Eye Contact And Autism : An Aba Case Study

The first three years of a child’s life is the most important and central time for the brain’s development. Autism is a disorder that can be diagnosed during the infant or toddler stage. Children can be diagnosed with autism by having different impairments such as social interaction, pattern of behavior, eye contact and speech impairment. Having the child being diagnosed with ASD can change a parent’s life view. Parents can learn different things in order to help their child. Parents will be provided by health providers different treatment, different placement in education and knowing about the different risk factor to make a difference for their autistic child now and in the future.

Autism spectrum disorders are a class of developmental disorders that impair social skills, behavior, and communication (Center for Disease Control). ASDs are considered ‘spectrum’ disorders because each patient has a unique experience in the nature and severity of their symptoms (Center for Disease Control). Under the umbrella of ASDs, there are three types of disorders, including Autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (Center for Disease Control). Autistic disorder is the most severe of the three, and patients exhibit significant problems with language, communication, and behavior (Center for Disease Control). Furthermore, people with Autistic disorder often have some intellectual impairment (Center for Disease Control). Asperger Syndrome is a milder form of autistic disorder where patients have some developmental delays, but their language and intellect are not affected (Center for Disease Control). The mildest of the ASDs is the pervasive developmental disorder. These patients usually don’t meet all of the criteria for autistic disorder, but do show some signs of social and communication problems (Center for Disease Control). The number of children diagnosed with ASD is growing, and currently 1 in 88 children fall somewhere on the spectrum (Mari-Bauset et al., 2013). Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism, and while the exact cause of these disorders is unknown, both genetic and

Autism has become an increasingly important public health concern as the number of yearly diagnoses of the disorder has increased since the late 20th century. The National Institute of Health estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States are classified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (NINDS, 2009), a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs children 's ability to learn and causes issues with social interaction and communication. Symptoms of ASD include delays in speech and language, issues with social interaction, and unusual behaviors/routines.

Every year one in 68 Americans is diagnosed with autism. There are more than 3.5 million Americans living with an autism spectrum disorder (Autism Society), which makes it the fastest growing developmental disorder in the United States, hence the significant amount of studies being done to explore its characteristics and find solutions. Autism, also known as ASD, is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is categorized by dysfunctions in social situations, communications, constrained interests, and repetitive stereotypic behaviors (Siniscalco et al). These behaviors can range from mild to very severe, and may be accompanied with other disorders. Autism can be diagnosed during early childhood, while symptoms begin to show during the first

Currently, autism is usually diagnosed by a series of questionnaires, observations, information from parents, carers, or relatives, since there is no medical test for autism currently available, however, there are some new methods being researched that are shown to be quite effective at detecting autism in infants from 14 months old, such as “eye gaze tracking”3. There are also various studies on genetic tests for autism, as some individuals with autism have genetic “risk factors” that can be screened

Autism is a real threat, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it a public health crisis and estimates that 1 out of every 88 children and 1 out of every 54 boys in the United States fits the diagnostic criteria” (Melillo, 2013, p. 4). Autism is usually diagnosed in the first three years of life. Pediatricians should screen young children and babies for any delayed development. Many of these delays including language and social

Diagnosing children with any disorder is difficult, due to the fact that development occurs rapidly in the first years of a child’s life in social, emotional, and cognitive areas (Barlow & Durand, 2012). A child’s development can be influenced in many ways, such as socioeconomically or by how emotionally supportive the parent is (Combs-Orme, Orme, & Lefmann, 2013). Diagnosing children with specific disorders proves to be more difficult considering the overlap of symptoms that occurs between the conditions (Phetrasuwan, Miles, Mesibov, & Robinson, 2009). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a category of disorders that characterizes those with severe impairments in social

The child that I chose to do my discussion over is a 15-year-old boy with autism. He was the first one that I connected with my first day at Boshears. He is non-verbal, but can mimic words that he hears; when I was helping him brush his teeth, he kept saying, “Brush my teeth,” and once we were finished he was saying, “Good job.” All the times that I have been with him, he shows me a very sweet side, but the teacher and aides were telling me that he can get kind of violent and throw chairs and stuff around the room. He listens and understands what I tell him or ask him to do, and if he wants something and doesn’t know how to ask, he will take you to what he wants and put your hand on whatever it may be. He loves ranch, so at lunch on the first

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that develops during a child’s first few years of life (Lesack, Bearss, Celano, & Sharp, 2014). This disorder occurs significantly more often in boys than girls (Goldstein, Naglieri, Rzepa, & Williams, 2012). Autism is part of a group that is known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), which also includes Asperger’s disorder, Rett disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) (Sunita and Bilszta, 2012).

Autistic toddlers differ more strikingly from social norms; for example, they have less eye contact and turn-taking, and do not have the ability to use simple movements to express themselves, such as pointing at things. “In recent years, reported frequencies for autism spectrum disorder across U.S. and non-U.S. countries have approached 1% of the population, with similar estimates in childhood and adult samples. It remains unclear whether higher rates reflect and expansion of the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV to include subthreshold cases, increased awareness, differences in study methodology, or a true increase in the frequency of autism spectrum disorder (American Psychiatric Association). There have been many studies that have correlated the link between autism and ADHD type symptoms.

ASD knows no boundaries – it affects individuals of all social, economic and racial backgrounds. According to 2016 statistics released by the National Autism Association, ASD now effects 1 in 68 children, a statistic which has continued to grow over the last few decades. Boys are 4-1/2 times more likely to have ASD than girls though there is no clear answer as to why this is the case. Signs of ASD are typically present by age 3 though some children develop ASD slightly later in life. Early indicators of ASD include: little to no smiles or joyful expressions and interactions by approximately 6 months of age, little to no ‘cooing’ or response to smiles

In the United States 1 in 68 births results in an Autism diagnosis (Autism Society). In this time period, at the moment, there are new medical discoveries every day. These breakthroughs range from new diseases prevention methods, to new cures for previously “terminal” illnesses. So, because our society is constantly changing, evolving, and improving, it is absolutely necessary to keep up with the awareness of these new discoveries. One disorder that has existed for years, but has recently gained a lot of awareness is Autism. Autism is defined as “a disorder in brain development that ultimately affects its victims’ everyday social interaction” (Autismspeaks.org) . Signs and symptoms of Autism are usually shown in early childhood, and are easily detected by parents, if they are aware. However, if a parent or guardian notices any signs, they should take action immediately. How fast they take action in this situation could make or break the future of their child.

According to ASHA (American Speech and hearing association) “Autism Spectrum disorder(ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors”. Throughout history the definition of Autism has changed from not including social aspects to including social aspects. The definition of ASD is not the only thing that has changed, technology has followed suit. Experts can now detect and diagnose at a faster rate than ever before, allowing parents to watch for signs that point to autism. Informing parents faster can positively aid in how a child develops emotionally, physically and socially. Properly detecting and diagnosing is imperative being

Some early signs of Autism in babies are the following: avoiding eye movement when being fed by their caregivers and not reaching out to be picked up by the familiar faces of their caregivers. Caregivers must pay attention to the development of the child because each child must acquire certain skills at every milestone of their growing stages. For example, by 12 months, the baby should babble; by 24 months, the child should be able to express meaningful two-word phrases without imitating or repeating others. Autistic babies may not reach these milestones. Some of the symptoms of Autism affect communication in different ways. When communication, many Autistic children may not understand the purpose of communication, lack of meaningful speech, delay communication processing, and have limited or no eye

Developmental disorders are most likely to be diagnosed in children or in adolescents. There is multiple development disorder in children but let’s focus on the diagnoses within autism. Autism involves a wide range of developmental problems, such as language and motor problems, and problems in the social sphere (Glietman et al, 2010). Those that suffer autism also seem to have a lack of emotional intelligence and are likely incapable of understanding the expressions of others. Therefore, they might have trouble expressing their own emotions and have trouble understanding the use of facial expressions. Autism is not a common disorder; it is only affecting 0.1% of the world population, but is far more frequent among boys than girls (Glietman