The Effects Of Autism On A Cheerleading Team

Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex developmental disability. I happen to have two nephews with autism, one who I am very close to and interact with a lot. A child is usually diagnosed with autism during the first three years of life. It is a result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, and affects the development of the person’s communication and social interaction

It is important to recognise that each person on the autistic spectrum has their own individual abilities, needs, strengths, gifts and interests because no two individuals are the same. People on the autistic spectrum have their own set of unique characteristics and vary from one to another in terms of their abilities. Some clients may have similar needs, for example, assistance with money. However no two individuals on the autistic spectrum are the same so it is important not too make assumptions about them.

Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is shared with a core of other disorders with similar symptoms. The Center for Disease and Control estimates that about 1 in 68 children has been diagnosed with ASD. This means that the chances of this being a reality you face in the future is greater than it seems. There are three main categories of Autism, high functioning, atypical, and classic. Symptoms between all the disorders are relatively the same, being problems with communication and others as well as activities, interests and behaviors defer to how severe they are in a person (GRASU 2015). Classic autism is generally known to be the most severe of the three categories because of the characteristics and symptoms that the individual carries compared to the other types of autism. High functioning autism is a milder type than classic autism, and can also can relate to Asperger’s Syndrome. For people that have high functioning autism, they are very likely to have an average or an above average intelligence. So just because someone may have autism, this does not necessarily mean you are limited to regular learning abilities, however though they will still most likely have the same language delays as classic autism when growing up. The last category is atypical autism which is really similar to classic autism but not quite, the individual will carry the same symptoms of

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.

I was diagnosed with Autism when I was 2 years old and it has affected my entire life more than anything else I have experienced. It has impacted the way I socialize and communicate with people, the way I think and understand the world,and it also affected my speech and development when I was younger. Autism also affects the way other people see me and I’m often misunderstood. I don’t remember everything about my life at that time, but I do know that I struggled a lot to get to where I am today. I’m also aware that it will impact my future and force me to work harder than my peers. Even though I have Autism, I will always know that it doesn’t define who I am and that I will improve no matter what.

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 is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, deviance in communication, and patterns of behavior and interests that are restricted,

There is generally some impairment of social interaction and of imagination. People on the Autistic spectrum can differ hugely in their abilities from being exceptionally intelligent, far above the norm to having severely impaired intellect, this is why it is called a spectrum.

      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.

Waltz (2002) stated, “Autistic spectrum disorders are a medical puzzle. Although the symptoms can be seen, they are hard to define medically or treat. (p.1)

Autism is a disorder that I seem to hear more about every day. I hear about it on the television news, in news articles online, and even personal blogs that I read. It seems that everyone has some knowledge of autism and most people know someone personally that it affects. As far as my own personal knowledge and experience of the disorder, I learned it at camp. I have volunteered many years for at Camp Tik-A-Witha. This camp provides a week long session for children with special needs (mental and physical handicaps) called Elizabeth Gwin Session. While volunteering at camp, I have seen children with blindness, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, and autism.

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 can be a beautiful diagnosis to have, it allows individuals to see, hear, and feel things that most people do not. I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with many people who have been diagnosed with different levels of autism and they are some of the most interesting, caring, and intelligent people who I have encountered. So many people in the world do not have personal experience or knowledge of this diagnosis. Individuals

Autism is a mental disability that develops as the individual grows and develops, it changes the way they view the world and how they interact and understand people, it affects each individual differently due to it being a spectrum disability meaning that there are many forms ranging from atypical autism to high functioning autism this makes it very hard to fully understand it due to a lot of differences. There are around 1 in 100 people who are classed to be on the spectrum, that equals to around 700,000 people within the United Kingdom and it affects more men than women, some people with autism will be able to function within society with slight support from the family, school and work whereas some will need specialist support throughout their whole life this is because there is no cure for autism their parents/ carers have to try to get the care and support they need to overcome challenges that people without autism take

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