Essay on Exploring Autism

In the recent years, there has been an increase with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007), 1 in 150 children are said to be autistic and according to many states ASD is seen as an epidemic. The problem with these numbers is how to teach these children affectively in the best academic environment. In 2005-2006 it was reported that 31% of autistic students were placed in general education classrooms and around 40% in separate classes, typically referred as autistic support classrooms (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). Characteristically, the student will be placed in an autistic support (AS) room because the general education room is not the least

Autism is a developmental disorder, which is characterized by a dyad of difficulties in a) communication and social interaction and b) restricted interests and imagination (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might find it challenging to understand what other people think or what the reasons for their behaviours are, as their ‘theory of mind’ may not be well developed (Schuwerk, Vuori & Sodian, 2015). It is possible that this is why they might behave in socially inappropriate ways, being unable to differentiate between different contexts, while they might also find it difficult to make friends. Moreover, it is likely that they are fond of routines, repetition and structure (Carnahan, Musti-Rao, & Bailey, 2009), as they might be nervous with unknown, new situations. In addition, some of them might not do eye contact with other people, whereas some others might not endure to be touched and might have a difficulty developing speech (Jordan, 2005). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might sometimes be prohibited to initiate conversations and might struggle with finding different ways to play and behave, due to the possible deficit of imagination, which in some cases might result in them having a narrow sphere of interests. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this group of people is rather heterogeneous, as characteristics of autism may differ from one individual to another (Gwynette, 2013). Another point is that people with Autism

Autism is characterized as a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interactions, nonverbal and verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior. On a global scale, autism was estimated to affect 21.7 million people in 2013, and the number continues to rise as time persists. Children are often diagnosed while they are infants, usually in the first two years of life, when parents notice odd behaviors such as assembling toys or stacking of objects. It is not yet well understood how autism occurs, but we do know that autism affects information processing in the brain by changing the way nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize. Autism is one of the three disorders that make up the Autism Spectrum, the second is

The word autism meaning “living in self” in Greek was first utilized in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist, Eugene Bleuler. He used this word to describe a condition of self absorption caused by social relatedness (Gupta 2004). In 1943, Dr. Leo Kanner from the John Hopkins Hospital introduced the label early infantile autism when he reported 11 children exhibiting similar behaviors. Before his work, doctors labeled such children as mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed. About 75% have IQs below 70. At the same time, research is equivocal regarding the number of children with autism who are nonverbal,

Autism has become one of the top disabilities in California’s developmental system. Today, the rise of autism is increasing by 10 - 17 percent each year. (Madeleine 3) "The disease was first identified by child psychologist Leo Kanner in 1943 at Johns Hopkins University" (Little 2). Autism is a disorder that is usually detected within the first three years. According to the Autism Society of America, 1 in 166 individuals are diagnosed with autism, making it more common than the pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Boys are four times more likely to have it than girls. People with autism have a hard time communicating verbally and physically. They have special ways of gathering and reacting to information presented to them.

Neurological disorders are complex in nature and often the least understood. Given the recent boom in imaging technology and other diagnostic methods, it is now possible to see more clearly into the scope of neurological development and accurately determine the etiology of these diseases. One of such disorders is Autism; a multifactorial condition impairing normal brain development. It affects many aspects of development, including social behavior, cognitive ability and communication skills1 and is commonly diagnosed in children before the age of three1. The symptoms of this condition can vary greatly between individuals; hence its classification as a spectrum disorder. Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome and pervasive

In 1943, an Austrian-American psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Kanner was one of the first to specialize in child psychology and was credited with recognizing autism as its own unique mental disorder. Kanner discussed his research based on a group of eleven children who all displayed similar conditions such as social interaction difficulties, difficulty processing and adapting to changes, particularly good memory, and exceeding sensitivity to sounds and other stimulants. Kanner used the term “autism” to describe the main characteristics that all of the children he studied displayed – little to no interest in socializing with others. Lastly, Dr. Hans Asperger, a scientist and pediatrician in the late 1900's, also contributed research and multiple studies on children with autism. Dr. Asperger is best known in the history of autism for defining Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's Syndrome is a less severe condition disorder along the spectrum. Asperger's Syndrome is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of cognitive development.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) hits very close to home for me. Considering I have been a child/adult with Autism, I thought the topic of how to handle people with Autism in the health care industry was a good fit. As a child, I personally had difficulties going to the doctor. I have had countless unpleasant encounters with doctors, and I understand what Autistic people go through. If there was more understanding of the condition and more culture competence towards the issues faced with someone having Autism, there would be more autistic people who receive health care.

Social justice can be applied in all the expressive therapies, but I will briefly explain how it is being used now and what my recommendations are. I chose this topic because I am very interested in this research and I feel as though we did not get to go into detail about this topic in class. In our readings, there were a few sections that mentioned this client population, but I wanted to do more research to see if the expressive arts would be a good fit for the beginning stages of getting to know these clients. I am currently being trained in working with selectively mute children in my internship. The training is coming from a cognitive-behavioral model, but there are components of

Cody is an eight-year-old boy diagnosed with autism. Cody tends to perseverant on things that are dangerous. He often verbalizes “glass is dangerous, it cuts your eye, call 211, go to the hospital.” Cody also tends to stare off into space and is socially inappropriate.

It wasn’t until 1943 when the classification of autism was introduced by Dr. Leo Kanner. Dr. Kanner, a psychiatrist from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, reported on eleven child patients

According to the Foundation of Therapeutic Recreation textbook (Robertson, long ,2008 p.284) “autism is a neurological disorder that effect a person ability to communicate, to understand language, to play and to relate to others. A diagnose of autism is given when a person exhibits 6 or more of 12 symptoms listed across three major areas social interaction, communication, and behavior.” These symptoms can start as early as childhood. The Prevalence is 2% of the population and is it is more common in boys than girls. Also, there is no known cause for autism but has to have a genetic link that can be inheritable. Autism is a higher risk among children as the age of parents increases. Also, autism can limit emotional, social, and physical in daily functioning.

The purpose of the first article, Level of Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Phenotypic Congruence Among Affected Siblings, is to determine familial aggregation amongst siblings with autism, specifically twins. The main question raised in this article is whether “individual differences in levels of overall functioning can be explained by genetic [factors] versus environmental factors” (Goin-Kochel et al., 2008). My question asks “Are siblings more likely to be concordant of ASD amongst MZ twins or DZ twin?” which is supported by this article that researched the familial aggregation amongst siblings and twins with ASD. The author found that “great variability existed among scores on the PPVT-III, Ravens,

     Autism is a developmental disability of the brain, much like dyslexia, mental retardation, or attention deficit disorder. Autism is not a form of mental retardation, and though many autistic people appear to function as retarded, they are frequently quite intelligent. Approximately 15 of every 10,000 individuals and nearly 400,000 people in the United States today have some form of autism (Dowdy).

The term “autism” has been used for approximately one hundred years. Autism comes from the Greek word “autos” which means “self.” Self applies to autism because people are taken away from their social life and isolate themselves. A Switzerland psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, was the first person ever to use the word autism in 1911 towards symptoms of schizophrenia. From 1940 through the 1990s, doctors have had many theories on how autism affects children. They came to the conclusion that autism medically affects each child differently. Towards the 1980s