Personal Narrative: Diagnosing Autistic

The feelings a parent faces when diagnosed with an autistic child can only be described as guilt, pain, panic and disbelief. Where the dreams of their child surviving all the years of educational schooling and therapy and becoming an independent adult start fading; yet there are success stories of those who did. The Internet has made it possible for parents to have access to a great deal of information about treatment for ASD. Unfortunately, much of the information is not based on solid scientific evidence that demonstrates

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

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?

The way information is processed can be described as hypersensitive or hyposensitive. The sensory system can be viewed as having seven components:

1.1 - Explain why it is important to recognise that each person on the autistic spectrum has their own individual abilities needs strengths gifts and interests.

Many people have dreams and aspirations for the future. Some want to be rich, have their dream home, be famous or travel the world. While these are all great goals and aspirations, they are not a wish of mine. My dream is to open a non-profit organization that assists in finding employment for disabled adults, specifically autistic adults. Before beginning this establishment I must have a solid vision, the mission of the non-profit, the goals I am aspiring to reach and a firm set of policies in place all while ensuring the correct management style is utilized.

The story “let me hear your voice” is told from the perspective of Catherine Maurice and the challenges she faced to help her children overcome autism. Catherine has three children, her first child was Daniel who was nurotypical and is considered a “normal” child. Her second and third children were Anne-Marie and Michel respectively, and they were both born with autism. Anne-Marie is described as having a “delicate face, with porcelain skin and faint roses in the cheeks and framed by wispy brown curls” (Maurice, 1993). Anne-Marie was reported as shy and introverted when she was about 13 months but ahead of other children her age. She would play in one spot for hours and never really crawled around but could say simple sentences like “hi daddy” when she was only 15 months. She would cry a lot and did not like unexpected events or to be away from her mother for too long. Anne-Marie began to regress a little later in the story; she didn’t really speak as much anymore but could repeat things that Catherine said like “car” and “cookie”. Anne-Maries tantrums grew worse as well and would sometimes bang her head on the floor when she was particularly moody. She was cared for by her mother Catherine, her father Marc, and her nanny Patsy. Michel developed a little differently than Anne-Marie. At one year old Michel was walking, talking, eating with a fork, and can say the word “no”. Michel was also friendlier than his more withdrawn sister at that age. His language skills were delayed

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. Waiting for the tests results, I find myself flushed; perhaps my blood pressure is rising. Sitting in a small windowless office set off from the main waiting room my knee begins to bounce in anxiety. This was the moment of truth. I’m awaiting the results to find out if Lillianna tested positive for Autism. I stand up and begin to pace hoping the colorful pictures on walls that were designed to relax and entertain kids will have the same affect on me. My mind begins to relive this epic battle I have found myself on; the battle of strength and acceptance of my daughter Lillianna, as I become her voice in the face of this disorder.

Viewing this documentary, opinions of this individual with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) did, in fact, change the opinion of who they are. ASD can start from when they were born to a mature adult. This film presented lessons on how families and the individuals have gone through a daily lifestyle. One lesson that shown in the movie is that they understand going on however it may take the time to process through their brains.

The ability to express your feelings seems effortless for teenagers with the existence of "tweeting", blogging, and updating a Facebook status, but for those with autism it is demanding. Loud noises, accidental touches and even an indifferent expression may send an autistic child into a nerve-wracking state. My best friend is autistic; however, I never saw him as different. I am always there for him whether it is on the sidelines for the Special Olympics or whenever he is having a bad day. I am his cheerleader, just as he is mine. I have always been inspired by him to make the world a better place. Seeing him compete in the Special Olympics with his peers inspires others who might not fit in to find a place. There is a home for everybody and little did I know I was about to find mine.

Every single day is a struggle for an autistic child and his or her family. Autism affects all aspects of a child’s life from their ability to show affection to their family to being able to do simple tasks such as communicating and thinking in ways that we take for granted. Autism is defined as a developmental disability in which children experience abnormalities in social functioning, language, often act in puzzling ways, and usually appears before the age of three (Mash &Wolfe, 2010). Although the exact causes of autism are unknown there does seem to be a strong genetic component. Having a child or family member with autism is a constant battle of emotion and frustration. Everyone wants to help the people they love when they have

At first, I had no idea that my little sister was different. She was just Sarah, who loved to sing, who would often scream, whose imagination had no limits, and who kept to herself. While I have another little sister, Alison, I was too young to notice the difference between the two of them. I believed Sarah was just as ordinary.

What if one day your child went from meeting his/her milestones to not being able to do anything, how would this change your life? An experience that happened to me in my life, I found myself facing a diagnosis of Autism for our oldest son. I felt helpless as a mother, because I knew that something was wrong with our son, but I was powerless to help him. He just stopped talking, eating, and playing overnight, I was scared, confused and dumbfounded. I called my husband at work crying, I tried to explain this to him, but I could not get the words out. My husband asked me to try and calm down so that I could try to explain it to him, I held back the tears, and said, “our son is not eating, he is not talking he cannot play with his toys.” He told

1 in 45 people within the ages of 3 and 17 are diagnosed with autism. My brother and cousin are a few of the children that were. I love them very much and i will always be thankful for them because they made me who i am. They make me a better person in many ways and i will never be able the thank them, and my other family members enough for that. I love my family and friends and they make me who i am, but i was born with all of my characteristics and i would never change them.

The turtle wins the race; no really. Life has a sarcastic way of turning out the opposite of ones intentions, and I am none the wiser. after being released from the Navy in 2004 I started my education. Between life events, marriage, divorce, special needs children I conferred my degree in 2014. As of this semester I will have my bachelors in marketing. I hear my mothers voice as I type and she is annoying asking me if I am actually going to utilize my marketing degree. Well yes and no. With my bachelors degree I can take the board certification exam for assistant behavior anaylsist and fullfill my passion of helping autistic children live more independent life's.