The First Three Years Of Life

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.

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

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 spectrum disorder (ASD) may be portrayed toward critical impairments in social interaction. It also includes restricted repeated behaviors, interests and activities. (Mayo Clinic staff, 2014)

     Autism is a developmental disability that affects all areas of behavior and perception. Approximately 10 out of every 10,000 children are diagnosed with autism and four out of five are males. Autism is the third most common developmental disability, more common than Down Syndrome. Children with Autism are characterized by impairment in several areas of development such as: Cognitive, Language, Play/Socialization skills and exhibit many challenging behaviors. Behavior Patterns of Autism:

Autism is a developmental disability that significantly affect a person's verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and educational performance. This developmental disability affects the brain, communication and interaction with others. People with this disability often have trouble relating and forming relationships with other people. Autism occurs very early on in the development of the brain. The most obvious signs can be found at the ages of two or three years old.

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

Autism is one of the most common disorders among children in the United States. Autism affects 1 in 68 children (Center for Disease Control, 2014). By comparison, this is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome – combined (Autism Speaks, 2012). Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls. This disorder typically appears during the first three years of life.

Scientists are still unsure as to what causes autism, but it is most commonly a genetic

Autism is described as a neurodevelopmental disorder that inhibits characteristics like impaired social interaction, difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, cognitive disorders and repetitive behavior.

Autism establishes an effect altering brain development very early on. Signs are first observable during infancy or early childhood, originating at the age of six months, noticing symptoms by age two or three, and progressing throughout adulthood. It 's important to realise, though people with autism may be intensely impaired in certain aspects throughout life, they often have the tendency to immeasurably flourish in other areas. Autism transforms each individual differently, vacillating from social awkwardness at the high functioning end to completely trapping one inside themselves at the lower end of the spectrum. Socially, those with autism are unable to engage in the normal give and take aspect of everyday interactions. They fail to see things in another’s perspective as they may lack the understanding that each individual has different thoughts, feelings, and needs. This creates a problem with the conscious ability to predict or understand another’s actions. It is common for those with autism to be unable to express themselves which can lead to outbursts, physically aggressiveness, or even self-injuring behaviors. When it comes to communication some autistic children may never develop language skills needing the use of signs, photos, or electronic speaking devices. Then again, others may develop a precocious language ability, being able to speak like a professor, but have difficulty sustaining or showing interest in a conversation. A noticeable

As I said earlier, autism is caused by genetics, environmental factors, and delayed brain development. Everyone on the spectrum is effected by autism in their own unique way. The effects of autism are broken down into five main categories; communication, social interaction, sensory impairments, play, and overall behavior. Some things that autistic individuals struggle with in regard to communication is that their language develops slowly, they use their own made up hand signals instead of words, and have short attention spans. Next, autistic children do not attempt to make friends because they would rather spend time alone, and they struggle with social cues

Before delving into the problems that arise, one should understand how to classify autism. According to O’Callaghan, “autism is not a single disease but a name...given to a behavioral phenotype that may have many aetiologies” (O’Callaghan). While the terminology O’Callaghan used may appear daunting because it leans towards scientific discussion, his definition explains that one should not assume autism is just a disease in itself, but is more than that. It serves another role of representing how an autistic individual acts and that the way they behave is a physical characteristic one can identify when regarding them. He additionally mentioned that autism may not have one cause, but may be composed of several causes attributed towards it.

People with Autism are presented with difficulties with social interactions, in particular, establishing and maintaining relationships. There is a lack of responsiveness to non-verbal forms of communications, like facial expressions, physical gestures and eye contact. Often, they are unable to fully express needs due to being unable to interpret and understand others needs. These lack of social interactions effect their ability to share others interests and activities, which gives the appearance that they are socially distant. The cause of their inability to understand non-verbal forms of communication which causes them to become withdrawn socially; is due to a delay in speech.

Yet, the research has suggested that Autism Spectrum Disorder results from different series of factors including genetic, environmental, and neurobiological that demonstrate the characteristics of the behavioral symptoms associated with autism (“Autism,” n.d.). Furthermore, besides still not knowing the etiology of autism, it has been proven that there are many subtypes of Autism Spectrum Disorders.