The Social Lives Of Adolescents And Adults With Autism Essay

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

Many of us have heard of the neurological disorder called autism, and have a general sense of what the term "autism" means and all of the typical behaviors that belong in its category. Yet, I must question how many of us out there who do take an interest in autism really understand how having this disorder can totally distort one's perception of what one experiences in the world. A person with autism senses things differently than we normally do, and also responds to them in other ways – what we would call "abnormal behaviors". Why is this so? According to scientists, MRI research studies have shown that the brains of autistic individuals have particular abnormalities in the cerebellum,

Autism spectrum disorder has become the most common neurological and developmental disorder diagnosed in children today. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) estimate that 1 out of every 88 American children have been properly diagnosed. There is no known cure for autism, and the inconsistencies of the symptoms of autism in each case make it difficult to target a particular set of effective treatments. However some behavior management therapies, specifically physical therapy, may help to significantly control the unwanted symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

     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:

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.

Children With Autism Children with autism have the possibility to improve greatly, and some even overcome the effects of autism if appropriate therapies are begun early enough. A multifaceted disorder, autism has long baffled professionals and parents alike. At a point in time, doctors gave parents absolutely no hope for the recovery of their children. But recently, new treatments and therapies have shown that improvement is possible. With early intervention, intensive care, some children have if not fully recovered, improved, and have been integrated into schools, indistinguishable from their peers.

“Where could anybody be without organizing their own thoughts”(Slater 1)? Imagine living in a world where one could not communicate with anyone around them on a truly rational level, even though the individual is completely rational. Imagine feeling so frightened by life, that one escapes to an Alternate reality, where they become catatonic, or even take on forms of different personalities to deal with everyday situations. Try not being able to communicate through one’s own words, only repeating what others have said in order to get along in life. This is what living with Autism is like. Autism, through the book definition is a “complex developmental disability…that appears

The common traits of ASD, which include anti-social and often disruptive patterns of behavior, can make children with autism challenging for typical learning children to approach. Though the issue of including children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms is a complex one, peer-mediated interventions can promote the growth of social skills at every level of education. By educating the general population of typical peers and empowering them to be a part of the process a dent can be made in the social exclusion often experienced by the ASD children in mainstream settings. Implementing these interventions enriches the lives of all of the children involved, “possibly developing sustainable social relationships” expanding the effects of the program beyond the academic setting (Hughes et al., 2013). Also, these methods provide teachers an unobtrusive method of teaching that has benefits for the entire class. These methods could be helpful to other student populations that have intellectual

The research identified that there are very few studies that address social storiesTM for young adults with autism disorders. (Karayazi et. al, 2001, p.126) As a result of that discovery, the researcher studied the effects of using social stories with a young woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder to increase pro-social behavior: nose- cleaning and appropriate greetings. (Karayazi et. al, 2001, pg. 126) Social stories are illustrations that encourages pro-social behavior to individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Previous studies examined the use of social stories to increase verbal communication in ASD children; increasing pro-social and reducing disruptive behaviors in ASD children; decreasing disruptive behaviors by using multiple-baseline across participant design (Ozedmir, 2008); and, decreasing anti-social behavior in adolescents. The research hopes to find a positive correlation between social stories and increasing pro-social behavior in young adults.

Students with autism spectrum disorder show benefits from being educated in general education classrooms with interactions with typically developing peers. However, behaviors exhibited by students with ASD often lead them back to segregated special education settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a simple peer support intervention on minor, disruptive, off-task behaviors of three elementary students with high functioning ASD from three different classrooms.

Most parents wonder what is the next chapter for their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) after they graduate from high school. For some individuals, it is to move onto higher education. As stated by Cai and Richdale (2015), the USA has one of the lowest rates of college enrollment for individuals with ASD, with over 50% of these individuals being in neither education nor employment following their secondary school (p. 31). Individuals with ASD who move forward in gaining a higher education will have to learn to adapt and determine how to transition into higher education. Mentioned by Cai and Richdale (2015), a USA national survey illustrated poor outcomes from transitioning from secondary school into adult-hood. The findings show that after young adults with ASD left the public school system, 80% live at home, 32% attended postsecondary education, only 6% had competitive jobs, and 21% had no employment or education experience at all. In addition, 40% reported having no friends. (p. 32)

According to Carago et al. (2014), children on the spectrum struggle to thrive in social settings due to compromised ability to communicate, sharing with others, and acknowledging as well as responding to other people’s feelings. In addition, when participating in conversation, children on the spectrum often focus on specific topics, disregarding what the other person would like to talk about. Typically developing children may reject autistic peers, deeming them as socially awkward and believing their rigid behavior is rude. Peer rejection causes those with ASD to deal with severe feelings of social isolation. Deficits in social functioning makes it especially difficult for children with autism spectrum disorders to participate in class activities and learning through teacher and peer interactions (Camargo et al., 2014). Poor academic performance, peer rejection, social isolation, and social anxiety in those with high functioning autism is often contributed to insufficient social skills (Camargo et al., 2014). As mainstream schools are highly social in nature, children with ASD can struggle to learn in such settings without adequate social

On the social issue paper we recognized that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 5 years and older, were denied access to services, such as Intensive Behavioral intervention (IBI). This happened because of the decision the government of Ontario had made to lower the age to access the services and lowering funding to programs, which offered the IBI system. However, in light of new developments around this issue, specifically changes on the government’s decision to reverse their decision on the age cut out for access. We will be looking at how that decision could have affected agencies, in particular the Toronto Catholic School Board (TCDSB) autism team. We will also explore what the autism team has been doing and what

Temple Grandin, a doctor in the field of animal sciences who suffers from Autism, once said, “People are always looking for that single magic bullet that will totally change everything. There is no single magic bullet.” Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. The Autism Spectrum can be split into many subtypes, including Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Development Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Starting from an age as young as infancy, symptoms of Autism may be conveyed. Repetitive behavior, any loss of speech or social skills, and attachment to parents are three of the many symptoms expressed by children with Autism (“What

I am very passionate about working with kids with autism. They have such amazing personalities and I feel like people don’t see past the disability to the unique person they are. For several years I worked at a residential facility for kids on the spectrum. I was a direct care staff that worked one on one with them to work on their goals their treatment plan was focusing on. My passion to help kids with autism comes from my previous experience working with these kids and watching them grow and learn new skills. This transformation that I watched happen and helped be a part of with these kids made me want to help more kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are a lot of skills that need to be taught to these children. Socialization, communication, and positive behavior are just a few kids with autism need help improving. I believe that the earlier that you teach a child these skills the more successful they will be. Early intervention has had a positive outcome within many research experiments that professionals have done. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) also requires schools to teach kids with disabilities alongside typically developed kids as much as possible.