Autism. To some people it can be just a word, or a disorder. What Autism means to me, is being able to be closer to my little brother. My 7 year old brother has Autism and that doesn’t define him as a human being, his capabilities defines who he is. He is the reason why I am where I am today, a paraeducator that thrives to help kids in need. Being a paraeducator, our job is to help our students become more independent to prepare them for the real world after school. In order to get a student to be an independent person, is to use strategies. A few strategies I would use is how to properly use fidgets, what the social norm is and ways to improve, and the four questions for a structured task. Fidgets are a great way to keep children calm and collected, but in order for them to work, there needs to be expectations. For me as an adult, I can get a little antsy if I sit for a long period of time to what do I do? I just grab my phone out and mess around on it. In a school setting that cannot happen. Some different alternatives could be a stress ball, fidget cube, bag of marbles, or tangles, etc. Some expectations for the fidgets can be: keep it somewhere where it won’t be a distraction, use it nicely and properly, and if it gets in the way of work, then it gets taken away. If expectations get set, fidgets can be a great way to keep your student focused and not get over stimulated while getting their work done. In today's world, we are lacking in social skills, as the technology increases, our social skills decrease. As our children grow up and develop, so does the technology, the kids get stuck behind those screens and tend to forget there are people on the other side of them and that they have feelings. One huge area kids and even adults need to work on is eye contact. When I was in grade school my teachers would say look at their nose or look above their head. Eye gaze would be a great idea to use with children that do not like making direct eye contact. With eye gazing, the child looks in the general direct of where the person they are talking to is looking at. For example, if the other person is looking at a flag, the child would have to see where the person eyes are pointing to, use that person's body to
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.
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.
“Don’t think that there is a different, better child ‘hiding’ behind the autism. This is your child. Love the child in front of you. Encourage his strengths, celebrate his quirks, and improve his weaknesses, the way you would with any child. You may have to work harder on some of this, but that’s the goal,” Claire Scovell LaZebnik wrote of living with a child who has autism. Autism has been made to look like a grand epidemic. Autism is nothing of the kind. There are plenty of people with autism that are high-functioning and can live on their own, and autism is made to seem like a bigger deal than it is. Many would argue that medicines are needed to treat autism, that autism needs to be ended. There is always a better way.
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.
Giving a speech in front of classmates. Hugging a best friend after a rough day. Changing up the daily routine at school. These are a few examples of activities most Autistic children consider as their worst nightmare. Even though a child with Autism could be, and probably is, brilliant, they find themselves trapped inside. The Autistic Spectrum Disorder, universally known as Autism, is a disease that causes a child to face mental, physical, and emotional challenges.
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
Scientifically, autism and autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD, are commonly used names for difficult disorders that have to do with brain development. Disorders like these are grouped by someone’s difficulty in social interaction, repetitive behaviors, and nonverbal communication. To the people who are diagnosed with this disorder and the families it affects; it is so much more than just science.
Due to the advances in medical science, individuals can be protected against more diseases than ever before. Some diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children have been eliminated completely due to safe and effective vaccines (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Individuals who do not receive vaccination pose dangers to those who are unable to receive vaccines due to medical conditions, there are no links that vaccine causes Autism, and vaccines cost less money than the financial burden of choosing not to receive a vaccine. Therefore, vaccines are the most effective way of protecting ourselves from vaccine-preventable diseases.
I cannot tell you the exact date, while I’m sure many parents are able to in this circumstance. I can only tell you it was in Spring and my now 10-year-old son, Nino, was 6 years old at the time. I sat in a room after my son’s autism evaluation and heard the words, “Your son has autism. We are diagnosing him at level 2.” I would be lying if I said a tear didn’t fall after those words, but not so much about getting “bad news”, yet, certainly one of those tears fell for that, but the others than came down my cheeks were tears of relief. We now knew what we were dealing with, it had a name. My husband was more in disbelief, but accepted it, and admitted he wondered if there was a genetic link, looking back as his life with his older brother. As we absorbed the news, we knew, how we communicated the diagnosis to our son would play a part in whether he could celebrate who he was, and know how special he was, or if communicated incorrectly, he would feel as if there was something wrong with him. It would mean, he would look at himself as flawed, and awkward, and of little value to society. In this paper, I will do my best to persuade you to embrace, and celebrate such a moment like this in life.
There is much speculation over whether or not vaccinations can lead to autism. Many people are concerned that autism may be linked to vaccines in the ingredients in them that children receive. Although there are many who support this theory, biology has shown that there is no link between vaccinations and autism. The fact that there is no relation between vaccinations and autism has been proved time and time again through many scientists including those who work with the CDC- Center for Disease Control and many other medical professionals.
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 eliminate bias and hatred against autistic or differently abled children and individuals, it is important to educate the masses about the endless possibilities autistic people are born with.
Neurological disorders are complex in nature and often the least understood. Given the recent boom in imaging technology and other diagnostic methods, it is now possible to see more clearly into the scope of neurological development and accurately determine the etiology of these diseases. One of such disorders is Autism; a multifactorial condition impairing normal brain development. It affects many aspects of development, including social behavior, cognitive ability and communication skills1 and is commonly diagnosed in children before the age of three1. The symptoms of this condition can vary greatly between individuals; hence its classification as a spectrum disorder. Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome and pervasive
To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living, and to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected….
Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of many developmental disabilities that affect students learning. In fact, in the United States, Autism is the fastest-growing severe developmental disorder (“What is Autism,” n.d.). Also, the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder is 1 in 68 children and the prevalence in boys is 1 in 42 children (“What is Autism,” n.d.). Furthermore, Autism Spectrum Disorders also affects the way a child learns and over the years, several teaching strategies have been developed to help teachers to effectively educate students with Autism. Research has also been conducted to develop and test new teaching strategies for Autism and continues in playing an important role in the education of students with Autism.