Autism Social Issues

Parents with ASD children in Ontario are going through rough times, low-income families in high need areas are being targeted and their children are being marginalized. Throughout this paper we will attempt to explore the benefits of Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) on children 5 years old and older, also look at the problems they go through, the contributing factor to this issue, etc. we are hopeful that at the end of this paper, we will develop an understanding of discriminatory practices and the impact on low-income families, more specifically autism and the impact on low-income families.

Community development involves changing the relationships between ordinary people and people in positions of power, so that everyone can take part in the issues that affect their lives. It starts from the principle that within any community there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channeled into collective action to achieve the communities' desired goals.

A lot of people don’t realize the challenges of living with a child who has been diagnose with Autism can be. It is a twenty-four-hour seven day a week job no vacation, no sick time and no pay. From the time the child is diagnosed it is a constant worry especially if the parents don’t know much about the condition. It starts with continuous Doctor visits, social services, and therapy sessions, just to figure out how serious the condition may be and what level of the disability the child has and this is only this beginning. Next, to find the tools the child needs to overcome the disability, like learning development and cognitive process, social skills, comprehension capabilities, and many more depending on the severity of autism.

People in today’s society hear more about autism and its prevalence in school systems than they did ten years ago. A study was done between 2002 and 2006 in the state of New Jersey to determine whether or not autism was becoming more and more prevalent. “For 2006, a total of 533 children with autism spectrum disorder were identified, consistent with prevalence of 17.4 per 1000, indicating a significant increase in the disorder from 2002 where the prevalence was

I observed the interviewee as a concerned and caring mother who wanted the best for her child with autism. She was educated enough to know it was a process beyond her knowledge. The mother is a young Caucasian adult with a college education, she allowed the process and was opened minded with what the coordinators and specialists had to say. Stating, that it could be difficult to get resources because the client is unsure where he or she is to go and turn to. Autism is a disorder of social interaction, communication and behavior. Autism typically manifests itself within the first three years of life and there is usually cognitive

A significant increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been observed over the past decade. Specifically, the prevalence has increased from 1 in 110 children to 1 in 88. The 2011 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) described the increase in prevalence of ASDs as a national medical emergency. To address this emergency, the IACC developed a strategic plan. Successful implementation of the plan could improve the quality of life of children with ASDs and their families. Evaluation of cost-effectiveness of evidence-based services is one of the long-term objectives in the IACC strategic plan, and this proposal addresses it. According to PA-10-159 entitled Research on Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders (R03),

The purpose of this paper is to define autism, define Medicaid, and the role that Medicaid plays in regards to coverage of necessary therapy treatments for autistic children in the state of Florida. The advantages and disadvantages of Medicaid will be discussed as well. This topic is of interest to me because I work with this population on a daily basis as an occupational therapy assistant. It is important to be aware of this program and how it affects the autistic population because 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism (Chen, Peñagarikano, Belgard, Swarup & Geschwind, 2015). The Medicaid coverage for autistic children is great, although coverage varies from state to state and has a

Autism is categorized by deficits in maintaining social relationships and difficulty communicating. The number of children being diagnosed with autism is steadily increasing. Therefore the need incorporate effective interventions that focus on the development of the individual child has become an imperative component for their success. The key for children with Autism to achieve academic and social success depends upon the collaborative effort that is shared among all parties involved: family, teachers, peers; mental health professionals and the community.

For this section, I will refer to results of  questions 7 through 10 from the questionnaire.

Financial burdens are an obvious upset to families with autistic children, on top of the already heavy expense of having a child there is now medical costs and often counselling. Sen and Yurtsever (2007) reported that families often feel “shock, denial, suffering, depression, guilt, indecision, anger, shame, bargaining, acceptance and adaptation” upon discovering they have a child who suffers from ASD. This disorder has effects on their daily “lifestyles, social relationships, economic situation, health, and goals or expectations for the future” (Norton & Drew, 1994; Sen & Yurtsever, 2007). “Autism is the most common neurological condition diagnosed in children and it is now

Theoretically, community needs assessments are a great way to identify gaps within communities and improving the life of individuals within a target group. If there is a collaboration of all three components of the community needs assessment model, Assessment, Dissemination and

Autism is a complex disability, as the way it manifests in each child differs in severity across numerous characteristics. Children diagnosed with autism qualify to receive special services and a “free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment” under the federal legislation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 15). Autism was added to IDEA in 1990 as a new disability category. The legislation defines autism as “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3 that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 301). The “Rules for the Provision of Special Education” from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington state also outlines eligibility and individualized education programs for children diagnosed with autism (Rules for the Provision of Special Education, p. 11 & 46). Furthermore, the DSM diagnoses autism when a child shows “qualitative impairments” in social interaction, communication, and “restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 302).

Community development is multi-faceted. Bhattacharyya (2004) argues that community development is not a distinct field and that not everything that is being done by developers to improve communities should not be regarded as community development. Bhattacharyya (2004) states that it should only be regarded as community development if the improvement pursues solidarity and agency which can be achieved through adhering to the principles of self-help, felt needs and participation.

I am very passionate about working with kids with autism. They have such amazing personalities and I feel like people don’t see past the disability to the unique person they are. For several years I worked at a residential facility for kids on the spectrum. I was a direct care staff that worked one on one with them to work on their goals their treatment plan was focusing on. My passion to help kids with autism comes from my previous experience working with these kids and watching them grow and learn new skills. This transformation that I watched happen and helped be a part of with these kids made me want to help more kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are a lot of skills that need to be taught to these children. Socialization, communication, and positive behavior are just a few kids with autism need help improving. I believe that the earlier that you teach a child these skills the more successful they will be. Early intervention has had a positive outcome within many research experiments that professionals have done. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) also requires schools to teach kids with disabilities alongside typically developed kids as much as possible.

According to AASW (2010), social workers are committed to work with individuals, groups and communities to achieve the equitable access to social, economic, environmental and political resources. As a social work undergraduate, we acknowledge the significant impact of CD through the positive change in the society. Our group through the course of this semester has learnt about the process of community work and community development. They are inter-related and beneficial to the community in which address and meet the needs of members. The progress of