Autism Spectrum Disorder

We are living in a time where a remarkable and advanced medical treatments exist. However, scientists and medical professionals are constantly faced with diseases and disorders that contemporary humanity needs a cure and treatment. Amongst the disorders that affecting our young people today is the autism spectrum disorder. It is a “complex and life long behavioral disorder marked by impairment in social and communicative abilities”(Evans, et al., 2008). People living with autism range from those with high IQ’s to those with intellectual retardadtion.

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

Autism is the main form of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Autism is a developmental disorder that is manifested in problems with communication, impairment of social functioning, and repetitive behaviours. According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), ASD diagnoses must meet four different areas of criteria. There are three symptoms of "deficits in social communication and interaction across contexts," four symptoms of "restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities," "symptoms must be present in early childhood," and the symptoms must "together limit and impair everyday functioning" (Carpenter, 2013). There are many theoretical positions on the causes of autism spectrum disorders. Some of which have been discounted by empirical studies that have been researched and performed.

Many of us have heard about Autism, also knows as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Some have a family member, a friend, or know someone who has ASD. Increasingly it is becoming a more common disability. “Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the U.S” (Autism Speaks). Autism has no respect for gender, race, social class and or ethnicity. “Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that involves abnormal development and function of the brain.” (Autism Center of Excellence) People who have autism have a lot of difficulties with social skills, communication and also will develop behavior issues. These behavior problems of an individual with autism can vary at times and can go from mild to severe. According to the Autism Science Foundation it says,” Many people with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also have unusual ways of learning, paying attention, and reacting to different sensations. The thinking and learning abilities of people with ASD can vary—from gifted to severely challenged.” The causes and symptoms, as well as the diagnosis, and the treatments of autism vary.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a name that is used for a group of developmental disorders. Children with Autism have great difficulty with bonding emotionally with others, they find it hard to make eye contact with others, communicate their feelings and express themselves to the people who are closet to them. Autism effects the brain which inhibits these children to interact, communicate, and concentrate. A child with Autism will display behavior such as, repetitive behavior, rocking, flapping hands, repetition of words, and will want to always arrange objects.

Autism is a developmental disability that significantly affect a person's verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and educational performance. This developmental disability affects the brain, communication and interaction with others. People with this disability often have trouble relating and forming relationships with other people. Autism occurs very early on in the development of the brain. The most obvious signs can be found at the ages of two or three years old.

The Autism Society says, “children with autism often have repetitive body movements such as, hand flapping, spinning, or head banging.” An autistic child often avoids interaction with others and does not like to give eye contact during dialogue.

One in every eighty-eight children in the United States is born with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (“What Is Autism?”). ASD is a neurological disorder of the brain that affects how a person behaves, social interactions, and how they think and learn. Several different therapies exist for ASD; Equine Assisted Therapies being the most beneficial for children with ASD. There are two different types of Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT), physical and psychological. Although critics say that traditional therapies and medications should be used for ASD, alternative therapies such as Equine Assisted Therapy should be used and covered by insurance companies because of the unique benefits it provides. Equine Assisted Therapy provides positive results because it is multi-sensory and the patient becomes more in touch with their feelings.

Autistic spectrum disorder is caused not only by environmental factors but also by genetic inheritability. This disorder can range from mild to severe and is shown in many different forms. Symptoms include speech impairment, disorganized language; sensory processing disorder which causes absent responses, sleep disorders, depression and anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and many more. Diagnosing autism does not include medical test but instead a team of physiologists and physicians observe the child during an autism-specific behavior evaluations and in some cases genetic testing is needed. The exact cause of autism is still unknown although there are many factors that play a role in it for example mother’s weight, teratogens and

This literature review began with the question, “Are children with Autism Spectrum Disorder more likely to be associated with school violence and bullying?” I wanted to focus on bullying and the impact it has on adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder versus non-special needs students. More importantly, cases of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder experienced bullying on various levels. Literature was examined that described the social limitations that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder experience on a daily basis. Many of these limitations restrict them from developing and maintaining friendships, which allows them to be at a higher risk for victimization and bullying by their peers. Much of the research explored

You hear the term Autism everywhere, but what is it truly. Autism is a developmental disability; it is not just a single disorder but many disorders that associate with each other. There are different types of autism; the behaviors differ from child to child, parents find it hard to notice abnormal behaviors in babies. With autism parents should not look for abnormal behaviors but normal behaviors that the child has just completely stopped doing. Autism can be caused by many things but it is hard to pin point the exact cause in a child. There are ways to get your baby or toddler diagnosed and the sooner the better. When your baby or toddler gets diagnosed there will never be a cure but there are treatments to get your child the help

An individual with autism spectrum disorder will also show repetitive motor movements, inflexibility adherence to routines, fixated interests on certain objects, and hyper or hypo-reactivity to sensory input in the environment (DSM-5, 2013). In social communication and interaction according to the Mayo Clinic (2014), some symptoms include failing to respond to their name, resisting cuddling, poor eye contact, and can be physically aggressive or disruptive. Food preferences, in terms of certain texture, is a behavior pattern, according to the Mayo Clinic

Many people with autism possess speaking delays, also, a baby may learn a new word however, they will forget these words within 12-18 months and they can also repeat the same behaviours multiple times such as flapping hands or flicking a light switch repetitively. There are many health issues that accompany autism and they are: allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, feeding disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders and more. These health issues may be severe and can also disrupt the child's life moreso. Finally, they can be socially challenged and will usually not show interest in social groups and friends and would not notice people or children trying to catch their attention, they can also try and avoid eye sight when you look at them and make a fuss if you try and hug or kiss

Another, is repeating parts of a conversation heard in the past (delayed echolalia). May repeat certain sounds over and over again (verbal perseveration) it also may be difficult for a child to convey his or her own needs. Examples are, if the child is hungry or ever in pain. This is one of the most lurid obstacles for a parent to come to realize. It is also very hard to socialize with an autistic child. Frequently autistic children will want to play alone, have no interest in making any friends, cannot make contact into your eyes, and will not show any sign of affection. This is very hard for family, friends, caregivers, and teachers to have to deal with. Most autistic children also have an IQ of under 70, that of an average person. About 20-40% of autistic children that have an IQ of fewer than 50 may start having seizures before adolescence. There are also many variances of autism, sometimes called childhood-onset pervasive development disorder or atypical autism. This may begin later then 12 years old. They start to behave in many bizarre mechanisms. The child may also be diagnosed with tourette’s syndromes, obsessive compulsive disorder, or hyperactivity. It is very difficult for a doctor to diagnose one symptom or disorder from another.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is categorized as a neurodevelopmental disorder which impacts many areas of cognition and language (Haebig, McDuffie, & Weismer, 2013). Deficits include; impairments in development of social communication skills and language learning. Specific to the domain of language learning, children with ASD have increased difficulties due to repetitive and restricted play behaviors and lack of joint attention and linguistic mapping (Venker, McDuffie, Weismer, & Abbeduto, 2012). Language learning is a complex developmental stage which the transactional model claims can be “facilitated by parents who are verbally responsive to their children” (McDuffie & Yoder, 2010). Parental verbal responsiveness refers to parents who have