How Does Autism Start?

With the prevalence of autism at an all-time high, there are many benefits to identifying a child as early as possible. Identification and intervention can dramatically improve outcomes for children with ASD. Children have increased neural plasticity at a very early age, making it easier for children to learn new skills such as communication, play, and overall skill development. Early intervention will improve children’s behaviors and remediate areas of weaknesses. Also, according to the New Jersey Early Intervention System program, early intervention makes the transition into preschool easier for children diagnosed with autism. In addition, parent-implemented intervention usually leads to better parent-child interaction, improved communication, behavior, and better maternal knowledge of autism.

Autism is a syndrome that is characterized by the impairment of social interaction skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a decreased interest in participating in a variety of activities. In 1943, Kanner, the man who is attributed with the identification of this disease, hypothesized that autism might be a biological disorder as opposed to a psychological one. Numerous studies have been conducted supporting Kanner’s hypothesis. These studies have ranged from examining the effects of rubella to investigating certain purine metabolic disorders as possible etiological agents. Recently, the areas of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have played a crucial role in developing a clearer picture into

In this book, “Helping children with autism learn: Treatment approaches for parents and professionals” Siegel gives parents of autistic children what they need most: hope. Siegel explains that how to take an inventory of a child particular disabilities that break down the various kinds unique to autism. Many other signs and symptoms are also seen in a child suffering from autism are atypical eating, lack of intuition and less attention to social stimuli. This book has been a great help in the research as it explains about the key understanding of each autism case as a discrete set of learning disabilities, each of which must be treated individually. This book is relevant to my research as it has important documentation and papers about the conference. It provides a detailed account of the issues, at the same time, Siegel offer a new understanding and a practical, thoughtful approach that will give parents a new hope.

Autism is a developmental disorder that results in a set of abnormal behavior. Evidence shows that early intervention improves long-term infant. This can be a help and support for parents in caring for their child. According to experts the detection of autism is still later than ideal. Visitors doctors and nurses who specialize in child health are in a key position to observe in children those characteristics that could suggest autism.

Every case of autism is different. Symptoms and behaviors vary in severity and often change over time, thus, the method of treatment is specialized to the needs of that child or adult. It is said that early diagnosis can help these individuals develop to their full potential as the primary goal of treatment is to improve their overall ability to function. Individuals with autism positively respond to highly structured treatments that help improve communication, social, behavioral, and learning aspects of their lives. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that strategies such as; specialized therapies, behavioral training and management, medicines, and community support and parent training are the best ways to help individuals with

“This mysterious disability, first described and named approximately 60 years ago, is characterized by a peculiar emotional and cognitive isolation and detachment” (The Harvard, 2001). Autism is such a broad spectrum disorder and just as we all have our unique finger prints, children diagnosed under the Autism umbrella have their own set of unique individualities. There are characteristics that are all encompassing but more times than not manifest differently among each individual. Many of the common characteristics are as follows: limited verbal and non-verbal communication; difficulty developing “normal” social skills and relationships; demonstration of unique behaviors and interests and many have difficulties processing sensory input.

Autism is now becoming a more increasing common disorder that appears before the age of 36 months. There is still no known cause or cure for autism and vaccines have been a great source of controversy as a possible vaccine-autism link. Five decades of research now give parents a wider range of treatments to choose from. Autistic children grow up in their own world, unware of the world around them (Ruffman, Garnham, & Rudeiyt, 2001). There have been numerous studies on teaching social skills techniques to autistic children. Absence of their social skills start to show at infancy and the most notable is their inability to relate to people. Difficultly relating socially to other people is a hallmark of autism (Ozonoff & Miller, 1995). Students with autism exhibit a multitude of asocial and antisocial characteristic says Kamps (1995).

Stated previously autism is neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the brain by disrupting social and cognitive functions. For the best non-invasive way to see the affects on the brain is an MRI machine. Evidence shows that an increase in size of the overall brain is one of the primary signs; more specific the parieto-temporal lobe, and enlargement of the cerebellar hemisphere volumes was a common sign of Autism. Also abnormalities in the limbic system and cerebellum contribute the pathophysiology of autism. These changes are most related to the abnormal brain development in early life. To simplify things, autistic children have excessive amount of nerve fibers, but they do not work well and there for communicate between fiber is non-existent. Because of these large amounts of fiber explains the overall enlargement of the brain. Even though at birth the brain is normal or smaller than normal size, it goes through a period of rapid growth between six to fourteen

Autism, also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD), is a neurological disorder that causes difficulties with social interaction and affects 1 out of 68 children in the United States. People with this diagnosis have difficulties with social interaction, challenges with communication, and often engage in behaviors that are repetitive but are different with every child. With no known cause, autism is on the steady rise and it is important for people (especially parents) to learn how to help them succeed in life. Early diagnosis has been beneficial as it can help to reduce the symptoms and begin supporting therapies. People with autism have been able to live a normal life by through the use of medications, therapy, and the interests of the child.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which is known to include repetitive behaviors, specific patterns of behavior, and difficulty with social communication and interaction (ninds.nih.gov). Since this disorder is on a spectrum, it doesn’t affect every child the same. This spectrum includes different symptoms, skills, and different levels of impairment in the child’s life. ASD is four times more common among boys than girls (Kumar et.al., 2012). The “Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68 children will develop ASD”. The symptoms for this disorder start to become apparent in infancy and early childhood. Certain developmental milestones are not reached in infants and children who suffer

it is no surprise, then, that raising awareness on autism research is just as important as saving someone’s life. In this paper I will talk about this psychological disorder, Autism disorder And since I worked as a therapy assistant for kids with autism. I want to share more knowledge about autism disorder.

Autism Awareness is growing, and the debate on the best way to help the children is still underway. However, this new study is a step in the right direction to understanding the disease and possibly having the ability to diagnose it better, and treat it

Autism is the most prevalent childhood disease in North America today. According to the latest research, the number of children being diagnosed is sky rocketing. Autism is affecting more and more children and two of them are mine. This issue is close to home for me, and because knowledge is power, I decided it would be a great opportunity to learn more about this disorder. As a parent of children with autism, at times I take it day by day, I don 't want to see the future, but am prepared for today. At times its been hard but it has mades us stronger as a family which is not always likely in this situation. This number of diagnoses continues to rise with better detection, better assessment and better research to determine markers of the disease. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication that begins at a young age, which commonly exhibits repetitive behaviours and restricted interests. (Xiao et al., 2014) As research advances, experts have now grouped all variations which include Aspergers, PDD-NOS, autistic disorder and childhood disintegrative disorder have now been categorized under the umbrella term of ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. The rise in prevalence is attributed to early detection and kids that are functioning at a higher level being diagnosed. Early intervention is key for these children to have productive lives and to succeed. But wait times for

Autism is first diagnosed in the early years of a child. Magnetic resonance imaging shows that there are different parts of the brain that are abnormal compared to that of a normal child’s brain affecting the different lobes and all around structure. Over 90% of toddlers that are 2-3 years old have an abnormally large brain (Xiao). These abnormalities lead to mind blindness, which causes autistic children to have trouble communicating with other people and picking up on emotions. They also do not understand that feelings are portrayed through gestures and facial expressions. They do not understand emotions or how to portray emotions themselves. This mind blindness causes autistic people to have trouble forming relationships and talking to people in general (Cowley, Geoffrey, Foote, and Tesoriero).That is why some autistic children don’t speak. Many autistic children have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which causes them to obsess over different things. OCD is caused by a brain abnormality which causes that one thought to tumble around in a person’s brain until they find something new to obsess over. If autism was caused by environmental factors, there would not be evidence of abnormal brain structure. Environmental factors cannot change the structure of the

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known as a neurodevelopmental disorder that is capable of weakening communication, behavior and socialization. The term ASD includes three major subtypes which is Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Asperger’s Disorder. About 9.0 in 1000 children have ASD and certain types of autism might not be identified until three years of life. The probability of boys being diagnosed is higher compared to girls (Bravaccio et al. 2013). Autism is not curable, but it can be controlled using certain type of treatments as there is no specific or one treatment for autism. The question that arises for this literature review, if the treatment used for autism is effective?