Think about how you feel when you have to give a presentation in school; how you feel when you have to hug people, or how you feel when the power goes out at home. For an autistic child, these things that seem normal can be their worst nightmare. A few months ago I started babysitting an eight year old autistic boy named Callum. Some cases of autism are much more severe than others, and Callum happened to be on the more severe side of things. He was such a sweet boy, and the short time I spent with him opened my mind immensely, it even made me a less judgemental person altogether. In a way, my experience has made me want to inform others on autism because I have noticed that not many people understand it. It is one of the fastest growing disorders in the United States. Sometimes, when people would ask what I did as a job, I would tell them I babysit Callum, an autistic boy. Often times, their response to that would be, “what even is autism?” Autism is basically a developmental and mental disability, except it can go a lot deeper than that. It impacts how a child communicates, it affects their feelings and their social relationships, and most importantly their behavior. One can usually see the signs and symptoms by the time a child is around two or three years old. Most autistic children don’t like any changes in their regular routines, and they don’t like to be around unfamiliar things because they don’t understand it. It is hard for them to express how they feel. All cases of autism are different, though. With Callum’s case, he couldn’t talk very well but could tell me words or show me what he specifically wanted. When he needed to use the bathroom he could say “potty,” when he wanted a snack he could say “cookie,” when he was being too loud I could tell him “quiet mouth” and he would understand. Surprisingly, the very first time I met him he was all over me, being very sweet and loving. Although Callum’s case is severe, he is a very unique child. I have seen him do some very cool things, and he thinks nothing of it. There is a ball that he always has in his hand, he can stare at me and bounce the ball on his hand for minutes at a time, without ever looking at the ball. This is related to one of the effects
“Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me…Be my advocate, be my friend, and we’ll see just how far we can go” –Ellen Botbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew.
Autism, a developmental disorder is becoming widely diagnosed here in the U.S. and throughout the world affecting children in all different types of backgrounds. From children living in rural or urban, rich or poor. Currently there are many speculations and superstitions as to the causes for developing autism but science has no clear evidence as to why autism affects certain people and not others, autism can greatly affect the families and its patients for their entire lives. Most of you do not know that I have twin younger brothers with Autism. Before this speech, I had no clue what autism really was. Through my research I am now able to relay this information to you. Today I want to talk about Autism. The three things I will be speaking about is what is Autism? How does autism affect the family and how does autism affect people who have it?
Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.
Autism is a disability that can create a barrier between the individual and his or her friends, family, and community. This disability often interferes with an individual’s ability to communicate, interact with others, engage in play or leisure skills, and to relate to the world around them. People with autism may exhibit repetitive movements, have unusual responses to people, be resistant to change and demonstrate aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior.
Before doing the research on autism spectrum disorder I thought it was a disease, but not I know it’s a disorder. Autism has actually become a very common disorder and has also became well known. After my speech I hope to have given you guys a better understanding about this disorder so when you guys see the puzzled ribbon you have a clue of what it is.
Autism is a very complex disorder that deals with social behavior. People with Autism can have many different stages of Autism ranging anywhere from high functioning (people that act more normal and have less noticeable symptoms), moderately functioning (people with autism that are more noticeable than people who are high functioning, tend to have more ticks, but can cope and adapt more than low functioning), and low functioning (people with autism that more often than not do not talk, more noticeable symptoms, more ticks, and have a hard time copping and adapting). With there being
When reading the first chapter of Ten Things Every Child with Autism wishes you Knew by Ellen Notbohm, multiple thoughts ran through my head. I honestly feel that she did an excellent job expressing the thoughts about autism. In my point of view autism is so much more than a diagnosis. Two important people in my life have autism and honestly, they are the most amazing individuals I have ever met. The authors words that brought tears to my eyes was, “My autism is part of who I am, not all of who I am” (Notbohm 17). This statement moved me, because individuals with autism are so much more than a label. Individuals that have autism are talented, intelligent, caring, kind, and funny. We should not judge or treat an individual different by the way they express themselves. Each individual is unique and should be able to express themselves in their personal way instead of being labeled in a negative way. I have personally encounter individuals use words such as, “that autistic boy” or “just leave him other there, he doesn’t understand the material because he is autistic”. When I hear people says these negative things, it makes me angry and sad, because I believe that they have not fully comprehended the diagnosis as well as not allow themselves to get to know
Autism- is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before the age of 3, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
To address the perpetual need for widespread public awareness and core education on various Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), it is important to provide the normally-born people with training and education to help them support individuals born with an ASD and how not to treat them.
Autism is a developmental disability that presents at an early age (typically under the age of three years) that can affect a child’s educational performance. Child and adults can have deficiencies in communication, social skills, and using language. People with autism tend to engage in motor/vocal stereotypy. The spectrum for autism has a wide range from mild to severe. To determine where a child falls on the spectrum many assessments can be administered.
Autism is a disorder characterized by significant problems in communication and social functioning. Autism is actually called Autism Spectrum Disorder and encompasses a broad range disabilities such as Asperger syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome, and Pervavasive Development Disorder (Dunlap & Fox, n.d.). There are also varying degrees of the disorder from low-functioning (no communication and no social interaction) to
Laughter is the best medicine that anyone can give to a person in need, but there are things such as people with Autism and people who are poor. Joking or making a poor remark about this illness or people who can not make ends meet are not things to be joked and laughed about. Autism is not a disease that is contagious, you are diagnosed with it. There are different levels of Autism, some more severe than others and just imagine being told that you have Autism. Being mocked and ridiculed just because your thought process is different than everybody else's. Parents who can not make ends meet, still send their kids to school in search for a better life with the help of education. Everyday kids across the world are being made fun off just because
How many of you know a famous person who has autism or aspergers? Just because you have a disorder does not mean that you can not still achieve a certain goal.
Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts (“Autism” Def). It’s a disability that affects a person’s communication skills and/or changes in behavior. Autism is usually diagnosed before three years of age and has a lifelong persistence. The causes of this disorder is unclear and there is currently no cure for it. There are two core characteristics of autism. The first being a deficiency in social communication and social interaction. The second is a restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Clinical features of autism include walking on tiptoes, lack of eye contact, extreme dislike of certain foods or sounds, poor communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and
While observing my 3-year-old son at the park, I started to notice he wasn’t playing like the other children. Children were playing and having conversations among themselves. During my observation my son was withdrawn refusing to socially interact with other children and seemed as if he was in his own little world. At that moment, I soon began to recollect in my mind other strange behavior’s and actions he has been displaying. Fast forward to our visit to the pediatrician and that’s when I heard it. The words that changed my life from that exact moment on. Your son has “Autism”. “Autism” what is that? I did what any mother would do grabbed my phone and turned to internet for answers. As I began my journey to educated myself, my goal is to raise awareness in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and be an advocate for my child and other individuals with Autism. Raising awareness in Autism increases understanding of the condition and change the perspective of the negative stigma of individuals that lack empathy, provide essential information for families and helping medical researchers crack the code to the discovery of causes and advance treatments. Just like building a puzzle, each piece has its own unique shape and design, alone the pieces have no meaning but when you start connecting the pieces together that is when you discover the whole