Karayazi et. al, 2001, p.126) Also, the young woman was diagnosed with a mild Autism Spectrum Disorder. The setting was a clinical classroom on a university campus. The classroom included three chairs, a desk, a computer and a box of tissue. The professor stayed in the room while the researchers observed from the back of the classroom. The wiping nose observations was four to eight sessions,

While genes play a role in the development or triggering of autism, they do not occupy the entire picture. Many other factors, termed as “environmental factors”, also play a significant role in the early development of autism. What the term “environmental” includes may be debatable. What falls into the category of environmental factors must be identified in order to prevent misleading pretenses. Throughout the research of autism, the word “environmental” refers to any influence beyond

In order for an individual to be diagnosed with Autism, the individual must have qualifications stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (Kim, Fombonne, Koh, Kim, Cheon, & Leventhal, 2014). These qualifications that are included in the DSM-IV are symptoms of qualitative impairment in social interaction and communication, restricted repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behaviors, interests, activities, and delays in functioning (Kim, Y. S., Fombonne, tell. 2014). Researchers have found that structural differences, such as size and composition, can have a significant impact on how the autistic brain processes information. Therefore, there is a variation between what researchers describe as a "normal person" and one who is diagnosed with Autism. Structural differences cause children who have autism, would have impaired social interaction and difficulty with communication, both verbal and nonverbal. During the early stages of Autism,

Within the last twenty years, the amount of empirical research regarding the possible cause(s) and risk factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased (Lai et al., 2014). According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ASD is currently identified in approximately 1 out of 68 children living in the United States, compared to 1 in 10,000 children in 1980 (Baio, 2014). The rise in ASD prevalence highlights the need to continue research into etiology, risk factors, and effective treatments. Purpose: This paper is a critical review of current scientific studies that have focused on the ASD population about etiology of the disorder, susceptibility, and prevalence. Theories and factors that appear to influence or predict ASD outcome are reviewed. Method: Twenty-two research articles published between January 1, 2009, and November 1, 2014, in scientific, peer-reviewed journals were retrieved from the following electronic databases: ProQuest, CINAHL Complete, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The articles were evaluated for risk of bias. Results: Recent findings suggest autism is a disorder caused by interplay of multiple genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors.

Ewing, G. H. (2009). What is regressive autism and why does it occur? Is it the consequences of multi-systematic dysfunction affecting the elimination of heavy metals and the ability to regulate neural temperature? North American Journal of Medical Sciences, 1(2). 28-47. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3364648/?tool=pmcentrez

Grandin believes that the most challenging aspect of autism is the sensory issue that comes with it. Sensory issues, whether it is related to touch, sound, or smell, are variable in nature and they vary on a case-by-case basis. Individuals with autism can

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comprises of a group of conditions including autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (DSM-5, 2014). ASD are a type of neurodevelopmental conditions diagnosed on the basis of three core behavioural domains: 1) Persistent deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication; 2) Impairments in social interaction; 3) Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of activities, interests, and behaviours (DSM-5, 2014). The variation in the severity of behavioural traits between, and within these three disorders is extensive. It should be emphasised that due to this high phenotypic heterogeneity, and clinical variability, caution in the

When the phrase “sensory processing pattern” is coupled with behavioral responses in autistic disorder, one might agree that the two belong together. Not knowing much about autistic disorder, yet very interested in the topic, I found it fascinating that some sensory processing (SP) difficulties have a high correlation with the behaviors of autism, while other SP difficulties have been found to have little to do with the disorder. This can be seen in the study that was conducted in 2007 which was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. The article, The Relationship between Sensory Processing Patterns and Behavioral Responsiveness in Autistic Disorder: a Pilot Study, investigated the correlation between sensory processing patterns and the social, emotional and behavioral receptiveness of autistic children. (Baker, Lane, Angley, & Young, 2007).

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a relatively new diagnoses within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5) created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). ASD is a combination of multiple disorders that were deemed to have similar criteria and therefor too difficult to adequately give different diagnoses. The original discovery and diagnostic criteria for autism was by Leo Kanner around 1943 and remained unchallenged for the next two decades (Verhoeff, 2013, p. 449). Since then the topic has received a large increase in research on etiology and significant changes of the

Autism Spectrum Disorder was first discovered in 1943 by psychiatrist Leo Kanner, who had a study of eleven children “who showed a marked lack of interest in other people, but a highly unusual interest in the inanimate environment”. Originally this study connected Autism Spectrum Disorder with an early form of schizophrenia, which led to the belief that Autism Spectrum Disorder could be caused from “bad parenting”, however, due to various research scientists we now know that this is not the case (“What is Autism”).

When speaking about Autism, the image that usually comes to people’s minds is someone who doesn’t interact with others, doesn’t show emotions, and is a genius in some field of science or music. Though this might by the true picture of a person with autism, symptoms of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder can vary greatly. The main characteristics of ASD are: hardships in social behavior, repetitive behavior, interests in a specific subject or subject area, which cause “significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.” ASD should be noticeable in the first couple of years of a child’s life. In the US, about 1 in every 68 children has ASD, boys being affected 4 to 5 times more than girls (nimh.nih.gov). The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental Disorders,

Every one in one-hundred and fifty children in the United States are affected by a disorder which has no known etiology and no cure (Ryan, Hughes, Katsiyannis, McDaniel & Sprinkle, 2014). This disorder is known as Autism Spectrum Disorder and it has become the “fastest growing disability in the United States” (Ryan et al., 2014, p.94). Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by “sensory processing problems and social and language difficulties” (Steurnagel, 2005, p. 138). Autism Spectrum Disorder has a significant impact on many areas of functioning and the degree of impairment differs from person-to-person, which is why the diagnosis is considered to be on a spectrum (Bradford, 2010). Current

Autism has a magnitude of possible effects and symptoms, predominately of interpersonal challenging: “impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual or severely limited activities and interests” (Turkington 1). All of these symptoms are found in Grenouille, although he is virtually unimpaired by them, due to his lack of interest in human interaction, as “security, attention, tenderness, love – [all aspects of life keen to ‘normal’ human beings – are] totally dispensable for” him (Süskind 21). His impaired social skills, especially in verbal communication, is shown in that Grenouille has great difficulty with words of “abstract ideas and the like, especially those of an ethical or moral nature [and cannot] retain them, […] and even as an adult, [uses] them unwillingly and often incorrectly” (Süskind 25). However, what Grenouille lacks in social skills, he makes up in an abnormally, if not unnaturally strong sense of smell, which he self-proclaims to be the best sense of smell in the entire world’s history. In fact, “sensory impairment,” or having “overly sensitive sight, hearing, touch, smell, [or] taste” (Turkington 2) is also a symptom of autism.