Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with ASD develop differently from other children. They must overcome challenges in interacting and communicating with others. These challenges can affect their development, learning and future trajectories of their lives. This diagnosis is particularly difficult on low income families and minority groups as well as for parents with low educational attainment and those living in rural areas who may not have the financial means, suitable knowledge or access to resources to care for their children’s needs.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be portrayed toward critical impairments in social interaction. It also includes restricted repeated behaviors, interests and activities. (Mayo Clinic staff, 2014)

His repertoire has increased by 2-3 word phrases, and he has started to show interest in others. He is now capable of recognizing familiar faces and maintaining eye contact during social interactions. By following the structure of Leo’s program and with the guidance of the Behavior Analyst, I have helped Leo accomplish his targeted goals. Therefore, similar to the Behavior Analyst on Leo’s case, I aim to provide children with ASD with the necessary skills to prosper and grow as individuals. I want to help these children close the gap of limitations by understanding the importance of using functional communication, engaging in appropriate behavior, and comprehending social norms. Hence, my experience working with the Behavior Analyst has helped solidify my passion for pursuing this profession.

Once a child is born, the parents may ask questions such as what kind of child he or she will grow up to be. However, when the child is born with a disability, the line of questioning may change to how could this happen to my child or what do we do now? Receiving the news that one’s child has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may shatter a parent as their child and family’s life begins to change. These parents are now faced with many obstacles in trying to do what they feel will be best for their child. Now imagine having a child and you believe that he/she is not typically developing, but you never know what exactly is going on with them. This lack of diagnosis tends to occur within ASD when it comes to diagnosing

Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that is characterized by impaired communication (verbal and non-verbal), social, and comprehensive skills. Distinct features of individuals diagnosed with ASD are repetitive or restricted behaviors, for example daily or patterned routines: others may experience symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome, which delays cognitive/speech development: or other conditions similarly related to Down’s syndrome. ASD is often utilized as an umbrella term to encompass a wide range of genetic conditions and mental disorders; as such no two individuals diagnosed with ASD are alike. Because of this, researchers, therapists, and medical practitioners are still puzzled by the mysteries of ASD; however, many infants and toddlers are now beginning to show signs of ASD and many more are being diagnosed on the autism spectrum. With this increase, many people are beginning to understand and educate themselves on the effects of ASD and also cope with the lifestyles of autistic peoples. However, even with the increase of autism awareness and advocacy, individuals with ASD are discriminated against because of many stereotypes and societal myths that surround the disorder. One of the main sources that distribute these false stereotypes and myths is the media. In truth, many popular movies, like Rain Man and Forrest Gump, portray characters that are affected by ASD in stereotypical ways that overshadow the true complications of ASD and the

Peer-related social behavior normally develops early in the preschool period, with symbolic play normally emerging by two years of age (Leifer, 2015). A child with ASD tends to have difficulty interacting with others, has flat facial expressions, avoids eye contact, dose not respond to name when called, and prefers to play alone. They may also have problems with sharing and showing their feelings. Since they have difficulty regulating emotions, their outbursts can be from crying to physically aggressive behavior. Some

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the name given to describe a wide range of behaviors amongst the autistic population Children with autism are less able to interact with the world as other children do. Normally they have shortfalls in four key ranges: verbal, non-verbal correspondence, social mindfulness, and connections.” (This is one of the disorders that can either be recognized right away in a child, take a long time to diagnose, or might not even be noticeable; the lack of diagnosis can also become a negative issue in an autistic person’s life. Because this disorder is fairly common, and can be devastating should a child have ASD but remain undiagnosed, public schools should train their teachers and staff to recognize autism and its symptoms. There are many students that are being failed rather than receiving the help required to help these kids succeed. Many in the general public as well aren’t informed of what autism is, and can be judgmental towards these kids without understanding why these kids act the way they do. People need to be educated about this disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) F84. 0 [299.00] is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder with varying degrees and manifestations that has both genetic and environmental causes, in which the symptoms are usually recognized in early childhood, which progress into adulthood. The three primary areas affected by ASD are communication, socialization, and motor behavior, and it is often associated with an intellectual disability (26). The current edition of the DSM, the DSM-5, no longer recognizes once separate autism spectrum disorders, including Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Asperger’s Disorder (AD), childhood disintegrative disorder, and autistic disorder. This change has created a controversial conversation. The first two journal articles are studies that were conducted that specifically explore ASD’s diagnostic place in the latest edition of the DSM, the DSM-5. All of these studies are vary based on research, data, and methods, but share similar ideals about ASD’s place in the DSM-5. The third journal article is a study on patterns of the developmental course in toddlers with ASD.

Purpose: My audience will learn the importance of recognizing early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children.

Technological advances in structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have identified regions of the brain impacted by ASD. In particular, social behaviors have correlated with regions in the frontal lobe, superior temporal cortex, and the amygdala (Sivapalan & Aitchison, 2014).

Autism has been associated with a different neurological signs and symptoms and sometimes co-occurs with a diverse group of general medical conditions, including chromosomal and central nervous system abnormalities, among others (Karnes, Stephens & Barry, 2006). The basic symptoms in autism are mostly primary absence in social instincts that is usually seen in early stage in life. Many people with ASD have a combination of strengths and weaknesses that, together, cause a unique range of social skill difficulties (Lubetsky, Handen & McGonigle, 2011). Having troubles with social interaction, there is a failure to develop any type of age-appropriate peer relationship. Individual with autism also struggle with nonverbal behaviour such as eye contact, body postures, gestures, and facial expressions (Karnes, Stephens & Barry, 2006). Mind reading, impairments in processing, and reporting their own feelings, emotions, and communication problems are the psychiatric symptoms substantially contribute to the burden of autism on patients and families (Mazzone & Vitiello,

Given the many social skills training methods that have been evaluated, practitioners have several considerations when formulating intervention. Although many children with autism attend public schools, attempting to improve social skills simply by increasing their proximity to peers who do not have a developmental disability may be insufficient. Instead, skill acquisition often requires adult delivered intervention that prompts and reinforces desirable social interactions. However, most training research has concentrated on the social responses of children with autism and not their social initiations. This makes initiations toward peers critical because it ensures that children with autism have skills in orchestrating interactions, and not

Autism is considered a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of a child’s life. The result of this neurological disorder affects the functioning of the brain by slowing the development of language and cognitive processing autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to occur

In consistence with this description, social deficits remain a hallmark feature of the disorder up till now (Table 1) Symptoms of social deficit show wide variation according to age and degree of development of the affected child. Very young children with autism appear to lack a preference for speech sounds over other kinds of sounds. It was also noticed that they produce less spontaneous imitation of the actions of their parents(Volkmar et al 2005)

People with Autism are presented with difficulties with social interactions, in particular, establishing and maintaining relationships. There is a lack of responsiveness to non-verbal forms of communications, like facial expressions, physical gestures and eye contact. Often, they are unable to fully express needs due to being unable to interpret and understand others needs. These lack of social interactions effect their ability to share others interests and activities, which gives the appearance that they are socially distant. The cause of their inability to understand non-verbal forms of communication which causes them to become withdrawn socially; is due to a delay in speech.