Essay Autism: A Disorder of Conflicting Causes and Treatments

Autism is a developmental disorder, which is characterized by a dyad of difficulties in a) communication and social interaction and b) restricted interests and imagination (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might find it challenging to understand what other people think or what the reasons for their behaviours are, as their ‘theory of mind’ may not be well developed (Schuwerk, Vuori & Sodian, 2015). It is possible that this is why they might behave in socially inappropriate ways, being unable to differentiate between different contexts, while they might also find it difficult to make friends. Moreover, it is likely that they are fond of routines, repetition and structure (Carnahan, Musti-Rao, & Bailey, 2009), as they might be nervous with unknown, new situations. In addition, some of them might not do eye contact with other people, whereas some others might not endure to be touched and might have a difficulty developing speech (Jordan, 2005). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might sometimes be prohibited to initiate conversations and might struggle with finding different ways to play and behave, due to the possible deficit of imagination, which in some cases might result in them having a narrow sphere of interests. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this group of people is rather heterogeneous, as characteristics of autism may differ from one individual to another (Gwynette, 2013). Another point is that people with Autism

Several environmental factors have also been suspected of attributing to the cause of autism such as: exposure to infectious disease, heavy metals, phthalates and phenols, pesticides, alcohol, illicit drugs, advanced maternal age, maternal bleeding during pregnancy, maternal medications used during pregnancy and maternal stress (Glasson et al., 2004). The research conducted by Glasson et al., (2004) shows that individuals who were later diagnosed with autism were more likely to have experienced obstetric difficulties during pregnancy, labor, delivery and neonatal period. Advanced maternal age was the strongest finding in that study.

     Autism is a developmental disability that affects all areas of behavior and perception. Approximately 10 out of every 10,000 children are diagnosed with autism and four out of five are males. Autism is the third most common developmental disability, more common than Down Syndrome. Children with Autism are characterized by impairment in several areas of development such as: Cognitive, Language, Play/Socialization skills and exhibit many challenging behaviors. Behavior Patterns of Autism:

Autism is a syndrome that is characterized by the impairment of social interaction skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a decreased interest in participating in a variety of activities. In 1943, Kanner, the man who is attributed with the identification of this disease, hypothesized that autism might be a biological disorder as opposed to a psychological one. Numerous studies have been conducted supporting Kanner’s hypothesis. These studies have ranged from examining the effects of rubella to investigating certain purine metabolic disorders as possible etiological agents. Recently, the areas of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have played a crucial role in developing a clearer picture into

While there are many theories there is no single cause of autism. One theory assumes multiple factors interacting in complex ways (i.e. genes, environment and brain) can cause autism. Genetics play a role but do not explain the full picture or the recent increase in reported cases. According to Volkmar and Weisner (2009), "Identical twins have identical genes, while fraternal twins share only some genes. The implication of this finding was that there was potentially a very strong genetic contribution in autism. A number of studies have shown that this is the case. " (p. 26). There are medical conditions associated with autism which include, phenylketonuria, congenital rubella, tuberous sclerosis, and Fragile X. The strongest associations are with Fragile X, a genetic condition causing intellectual disability and tuberous sclerosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in many different organs, primarily in the brain, eyes, heart. There is no strong evidence that environmental etologies cause autism. Some researchers assume that environmental toxins can increase the rate of autism, but evidence proposed for environmental factors is based on a case by case report which is difficult to interpret (Volkmar & Weisner,

Autistic infants often show little or no interest in other people and lack typical social behaviors. For example, they may not smile at their mother's voice or make eye contact with caregivers. Autistic children fail to develop normal relationships with their parents, brothers or sisters, and other children. Often they seem unaware of the needs and feelings of other people, and may not respond if another person is hurt or in distress. They also fail to make friends.

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240, for an average of 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder, “ASD” (Nirv, Shah 2011). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, up to six out of every 1,000 children may be diagnosed with some form of autism. In addition, boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism. This means that as many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of autism. Unfortunately, the numbers appear to be increasing rapidly. Autism is a disability that frequently appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the

Autism is a behavioral syndrome usually presenting behavior abnormalities before the child is 30 months of age. These behavioral abnormalities include marked social deficits, specific language abnormalities and stereotyped, repetitive behaviors (Piven, 1990). Although the exact etiology of autism is not known it is now believed that it is a dysfunction of one or more unidentified brain systems and not the result of parental and environmental influences. Variations in symptomology and in prognosis among autistic persons depend on both the severity and the extent of the underlying brain dysfunction (Repin, 1991). Several studies have been conducted including neuroanatomic imaging, microscopic neuroanatomic observations and positron

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, deficits in social skills, and repetitive or restricted behavior. In recent years, the number of diagnosis for autism and pervasive developmental disorders have been rising drastically. Many areas have been explored as a means of describing this phenomenon, but no one reason has proven definitive. Some possible explanations include but are not limited to: changes in mental health care, an overall increase in maternal and paternal age, and an introduction of multiple vaccines. The increase in autism is far from being fully explained and more research is needed to understand this proliferation.

Autism is a developmental disorder in which an individual has problems with communication and interaction. Autism Spectrum Disorder was adopted as a categorization in 2013 and begins in childhood and follows throughout the course of a child’s life and is actually a collection of developmental brain disorders. There is a copious difference between autism and Asperger syndrome, the main difference appearing to be language development. “The first documented case of autism was published in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner” (Introduction to Autism). This disorder is extremely difficult to diagnose because of the copious different presentations of the symptoms, which leads to misdiagnoses such as ADHD and Rett syndrome.

In 1943 a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner wrote about a group of children who were apathetic to their family members and made odd and repetitive movements. A year later, Hans Asperger observed similar behavior in another group of children, also noting a lack of understanding of social conventions (Lai, 2014). These two observations would be the beginning of a disorder known as the Autism Spectrum Disorder. This developmental disorder, characterized by a range of deficits in different areas, is increasingly prevalent in society and in the media. While the exact numbers vary from country to country, according to Lai (2014), 1% of the general population is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The range of this disorder has a detrimental effect on society, specifically the educational system due to specialized care needed for children with the disorder. Prior to being known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder could be broken down into Asperger’s disorder, autism and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified; The DSM-5 combined these diagnoses. Autism Spectrum Disorder belongs to a group of disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders.

Abnormal psychology is arguably, one of the most interesting subgroups in the world of psychology. There is an abundant amount of research done on abnormal diseases to understand the causes, functions, and effects or the diseases. One of the most widely known abnormal disorders is Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is a complicated disorder because it represents a wide range of developmental disorders categorized by criteria such as: impaired social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication breakdowns, and repetitive behaviors.

Autism is a behavioral syndrome usually presenting behavior abnormalities before the child is thirty months of age. These behavioral abnormalities include marked social deficits, specific language abnormalities and stereotyped, receptive behaviors. Although the exact etiology of autism is not known it is now believed that it is a dysfunction of one or more unidentified brain systems and not the result of parental and environmental influences. Variations in symptomology and in prognosis among autistic persons depend on both the severity and the extent of the underlying brain dysfunction (Parritz, Troy 136). Several studies have been conducted including neuron anatomic imaging, microscopic neuroanatomic observations and positron emission

Young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), have struggled to obtain employment after completing high school or college. In many studies of young adults with ASD, low rates of employment are reported (4.1 and 11%) despite their intellectual abilities. Moreover, research on interventions for adults with ASD is scarce, and only 4% of all studies of ASD in 2010 were longitudinal studies.

What is Autism? How is Autism classified? What causes Autism? Why do Autism happen? There are some many questions about Autism, and what it is. Many of those questions are still unknown. Everyday researchers are exploring reasons for these questions.