Autism And Its Effects On The Brain Structure And Activity

In the early 1900’s autism was a completely misunderstood concept and any child who was living with it was assumed to be living with “childhood schizophrenia” and developed much slower than children without autism. A four year study of Donald Triplett gave Dr. Kannar a better understanding of what autism was and what it caused certain people to do. The main question was, does it affect the child’s development? Living with autism can affect a child’s development due to the fact that they don’t have a long attention span, can cause them to have a repetitive behavior, along with trouble in social situations whether it be verbal or non verbal.

Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex developmental disability. I happen to have two nephews with autism, one who I am very close to and interact with a lot. A child is usually diagnosed with autism during the first three years of life. It is a result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, and affects the development of the person’s communication and social interaction

With the rate of autism being diagnosed on the rise, the amount of research and interest in the disorder has risen as well. Some research suggests that over the past two decades the occurrence of autism has increased from approximately 2-5 per 10,000 births to about 1-5 per 1,000 births (Acosta & Pearl, 2004; Fatemi et al., 2012). Still others report that the occurrence is as high as 1 in 150 kids (Amaral, Schumann, & Nordhal, 2008). Even though the spectrum of autistic disorders has been studied since 1943, there have still not been any consistent nor persuasive causes or markers, either biological or clinical, identified with autism and its range of disorders (Santangelo & Tsatsanis, 2005). In fact, even with all of the advancements in genetic research technology and the increasing interest in autism, researchers can still only account for approximately 5-15% of autistic cases (Rogers et al., 2013).

of development, how we experience the world plays a role in our brain development. In recent

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex disorder of brain development characterized by early onset difficulties in social communication, behavior, and sensory processing (Webb, 2009). Although, based on the child, symptoms can vary widely within each of these areas. Characteristics of autism often begin to surface between the ages of 8-10 months old, and continue to become more apparent as the child ages. Symptoms of ASD in infants include, failure to respond to their names, delayed babbling, and lack of social interaction. Other red flag characteristics include failure to meet normal milestones, and low muscle tone. As the child grows, characteristics of autism spectrum disorder may become more prominent, and include symptoms such as lack of eye contact, sensory difficulties or self-stimulatory behavior (Webb, 2009). Based on the severity of the diagnoses, children with autism could have other medical conditions including intellectual disabilities, seizures, anxiety disorders, and issues pertaining to the gastrointestinal tract. Autism is referred to as a spectrum, because not all people will experience, or exhibit the symptoms in the same way.

A heart attack, a stroke or a cancer diagnosis causes its members to confront the impact of the illness and re-evaluate their position. These illnesses are often life threatening, but critical intervention leads to a steady rehabilitation and possibly full recovery. This cannot be said, for a family impacted by a diagnosis of autism. Autism is a developmental disability that significantly affects three areas: communication, social interaction, and behavior. Autism being a spectrum disorder impacts each individual differently, leaving each family’s experience difficult to compare. Autism being a communication disability brings serious challenges to a family, as this diagnosis impacts the communication strategies. Parents find

Autism is the second types of brain disease. According to Scheruermann and Webber (2002), autism is a development of disorder that caused by neurological impairment affecting brain chemistry and or brain structure. Even the exact reason of the neurological impairment is not yet known, but it is mostly due to the genetic links. Nevertheless, this symptoms is well-defined, hence essential information for educational treatment been contributed. Understanding based on autistic symptomology is the best way to teach student with autism. Presently, there are three main theories explaining the existence of common symptoms. The first theory is a perceptual/cognitive theory. Autism children may have specific differences in capability of their thinking and the way they receive external input, due to the brain defects. They also have to withdraw, and have a complicated time making sense of or processing, physical phenomena because of they might be stimulated by auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli. A second theory is from a developmental explanation holds that brain defects is the reason individuals with autism difficult to evolve in language, cognition, social, and motor domains. Scheruermann and Webber also stated that, it is estimated that the students need to improve through developmentally sequenced experiences for them to expert the necessary skills just as children without disabilities because they are developmentally delayed. The last theory is the behavioral explanation, holds

It's time for preschool and you're really worried about your child. You love them dearly, but you're worried that they may fall on the autism spectrum. As a result, you're not sure if they're ready or even capable of attending preschool. Thankfully, it's not only possible, but it can be beneficial to them.

Autism spectrum disorders, or ASDs, are a set of disorders of neural brain development with many causes at their roots, and while recent research has determined several potential causes as to why the disorder occurs, its ambiguity raises an additional question of to what extent the general public understands the reality of the disorder. The various disorders include: autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Because each individual with autism is unique, some may have exceptional abilities, while others may experience cognitive delays, be unable to complete everyday tasks, experience difficulties in motor coordination, or have attention and physical health issues. The various types of autistic disorders are characterized by difficulties interacting socially and in both verbal and nonverbal types of communication, and these usually come about during infancy. It is often found that some with autism spectrum disorders excel in specific fields, such as music, math, art, and visual skills, and this is sometimes known as savant syndrome (Santrock). Stephen Safran describes disability as “reduced function or loss of a particular body part or organ. A disability is not a handicap unless it leads to an educational, social, vocational, or other problem (3). Autism, on the other hand, is a disorder characterized by extreme withdrawal, self-stimulation, cognitive

The believed etiology of autism was unknown and not made clear. This may be one of the reasons why the paper by Andrew Wakefield was so popular among the general public. It inspired belief that vaccinations were to blame for autism, and that parents could prevent their child from developing autism by avoiding vaccinations. As autism’s main or collective causes remain unknown, some of the parents of autistic children have attempted to shift blame from their perceived own wrong-doings, and onto anything else.

Autism can be defined as “a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication” (Wumedicalcenter.com, 2017). An alternative explanation for this is that an autistic child has trouble communicating and understanding other people’s emotions and expressions. Since a significant amount of a child’s brain is developed within in the first few years of life, this causes problems later due to lack of understanding of what observed. They can have trouble expressing their feelings “with words or through gestures, facial expressions, and touch” (WebMD, 2017).

Think about how you feel when you have to give a presentation in school; how you feel when you have to hug people, or how you feel when the power goes out at home. For an autistic child, these things that seem normal can be their worst nightmare. A few months ago I started babysitting an eight year old autistic boy named Callum. Some cases of autism are much more severe than others, and Callum happened to be on the more severe side of things. He was such a sweet boy, and the short time I spent with him opened my mind immensely, it even made me a less judgemental person altogether. In a way, my experience has made me want to inform others on autism because I have noticed that not many people understand it. It is one of the fastest growing disorders in the United States. Sometimes, when people would ask what I did as a job, I would tell them I babysit Callum, an autistic boy. Often times, their response to that would be, “what even is autism?”

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are lifelong developmental disabilities characterised by marked difficulties in social interaction and social communication, and restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours.

Growing up with autism has been difficulty for me because of how I see certain things differently. Not many people accepted that and began to criticize me. Of course I didn’t pay any attention to that. How I interpret things is based on experiences I’ve had in life and based on media I’ve observed. I see things differently because that’s how I go through life without having so much stress on my shoulders. That doesn’t mean, however, that I look at all things differently. If something should happen to anyone I cared about, my reaction would be like everyone else’s; be concerned. If someone passed away, I’m falling to the floor with tears flowing down my face. This all happens to everyone. I’m no

What is autism? To some people it can mean many different things. Autism Spectrum Disorders are a range of intense developmental disorders that can cause problems with an individuals’ thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. Autism is a neurological disorder which means that it affects the functioning of the brain. (“Autism Spectrum Disorders” n.d). Some symptoms of autism may include repetitive body movements and communicating with gestures instead of words. Others are intense tantrums and showing aggression. (“Signs and Symptoms” 2015). Many children with autism can lead a very happy life if they get the right help. They must have patient teachers and people around them that are always positive. Living with autism can be frustrating for both the parents and children. Children with autism become frustrated when they cannot do things that others can. There are many unanswered questions about autism; however, more and more cases of autism are showing that the children are able to eventually lead independent lives.