Autism Spectrum Disorders ( ASD ) In The Framework Of Neururodiversity

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. There is more classification of Autism that is based on the severity of symptom. Childhood disintegrative disorder, also known as Heller 's syndrome is a rare condition characterized by a late onset of developmental delays in language, social function, and motor skills. Asperger Syndrome is a developmental disorder related to autism and characterized by higher than average intellectual ability coupled with impaired social skills and restrictive, repetitive patterns of interest and activities. Atypical Autism is the term used when the person has symptoms but don’t have all the symptoms to diagnose Autism. Atypical autism usually differs from autism in terms either of age of onset or of failure to fulfill all three sets of autism diagnostic criteria.

Over the years, more people are becoming aware of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD. The growing number of individuals who are affected by ASD have been increasing over the years. This could be do to the new DSM development of what is considered ASD or simply more children are being born with ASD. Either way, ASD is more predominate in our society today. ASD is defined in the DSM 5 as having abnormal social aspects, lack of social skills, non-verbal communications skills, deficits in development, lack of understanding of relationships, and self-stimulation through repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Although these are not all of the symptoms caused by ASD

Autism spectrum disorder is a lengthy diagnostic category that includes those with impaired social interaction and communication, and those with repetitive stereo-typed behaviors (Persico & Merelli, 2014). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), defines the term ‘spectrum’ as a wide range of symptoms, skill, and levels of impairment or disability that kids with ASD possess. It is a disorder in where several parts of the brain have obstacles working together to complete complex tasks. It is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges (CDC, 2015).

In order to form a strong and knowledgeable opinion regarding whether we should continue to research a cure for autism, it is crucial to understand the basic ideas of the subject of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is the range of differences in the way the human brain functions and behaves. (“Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms and Definitions”) This variation in the way each individual processes information and reacts to it that results in diversity in our population. No two people are exactly alike due to the distinctions between each individual's race, religion, gender, and cultural background. These factors cause each individual to have a different and unique personality and outlook on life. This is seen as significant because it guarantees that the human race is not a unit of people that think, act, and live exactly the same. Autism and other conditions such as Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are viewed as components that contribute to neurodiversity and neurodiversity movement because they affect the behaviors and brain function of a person. The

“Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) formerly known as just Autism, is a disorder that affects about 1 in 68 children here in the United States.” (Facts about ASD) This is a pretty high prevalence and the number is continuing to rise. “Autism is a developmental disability that can cause significant impairments in behavioral, communication, and social aspects of everyday life.”(Facts about ASD). The intellectual functioning of individuals with ASD is among one of the biggest of all disabilities. The range can occur from moderate intellectual disabilities all the way up to super genius levels. However, most students function at average intelligence in all academic areas except for reading and math. The reason the name switch form Autism to ASD occurred is that now according to the DSM-V Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) are now disabilities that fall into the spectrum that is ASD. Diagnosis of Autism can be determined at age 2 with high reliability, but is not often discovered until the individual reaches school age and begins to fall behind their peers. It is critical that a parent goes and gets their child screened for developmental disabilities at the doctor at least every 9 months during their few first years of life, so that if they do have a disability early intervention strategies can be employed. ASD occurs in every racial and ethnic group,

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that affects a child’s communication, behavior, and emotional understanding. It has been described as primarily being a social disability (Laushey et at.,2009). Due to their inability to perceive others emotions, ASD children feel alienated. Consequently, this will result in ASD children having ongoing social problems caused by to their helplessness to interact with others. Since children with ASD are delayed in development, they face many challenges; however, the most severe one is the lack of social relationships. A social relationship is something shared with another person; it is formed when you share common interest, have give and take conversations on that interest, experience the rise or downfall with a friend, being there when a friend is in need. These sensitive moments are when relationships are formed. ASD children have a difficulty seeing things from a different perspective, they cannot analyze people’s emotions, and consequently, it is hard for them to understand another person’s actions when trying to accomplish a particular goal. ASD has become more prevalent each year, however, the cause and treatment are still unknown. Even though children with ASD have a social disability, they also face challenges because they cannot learn from parents or peers, they are incapable of reading others emotional cues and are not able to cope with others emotional regulation. There is a separation when it

When people hear the diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), they think of an individual that has a hard time integrating into to today’s society. A lot of people don’t know that Autism is actually classified as a group of complex disorders associated with brain development. Each of these specific disorders is characterized into different degrees. The first is the one that most people associate with autism, which is trouble with social integration. The other classifications are verbal and non-verbal communication, also repetitive behaviors. With all of these subtypes, in 2013 a manual was published connecting these sub groups into one diagnosis called autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by the early-onset inability to engage in social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive behavior. It is commonly known to be a developmental disorder. Genetics, in conjunction with developmentally early environmental factors, play a key role in the causation of autism. Studies show that autism is more prevalent in males than females, although there is not much difference in individuals with intellectual disability. Because atypical development is now being recognized early in toddlers, children are now frequently diagnosed at the age of 2 years and last into adulthood, although symptoms may improve over time. A wide range of health care providers are the first professionals to

In this section, the importance of engaging the special interests of an individual diagnosed with ASD will be highlighted throughout case study research papers that are discussed with outcomes of those case studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that is characterized by abnormalities relating to social, behavioral, cognitive and language skills. The genetic architecture of ASD is comprised of a variety of rare mutations. These mutations include monogenic conditions involving autistic symptoms. Furthermore, single nucleotide variants and de novo copy number variants add to disease susceptibility.

Every one in one-hundred and fifty children in the United States are affected by a disorder which has no known etiology and no cure (Ryan, Hughes, Katsiyannis, McDaniel & Sprinkle, 2014). This disorder is known as Autism Spectrum Disorder and it has become the “fastest growing disability in the United States” (Ryan et al., 2014, p.94). Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by “sensory processing problems and social and language difficulties” (Steurnagel, 2005, p. 138). Autism Spectrum Disorder has a significant impact on many areas of functioning and the degree of impairment differs from person-to-person, which is why the diagnosis is considered to be on a spectrum (Bradford, 2010). Current

DSM-5 states that symptoms attributed to autism disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, and PDD fall along a single continuum of impairments across the domains of social communication and restrictive/repetitive behaviors/interests. Rather than being considered distinct disorders, individuals meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with specification of severity (mild to severe). DSM-5 asserts that this modification serves to improve sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (APA, 2013; McPartland, Reichow, & Volkmar, 2012). Improved diagnostics will ultimately lead to increasingly focused treatment targets related to specific

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that displays characteristics of significant impairments in social interactions and communication, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors.1 The DSM-5 characterizes Autism Spectrum Disorder as having a range of symptoms with varying severity, hence the term “spectrum”.2 Figure 1 shows a representation of the symptoms and sub-types of disorders that are characterized as ASD. The disorder is generally not diagnosable until around 18 months-2 years of age, when children would usually start to display signs of social communication. ASD has a high prevalence of 1 in every 68 children, with boys 4.5X more likely to have the disorder. Currently, scientists do not know the exact cause of autism. However, it is agreed upon that the underlying cause is highly likely to be influenced by genetic heritability.3,4,16

ASD and Autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development (What Is Autism, n.d.). Prior to 2013, patients could be diagnosed under Autistic Disorder (AD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD). In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) merged all Autism Disorders under one umbrella termed ASD so that it will improve the diagnosis of ASD without limiting the sensitivity of the criteria or substantially changing the number of children being diagnosed. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

The neurodevelopmental disorders, according to the DSM 5, are a group of conditions with onset in the developmental period. The disorders typically manifest early in development, often before the child enters grade school, and are characterized by developmental deficits that produce impairments of personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is newly classified as such; it was once classified as “Asperger’s Syndrome.” ASD is a severe neurodevelopmental impairment. The disorder limits the functioning capabilities of children and their capacity to communicate as well as interact with others. ASD effects how children perceive the world around them; socializing with others happens to be the most vital piece of development. Onset for ASD can occur as early as infancy, some children, however, may develop normal and then begin to suddenly withdraw and become unusually aggressive with those around them, they also begin to lose vocabulary and language skills they’ve once had. Other medical conditions may be comorbid with ASD; for example, epilepsy, intellectual and structural language disorders, mental disorders, sleep disorders, and avoidant-restrictive food intake disorders, (DSM 5, pg. 59).