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Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )

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Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the name for a group of developmental disorders. ASD is a complex disorder and each individual that suffers from it has a unique set of conditions. The symptoms of individuals with ASD vary in severity. (Lilienfeld et al., 2017, p. 603) The autism spectrum includes classical autism, Asperger 's syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). These disorders all involve social and communication difficulties, as well as repetitive behaviours and narrow interests. Considering Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological developmental disorder, parents and caregivers can detect signs of autism …show more content…

Firstly, autistic individuals have difficulty understanding what is happening around them. The lack of understanding could be dangerous to their own well being and safety. This lack of understanding and awareness is largely due to their inability to communicate effectively with others and interpret social cues. Further, this causes autistic individuals a lot of anxiety and insecurity on a day to day basis (Gillot et al. 2001). They try to relieve this stress and anxiety by performing repetitious behaviours (i.e. rocking). In more extreme cases, an autistic individual may also throw tantrums that involve kicking, and biting. This may be hard for their parents, families and caregivers because autism isn’t a physical disability so the public may be quick to judge them for such “odd” behaviours (Groden et al., 1994). The public may think that the parent isn’t properly controlling their child. As an adult, the autistic individuals’ public tantrums may be attributed to crazy behaviour. This may lead to the individual and his/her family to be isolated (Autism Bedfordshire, 2016). This just increases their already high anxiety and may lead to mental issues such as depression. Additionally, as adults, individuals with ASD are associated with increased risk of violent offending compared with the general population (Langstrom et al., 2009). Furthermore, the inherent variability that exists when considering a spectrum disorder makes it difficult to have one set treatment for the

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