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Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )

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Student ID #160008
What is Autism? Autism, formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was first recognized in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner while studying a group of children. He observed that these individuals “did not seem to be interested in other people, socially or emotionally (Bardhan-Quallen, 2005).” This complex genetic disorder impacts the brain in the early stages of development and produces a wide range of complications in one’s communication skills, social interactions, and educational performance. The cause of this condition has been linked to too few or too many genes on chromosome 15 and is associated with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis (Whiteman, 2015). In addition, research has indicated that ASD primarily affects the white matter of the brain which is responsible for connecting different parts of the brain via nerve fibers. Throughout the past decades, the number of autism cases has increased drastically and is now considered to be the fastest-growing developmental disability. In fact, more people are diagnosed with autism than cancer, AIDS, and diabetes combined (Rosenblatt & Carbone, 2012).
Who’s Affected? Statistics indicate that over 3.5 million Americans live with some form of ASD. This is equivalent to roughly 1 in every 68 children; however, it is proven that gender plays an important role (Autism Society, 2015). Males are five times more likely to be diagnosed than females and are typically the

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