Jake's Struggle With Autism

Understand how autistic spectrum conditions can impact on the lives of individuals and those around them

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

“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?

Let’s say you have a box of crayons. It represents ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), now inside the box you have different colors of crayons. Each color/crayon is a different disorder. The color we want to talk about today is teal, the official color for autism. Stuart Duncan once said, “Autism, like a rainbow, has a bright side and a dark side and even though it can mean rough waters it can be beautiful.” Autism isn’t a label, it’s a diagnoses. People with autism can be just as successful as neurotypical people. People with autism have been the subject of stereotypes and neglect for decades. Only in the last 150 years or so have things started to change. We don’t know what causes autism, but thanks to increased research and awareness we’re making more progress than ever. People with autism face many challenges everyday, autism is a spectrum. It’s not the same for everyone. Due to it being a spectrum it can be hard for people without autism to understand the challenges autistic people face, and how to go about interacting with autistic people. There are lots of autistic people worldwide, it’s time we start making them feel more like people.

There are a lot of people who live with autism, and by the time they are adults, are able to take care of themselves. “My autism is the reason I’m in college and successful. It’s the reason I’m in math and science. It’s the reason I care,” (Jacob Barnett). Jacob is a math and physics prodigy, and he lives with autism. All over the internet there are stories about people with autism living normal, or even extraordinary lives. People who work with them learn to accept their quirks and eventually realize that they can function just as well as anyone else. This is one example of someone who learned how to overcome the issues that autism presents, and go on to be something really special.

Sam displays autistic tendencies all throughout the movie. Autistic characteristics include inappropriate social interaction, compulsive behavior, persistent repetition of words or actions, giving comments that have no connection to the current conversation, and overly trusting or being unable to read the motives behinds peoples’ actions. During the movie, Sam exhibited all of these signs of autism. In one scene, Sam accidentally causes a lady to spill her coffee. He then tries to remove an ice

When I first found out my brother had autism, I didn’t know what to think. At first I blamed myself because I spent a lot of time with him ever since he was born, showing him how to use iPads, computers, and other electronics and I thought these things had something to do with it. Even after people have been telling me that there is no clear cause for autism, to this day I still can’t help but think that I had something to do with my brother’s disorder. As his older brother though I promised myself that I would do whatever it takes to help my brother live with his disorder and still become a functional member of society. My family started by placing my brother under Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. The therapy sessions took place at

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

In the area of social interaction, the individual is often withdrawn from others. They lack the ability to comprehend facial expressions and the actions of others are confusing. Many individuals with autism lack interest in social interaction. There is a lack of imagination and

Autism Speaks. (2012). The Federal Response to Autism. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from HYPERLINK "http://www.autismspeaks.org" http://www.autismspeaks.org.

Autism is becoming more prevalent in today’s society than it was in previous years. As more children are being diagnosed on the spectrum, more families are being impacted. As a result, more siblings are being overlooked and their needs are not being

For many Autist people love is a very hard concept to understand it is not concrete and it is hard to describe. In the movie Autism in Love it showed the difficulty of letting walls down and trying not to get hurt or taken advantage of. However, for Owen Disney continues to be his guide he uses the emotions and directions that he gets from watching these movies. He uses them to let his girlfriend know that he loves her and that he will spend every day remembering what a treasure she is. He understands love and understands the important connection to the other person.

Globally, the United Nations reckons that 80% of those with autism are not in the workforce.” For several years now, I have been working with autistic children in preschool and kindergarten. Working with autistic children has taught me to, never take health for granted, appreciate and understand the perspective of others and has made me excited about the impact that technology can have on helping

Life, Animated offers an honest examination of the emotional toils faced by autistic individuals and their support system, but ultimately delivers an inspirational and uplifting message about the value of family and perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. 2a. Owen demonstrates behaviors that adhere to the initial set of criteria in that he shows “persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts.” He shows difficulty in maintaining “normal back-and-forth conversation,” as demonstrated in one of his therapy sessions with the social thinking evaluator, who has sought to improve his ability to converse outside of the neat lines of Disney dialogue and carry on a reasonable flow of conversation. At the outset of the documentary, the Suskind family explained that as a child he expressed abnormalities in eye contact, and even as a young adult his therapy staff indicated irregularities in body language, such as his tendency to tuck is chin downward and plow ahead without raising his eyes.