Autism: A Lack of the I-function Essay

There are autistic individuals on both ends of the spectrum. Those on the lower end exhibit some of the behaviors associated with “classical autism,” like jitters and cognitive impairment. While others, like myself, are on the other end, still “autistic,” but can mask mild symptoms quite well, and function in society though wearing labels of “odd” or “quirky” with high functioning autism, and some are in the middle. No matter which form of autism an individual has, life is different for that person in more ways than one, both beneficial and challenging.

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

Many of us have heard of the neurological disorder called autism, and have a general sense of what the term "autism" means and all of the typical behaviors that belong in its category. Yet, I must question how many of us out there who do take an interest in autism really understand how having this disorder can totally distort one's perception of what one experiences in the world. A person with autism senses things differently than we normally do, and also responds to them in other ways – what we would call "abnormal behaviors". Why is this so? According to scientists, MRI research studies have shown that the brains of autistic individuals have particular abnormalities in the cerebellum,

Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

Finally, the third and broadest area of impairment is repetitive behaviors. Autistic children often exhibit some degree of a repetitive behavior that can range anywhere from mild to extreme. This can include a variety of actions such as constantly rocking back and forth, toe-walking, eye-rolling, spinning, and clapping. The child could have set routines that they feel a need to obsessively follow every day. This can even take the form of an overly focused interest on something that the child enjoys such as science, music, or art. When these repetitive actions are observed in the child over long periods of time they are then referred to as “stereotypic behaviors“.

Autism is described by many struggles in behavior, social situations, verbal and nonverbal abilities and sensory difficulties (Rotatori et al. 2003). Children with this disorder often display abnormal enactments because of the troubles one have with returning to her environment. Behavior difficulties may perhaps arise as the effect of her amplified sensitivity to a noise, visual or what she felt.

“Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, deviance in communication, and patterns of behavior and interests that are restricted,

Behavioural characteristics associated with autistic spectrum conditions are inappropriate eye contact, repetitive movement, stiffened motor control and literal interpretation. Individuals may exhibit such behaviours because they feel ‘safe’ when carrying out the repetitive movement and have a lack of social awareness so make inappropriate eye contact and may be very stiff in themselves because they lack a means of expressing themselves comfortably. They may also become highly stressed if routine is disrupted or sense are overloaded. If

Even as adults, sometimes we tend to question whether or not there is something more to us. In years past, and often still is, the subject of autism was unknown, and often misunderstood. Many times autistic tendencies are just dismissed as either bad behaviors or defiance. Many times the individual also has an underlying condition such as attention deficit disorder. This article sheds some light on that subject.

Autism is a rare disease that can be characterized by a “neurodevelopmental disorder categorized by the inability to relate to and perceive the environment in the realistic manner.” (Anthes, 1997) The signs of autism are mainly found in infants to young children usually between the ages of newborn to two years. The main symptoms that are discussed are “impairment in social interaction fixation of inanimate objects, inability to communicate normally, and resistance to changes in their daily routine.” (Anthes, 1997) Autism is a very understood disease but one thing most people do not know is that autism not only effects a child’s life mentally and physically, it also effects their social ability to have friends, play normally and even grow up

      Autism is a disability that can create a barrier between the individual and his or her friends, family, and community. This disability often interferes with an individual’s ability to communicate, interact with others, engage in play or leisure skills, and to relate to the world around them. People with autism may exhibit repetitive movements, have unusual responses to people, be resistant to change and demonstrate aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior.

Mastering social skills and interaction is a challenge for children living with autism. Autistic children often do not play with other children. Part of this is noticed during the early developmental stages of childhood. Autistic children are often referred as off in a world of their own, unaware of people or events around them. Children with autism have difficulties in verbal and with non-verbal communication, social interactions and leisure activities. Autistic children have sensory disorders that affect how they interact with objects and people around them. They possibly will experience sensitivities in the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. “Many children with autism have unusual sensitivities to sounds, sights, touch, taste and smells. High-pitched intermittent sounds, such as fire alarm or school bells, may be painful to these children. Scratchy fabrics and clothing tags may also be intolerable, and some children have visual sensitivities to the flickering of fluorescent lights (autism-society).” The lack of social skills can create behaviors in autistic children.

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.

Repetitive behaviors like head banging and repetitive routines are consistent for individuals with autism. If the routine is disturbed, he or she screams and throws a temper tantrum (Wing, 24). Like their need for consistency in routines, autistics also need and demand absolute consistency in their environment. Changes in their environment cause them to act negatively (“Autism”). And individual with autism has a different sensory system than normal people, the stimulations are affected differently. For example, they have oversensitivity to light and this oversensitivity may cause seizures (“Autism”). At least one quarter of children with autism have an epilectic seizure before they become an adult. Other behaviors that may occur are high levels or anxiety, odd fears (ex. of color or shape), and emotions that change from one extreme to the other (Wing 31+; Siegel 49).

Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts (“Autism” Def). It’s a disability that affects a person’s communication skills and/or changes in behavior. Autism is usually diagnosed before three years of age and has a lifelong persistence. The causes of this disorder is unclear and there is currently no cure for it. There are two core characteristics of autism. The first being a deficiency in social communication and social interaction. The second is a restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Clinical features of autism include walking on tiptoes, lack of eye contact, extreme dislike of certain foods or sounds, poor communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and