Misconceptions About Autism

Autism is a brain disorder that can affect a child’s development in the sense that they would have trouble with verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behavior, or social interaction in general. Autism can be detected in children ages two to three years old and 1 in every 88 children in America are diagnosed with autism yearly.

1 in 68 people in the US have autism, this includes 1 in 189 girls and 1 in 42 boys. Autism is a difference in perception; technically it’s a developmental disorder that is the result of a difference in brain chemicals. Scientists don’t know what causes autism or why it’s stayed in the human gene pool for so long. People with autism could have a wide variety of symptoms, but some of the most common characteristics are fixations on things they like, reliance on routines,and lack of social skills. Autism can be formally diagnosed at ages as young as 3. There is no medical test to diagnose autism, rather a trained professional in the psychology field will perform a developmental screening and a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. When a child is diagnosed with autism, therapy is strongly recommended. The earlier treatment starts the better because certain aspects of the disorder can be lessened through therapy. Therapy helps the mind and the body, certain therapies can help rebuild your brain, so to speak.

Autism has been made to seem like this huge issue, something that needs to be stopped. While there are many issues that come with autism, it is not something that should be getting such negative attention. People with autism seem to be the most extraordinary out of any of us. “They are usually intelligent, gifted, honest, hard workers when interested in a task and excellent problem solvers. People with high-functioning autism are thought to become excellent scientists and engineers or enter other professions where painstaking, methodical analysis is required. Some believe this particular assertion is a stereotype, as some high-functioning autism adults tend to struggle with the traditional work setting and the surrounding societally accepted ways of behaving,” (Synapse, Pg 2). There

Autism Spectrum Disorder. ASD. Autism. When people hear any of these, it’s either “avoid that person at all costs”, “be super sympathetic”, “pretend to be their friend” or “I have no idea what that is”. My best friend and illustrator of my second book, has no idea what autism is. I tried explaining it to her. It’s very hard to explain how you feel, first of all. To put the fact that you are autistic makes it even more difficult. It doesn’t bother me too much that she doesn’t know. As long as she knows that I truly am a good person, we’re good.

Autism according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary is defined as “a variable developmental disorder that appears by age three and is characterized by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, to commutate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns.” Autism was believed to be a psychiatric or emotional illness, and doctors told mothers that they were the cause. They were wrong. The cause for autism is still a mystery, however, the facts remain that autism in children is on the rise. Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle writes, “Environmental factors play a more important role in causing autism than previously assumed and, surprisingly, an even larger role than genetic.” There are theories based on that

In researching the history of autism, I have found many interesting things that I’ve never heard or read about before. Studies say that the disorder is very rare, and it only occurs in four to five of every 10,000 births. Autism affects three to four times as many boys as girls. According to the passage "Autism." by Patricia Braus, as many as two-thirds of children with autistic symptoms are mentally deficient, but individuals with autism can be highly intelligent. Sometimes, individuals that carry Autism have the ability to retain phenomenal numbers of facts and information. An autistic

Currently, efforts are being made by foundations, such as Autism Speaks and the National Autism Association not only to bring awareness of seriousness of the disorder, but also to establish ways towards the cause and a cure for autism. In 1997, Congress requested the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Autism Coordinating Committee (ACC) to “enhance the quality, pace and coordination of efforts at the NIH to find a cure for autism” (NINDS, 2009 p.18). ASD is too extensive of a disorder to find a single cure for it; these “cures” would require millions of dollars in further research and testing, just like any other medication or treatment. While there have been autistic geniuses in the past, not all with ASD should be hailed as such; instead of trying to justify or cure the disorder, more people should be willing to accept it.

Autism negatively influence a child’s intelligence and ability to achieve things by compromising mental functioning. This weakens their ability to gain knowledge, implement it and accomplish

Autism continues to spark countless discussions and debates throughout the medical field. Some doctors believe that autism is a neurological disorder that can and should be treated, as others continue to think it is simply a difference in human adaption that needs to be nurtured and acknowledged. Regardless of what autism may be, it continues to dramatically rise in the number of children and families affected. With autism being based on such a broad spectrum, the affects and causes leaves the medical world searching for answers in unending stacks of research.

Autism is a fairly new diagnosis in the healthcare industry. A rapidly growing number of children are being diagnosed annually. There have been many rumors about how children are developing autism, and many treatment options are being attempted. There is currently no cure for this condition.

There are a few different viewpoints on the Autism CARES Act from the taxpayer’s perspective. These perspectives are largely based on that person’s general beliefs about autism or how this policy affects people with autism spectrum disorders and their families. To many it was clear that the Combating Autism Act (CAA) had been largely unsuccessful and they were looking at how this policy could be improved. General concerns regarding this policy are centered around how the funding is being used and in what ways it is benefiting those with autism. Some believe that this policy would be better if there were a few changes, while others have a negative view of the policy as a whole; people also realize that the policy is not exactly perfect, but it is a start.

Autism is a developmental disability that is caused by differences in how the brain functions. People with autism may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in different ways and show repetitive behaviors. About 1 in 68 children have been identified with autism in communities across the United States. According to the myth, children seemed to develop autism shortly after receiving the MMR vaccine shot.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder that affects the brain. Many children are affected by Autism. It limits a child’s ability to connect, socialize and relate to others.  Autism is a growing disorder and every year more children are born with autism. There is no cure for autism; there are no known facts about what causes autism in children at an early age, just possible causes. ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups (CDC, 2016, p.1).

Autism is a disorder, however, there is a wide spectrum that all fall under the category of autism. Typically someone would just say that a child has autism, but there are many different types of autism that people would have to consider when categorizing a child as autistic. There is high-functioning autism, atypical autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and pervasive development disorder. High-functioning autism has signs and symptoms that are much less severe than the other kinds of autism on the spectrum. People with high-functioning autism have an average or above average intelligence level. Addressed in WebMD article “High-Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome,” high-functioning autism is very similar to

This is a topic that is especially important and to me because in my job, I do behavior modification with children that are on the autism spectrum. This neurological disorder is a brain development condition that interferes with social interaction and can cause communication challenges. This is not a visible disorder, those that have autism look just like everyone else. There are many factors that make someone more likely to have autism, but experts have not yet discovered all of the potential causes. There is no cure for this disorder.