A Vulnerable Population: People Suffering from Autism

Autism is categorized by deficits in maintaining social relationships and difficulty communicating. The number of children being diagnosed with autism is steadily increasing. Therefore the need incorporate effective interventions that focus on the development of the individual child has become an imperative component for their success. The key for children with Autism to achieve academic and social success depends upon the collaborative effort that is shared among all parties involved: family, teachers, peers; mental health professionals and the community.

Leo Kanner (1943) believes autism is a result of emotional deprivation. He notes that parents of autistic children are intellectually and analytically oriented, but lack emotional warmth (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009).Some psychodynamic theorist believe autistic children were born normal, but became autistic after experiencing painful interactions with hostile or cold parents (Hansell & Damour, 2008). The term autistic implies a failure to effectively relate to the environment. Autistic individuals are perceived as elusive and distant (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Behavioral programs are most effective with autistic children and are used to teach them language, communication skills, self-care, and adaptation to the community (Hansell & Damour, 2008).

Autism is a human disorder that can affect anyone, including children. Autism can effect an individual’s social and communication skills. “Autism is a term used for a heterogeneous group of severe Nuero Developmental Disorders that affects estimated 1-2 children per thousand worldwide”(Jacqueline). This interprets that in every one to two per thousand children are diagnosed with autism around the globe. “Autism is a complex development disorder distinguished by difficulties with social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and behavior problems, including repetitive behavior and narrow focus of interest” (Carol & Davidson). This explains behavioral and communication problems are side-effects of autism. “People

Today, we are seeing a rising increase in the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. What once used to be a rare disorder is now commonly recognized in the medical field as well as in the community. Not only is autism a health issue in itself, but many health issues come along with the disorder. This paper will discuss the description of the population, the top health issues and their relevance, and interventions and outcomes that can help reduce these health issues in this specific population.

Screening tools used by these professionals would support early recognition and referral of children with questionable development. Therefore, when nurses carry out routine well-child visits, they should consider a critical opportunity to obtain developmental information which help in the identification of children with developmental delays such as autism. These children, if treated as early as possible with the best interventions available, will have a better life with academic achievement, higher IQ, better job opportunities, decrease criminal history, etc. Furthermore, nurses are educators and have the responsibility in helping parents to understand the developmental milestones and inform them of the available community resources to support families with an autistic child. Education is important because parents have the responsibility to help and teach their child affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism is defined as the brain disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood. Autism affects three areas of human development: (1) verbal and nonverbal communication, (2) social interaction, and (3) creative or imaginative play. Autism is considered a severe disorder and developmental disability that prevents individuals from properly understanding what they see, hear and sense. The cause of autism remains unknown. Current theories indicate a problem with the function or structure of the central nervous system. This essay overviews the history of autism and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It provides an idea of the population and causes of autism. It takes about the program services and the current operational issues related to autism.

Working with children with autism and their families is an important issue. According to the U.S. Department of Education, identification of children with autism increased 79% from 1993-1997. This increase is not proportional to other disabilities, since the increase in identification of all disabilities from the same period was only 9.5% (National Center for Education Statistics, 1998). Over 500,000 people in the U.S. have some form of autism or pervasive developmental disorder, making it one of the most common developmental disabilities (Autism Society of America, 1999). Yet many professionals in healthcare and education do not have the knowledge or preparation to work with this growing population (Autism Society of America, 1999; Hart, 1993; Jordan & Powell, 1995; Muskat & Redefer, 1994).

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240, for an average of 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder, “ASD” (Nirv, Shah 2011). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, up to six out of every 1,000 children may be diagnosed with some form of autism. In addition, boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism. This means that as many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of autism. Unfortunately, the numbers appear to be increasing rapidly. Autism is a disability that frequently appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the

Diagnoses of autism have increased rapidly over the last ten years, and continue to do so, making affordable and effective treatment for the developmental disorder crucial. Statistics report that “about 1% of the world is on the Autism Spectrum; prevalence in the US is about 1/68 births, prevalence

According to Shattock and Savery in their work “Autism as a Metabolic Disoder” they assert that autism continues to be a disorder that has no etiology; meaning there is no a comprehensive study that explains the origin and causes that can be linked to the disorder (as cited in Evans, et al., 2008). This claim is based on the findings that were established in 1998 at Sunderland university UK. Howver, in a recent findings, a number of factors have been

Autism disorder is an issue facing many people today. It’s an issue widely discussed in the news and social media. In Gale’s data from 2015 defines autism as a general term for a group of complex disorders of the brain development that are grouped together under the broader term of autism spectrum disorder also known as ASD. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2014, about 1 in 68 out of 1,000 children were diagnosed with ASD. This was a dramatic increase from 1 in 150 children in 1992. The CDC also

According to the CDC, autism is “a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges (Facts About Autism, 2016)”. Autism was first discussed in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, after he observed 11 children who had fixations on the inanimate environment rather than people (Quick Facts About Autism). It affects about one percent of the population, and is

Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental mental health disorder. Most autistic patients show some of the symptoms at a very early age. Around 1 in 68 children in the world are autistic and it is more frequent in males than females. ("Facts About ASDs", 2016) Those who have autism spectrum disorder mostly have restricted hobbies or activities, repetitive behaviours and lack of imagination; many of them have shown signs of low intelligence. Also, they do not understand social cues, sarcasm, others’ emotions, intentions and have difficulties in socializing and communicating. (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders IV, 2013) At present, there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder. However, due to the uniqueness of this illness, where the symptoms and severity of each patient can vary tremendously, treatments have to be tailored to the needs of each individual with care. There are now different kinds of methods strategically targeting different types of needs in order to lower the impact of symptoms and aid autistic individuals at different ages in adapting to the “outside world”. Interventions can differ in terms of involvement and commitment of parents and caregivers; cost of time (how many hours of training a week); the theoretical background; and some even require a change in patient 's’ dietary habits. (SEIDA et al., 2009) “Despite the different method of the interventions, it tend to incorporate a mix of behavioural, developmental, and

One the biggest psychological disorders in our society is childhood autism. Childhood autism is defined as “A pervasive developmental disorder defined by the presence of abnormal and/or impaired development that is manifest before the age of 3 years, and by the characteristic type of abnormal functioning in all three areas of social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviour.” (MHresource.org). Furthermore, boys are three to four more times likely to develop childhood autism than girls (MHresources.org). Statistics also show that the prevalence of childhood autism in births is one in fifty-nine and has grown 119.4 percent from 2000 to 2010 (CDC). Now, researchers are looking into what causes childhood autism. They are

Tens of millions of people have been diagnosed with Autism worldwide, effecting both genders, all races, ethnicities and people from all socioeconomic classes. In 2010 a Surveillance Summary was conducted in the United States, where it identified that one in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). It has been recognised