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Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Varying Types of Autism on the Spectrum and Their Effects on Individuals Autism Spectrum Disorder is defined as a group of complex disorders of the brain. The autism spectrum contains many other disorders within itself, and each of them have different symptoms. These disorders include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, and Asperger syndrome (Frequently Asked Questions, 2015). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that around 1 in 68 American children are on the spectrum, with the statistics in other countries being even higher. This number has increased in the last 40 years and could partly be because of the improved diagnosis and awareness, all because …show more content…

A person with Asperger’s is a very intelligent individual that has no problem doing daily tasks. The area of life that a person with Asperger’s struggles with the most is socially. Those affected do not know how to socialize and carry on normal everyday conversations. Doctors often refer these people to therapy to teach them how to deal with everyday life and carry out normal tasks. Another disorder on the spectrum is Pervasive Development Disorder also known as PDD-NOS. Pervasive Development Disorder is more severe than Asperger’s, but not as severe as Autistic Disorder. These are just a few of the many diagnosis on the spectrum. (What is Autism, 2014) Those specific diagnoses were made using the previous version of the DSM. According to the DSM-5, all of these disorders would be more broadly stated as Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism Spectrum Disorder, …show more content…

(Rosenblatt, 2012) It is important to help the child eliminate non-helpful behavior, such as throwing tantrums when they get confused or scared, and help them understand what is acceptable in a public space. The basic goal for parent’s is to help their child develop self advocacy (Rosenblatt, 2012). Self advocacy is often a learned task, but sometimes the use of medications is required to help the child achieve the self advocacy needed to make it through everyday life tasks. People that are diagnosed with ASD are often put on medications that help with irritability, aggression, repetitive behavior, hyperactivity, attention problems, anxiety, and depression. Each medication is tailored to a specific symptom, and along with the benefits of the medications comes the negative side effects. Some children with ASD are heavily medicated, while others carry out daily life on only a couple of medications (Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2014). Throughout a person with autism’s life their medications are altered multiple times to find the perfect amount to help them be a fully functioning member of

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