Empathy And Neurological Disorders ( Asd ) And Conduct Disorder

Neurodevelopmental Disorders are conditions that become evident in early developmental stages before children are introduced to elementary school (APA, 2013). These disorders have developmental deficiencies that restrict children from “personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning” (APA, 2013, pp. 31). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder, has been represented as a complex brain abnormality that effects children’s cognitive, behavioral, and social performance (APA, 2013; Sears, 2010). Autism has become a growing global phenomenon affecting children among nations (Currenti, 2010; Sears, 2010). The objective of this paper is to provide a prevailing overview of this neurological disorder that has affected many children by analyzing the prevalence, diagnostic criteria, diagnosable problems and the causes of ASD, and acceptable evidence-based treatment options.

According to Losinski, expert in special education, autism spectrum disorder afflicts 1.5% of the children in the United States (12). That means over 1 million children in the United states have been diagnosed with autism. TACA (Talk about Curing Autism) reported that, “more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes [and] cancer combined” (28). The Autism Response Team at Autism Speaks record that 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. Yeargin-Allsopp conducted a study with his colleagues and their findings concluded that although boys are 4 times more likely to develop autism, girls are more likely to develop the more severe cases (36).

Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a negative effect on a child’s ability to be able to communicate and interact with others due to the negative effects of a neurodevelopment disorder. Along with the following communication and interaction issues Autism Spectrum Disorder is also associated with restricted repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities all have been shown to cause impairment in social, occupational, and other functioning areas (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Included in the qualification of having Autism Spectrum Disorder are a number of different disorders such as autism, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Recently until May of 2013 all of the previously stated disorders were in their own category but in May or 2013 the DSM-5 diagnostic manual placed them under the classification of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism speaks, 2016). About 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with ASD which is why it is important to public health for people to have knowledge of the signs and symptoms as well as how to treat the different forms of ASD because there has not been a cure found yet for it (NIMH, 2016). Autism Spectrum Disorder has been see to be more prevalent in boys rather than girls, boys are diagnosed 1 in 42 and girls are diagnosed 1 in 189, both of these numbers fall into the 1 in 68 children who are diagnosed in the United States. Within the last 40 years there has

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by a combination of abnormalities in language, social cognition and interaction, and mental

One more scientific approach found males to be less empathetic and more technically minded than females, though this is not true in every case. It can also be argued that the typical male personality is naturally inclined toward some of the characteristics that this disease carries. (Autism Help). A study published in 2006 suggested that men over 40 are more likely than younger men to father a child with Autism, and that the ratio of Autism incidence in boys are closer to 1:1 with older fathers. There are also false diagnoses happening. This will occur at school if the teacher sees’ autism related behavior and puts a label on that child for the rest of their schooling career. This is where controversy comes in because sometimes that child may just have had a troubling childhood or some other

It is important to understand some facts about autism. Autism is not a single disorder, but a spectrum of closely-related disorders with a shared core of symptoms. This means that to some degree, everyone with autism has problems with social skills, communication, flexibility behavior, and empathy (Smith, Melinda). All though this is true the symptoms are

One the biggest psychological disorders in our society is childhood autism. Childhood autism is defined as “A pervasive developmental disorder defined by the presence of abnormal and/or impaired development that is manifest before the age of 3 years, and by the characteristic type of abnormal functioning in all three areas of social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviour.” (MHresource.org). Furthermore, boys are three to four more times likely to develop childhood autism than girls (MHresources.org). Statistics also show that the prevalence of childhood autism in births is one in fifty-nine and has grown 119.4 percent from 2000 to 2010 (CDC). Now, researchers are looking into what causes childhood autism. They are

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,

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a single umbrella disorder, where individuals’ symptoms fall on a continuum in different ways; some display mild symptoms (high-functioning autism) while others exhibit much more severe symptoms (low-functioning autism). In addition, individuals with ASD tend to have difficulties communicating and relating to typically developing (TD) individuals. According to Wing, Gould & Gillberg (2011) the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) identifies problems underlying autism, such as: “impaired social interactions and communication...and restricted behaviour (p. 768)”. There are several organisations relating to ASD, which are dedicated to funding research into the causes, preventions, treatments as well as many other aspects of ASD. ‘Autism Speaks’ is just one of these organisations that have grown tremendously since the group was founded in 2005. This movement presents the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for symptoms relating to emotions, these are known as: “deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviours used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication...to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication” (DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, 2015) in addition to other criteria. Decades of research on recognising and understanding emotions in autistic

Autism can be defined as a complex developmental disorder which typically appears during toddler/preschool ages, but is not diagnosed until 30 months or older (Rajendran & Mitchell, 2007). The main diagnostic features present in individuals with Autism include underdeveloped social-communication skills and focused interests with repetitive behaviour/actions (Kim, Szatmari, Bryson, Streiner & Wilson, 2000). However, in recent years, there has been a higher prevalence of diagnosed autism, with a 78% increase between 2004 and 2008 in the US, and 1 in 132 individuals being diagnosed worldwide in 2010 (Baxter et al, 2015). Perhaps an increase in awareness of autism or a re-evaluation of diagnostic criteria could explain these changes (Howlin & Moore, 1997) as the notion of an autistic spectrum is no longer defined by any noticeable separation from what is classed as ‘normal’ (Baron-Cohen, 2009).

Autism affects 1 in every 68 children born. Jessica Weeks from the University of Utah School of Psychology says that the average age of autism diagnosis in a child is five years old, but typically no later than 7 years old (Weeks 3). Children who have struggles communicating and making relationships with other people may be at risk for autism and should be tested for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). New studies by Broad Institute say that autism is one of the most heritable neuropsychiatric conditions, but yet most genetic links in children for autism are not passed from their parents but arise by themselves. Knowing that, diagnosing autism is now harder and will not be able to be predicted before birth through parents' genes. Even though autism can be inherited by anyone, males have a higher risk of being diagnosed with autism than females because more of the autism genes are located on the male’s X

For example, a study conducted in England found that 1.8% of males surveyed had autism, compared to 0,2% of females (9). In 2015, according to NAS, the ratio of the males who have autism to females was 3:1(10). For this reason, all questions revolve around that why autism presents differently in males than females. For instance, why are there more cases of male with autism than females? Are males more susceptible to develop autism? Some theory explained that males are less empathetic and more logically minded than females. Also males’ general personalities are naturally more likely to inclined toward some features of autism. Moreover, females naturally have better social skills and more socially involved than males. Furthermore, females are more actively in imagination and more pretend play. All the previous theories provide a fine explanation that can help us to understand why males are more possible to be affected by

Sigman et al’s 1992 study described the emotional awareness, or lack thereof, in children with autism. This study placed two control groups, normal children and mentally retarded children, to be compared with children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. This ensured the results from the autistic group were dependant on the autistic traits alone. The study consisted of three conditions; adults showing fear, adults showing discomfort due to pain and adults showing distress. Sigman et. al found children affected by autism remained ignorant of the negative affects displayed by the adults in each condition, contrasting the control group’s reaction to cease playing with their toys. From this Sigman et. al., concluded that autistic children may lack the appropriate cognitive underpinnings to comprehend emotions displayed by others. As a result Sigman et. al., deduced that due to this inability autistic children choose to ignore facial cues as they do not form the motivation to take notice of them.

2004) According to article “What is Autism”, ASD can be associated with “intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues” (Autism Speak). Autistic children have trouble forming relationships with other people because they have a hard time understanding and responding to emotional signals from others (Greenspan et al., 2006). But on the other hand some children can excel in areas such as visual skills, music, math and art.

Based on the new version (2013) of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder that can cause problems with thinking, feeling, language and the ability to relate to others. The effects this neurological disorder, which is due to the malfunctioning of the brain are different in each person . The concept of autistic spectrum disorder is broad, and not restricted to the classic clinical picture. ASD Characteristics in DSM-5 changed from triad (social, communication, behavioral) into a dyad by combining the social and communication domains and it showed the importance of these