Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Individuals with autism have Communication disorders which can make it difficult for the individuals to communicate and interact with their surroundings for example;

Autism has made some people's lives living nightmares, but most learned to deal with the exceptions. There are even some people that used their autism for the good and helped many people. Einstein and temple grandin are two of the many that successfully functioned with autism. Their brilliance helped redefine the capabilities of autism.

I myself have a form of high functioning autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome, or AS for short, was discovered in the early 20th century by a physician for whom it’s named, who

In the early 1900’s autism was a completely misunderstood concept and any child who was living with it was assumed to be living with “childhood schizophrenia” and developed much slower than children without autism. A four year study of Donald Triplett gave Dr. Kannar a better understanding of what autism was and what it caused certain people to do. The main question was, does it affect the child’s development? Living with autism can affect a child’s development due to the fact that they don’t have a long attention span, can cause them to have a repetitive behavior, along with trouble in social situations whether it be verbal or non verbal.

Eugen Blueler, a psychiatrist, was the first to introduce the name "Autism" but he diagnosed this disease to a schizophrenic adult. Leo Kanner distinguished the two later in order to clarify the understanding of the disability. (Forty-six)

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

Autism is part of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). They are grouped by abnormalities of social interactions and communication. In some individuals, autism may be just a mental disability. Some children with autism may be normal in all aspects of life but they may be socially awkward. Being a range of disorders, autism includes a big variety varying in severity.

Another, is repeating parts of a conversation heard in the past (delayed echolalia). May repeat certain sounds over and over again (verbal perseveration) it also may be difficult for a child to convey his or her own needs. Examples are, if the child is hungry or ever in pain. This is one of the most lurid obstacles for a parent to come to realize. It is also very hard to socialize with an autistic child. Frequently autistic children will want to play alone, have no interest in making any friends, cannot make contact into your eyes, and will not show any sign of affection. This is very hard for family, friends, caregivers, and teachers to have to deal with. Most autistic children also have an IQ of under 70, that of an average person. About 20-40% of autistic children that have an IQ of fewer than 50 may start having seizures before adolescence. There are also many variances of autism, sometimes called childhood-onset pervasive development disorder or atypical autism. This may begin later then 12 years old. They start to behave in many bizarre mechanisms. The child may also be diagnosed with tourette’s syndromes, obsessive compulsive disorder, or hyperactivity. It is very difficult for a doctor to diagnose one symptom or disorder from another.

When people talk about Autism, they are usually referring to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which is a brain disorder characterized by social communication challenges and repetitive behaviors. The CDC describes Autism Syndrome Disorders as: “a developmental disability that can cause social, communication and behavioral challenges. Autism Spectrum Disorders are categorized by significant deficiencies in social interaction and communication skills, as well as extremely challenging behaviors. ASD is mostly sensory overload.

Children with autism usually play alone. Often they engage in repetitious activities, such as arranging objects in meaningless patterns, flipping a light switch on and off, or staring at rotating objects. Some engage in repetitious body movements, such as spinning, flapping their arms, swaying, rocking, snapping their fingers, and clapping or flapping their hands. In some cases these movements may be harmful, involving repeated biting of their wrists or banging their head. Children with autism frequently become upset at minor changes in their surroundings and daily routines.

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

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. This complex illness varies widely in severity, and is marked by social difficulties, repetitive behaviors, and communication problems. Usual features of autism include an impairment of verbal and non-verbal communication, problems processing sensorial information, difficulty in social interactions, and restrictive and repetitive patterns of conduct. Some causes of autism relate to growth dysregulation, and early intervention and treatment may offer significant advances in functioning.

Repetitive behaviors like head banging and repetitive routines are consistent for individuals with autism. If the routine is disturbed, he or she screams and throws a temper tantrum (Wing, 24). Like their need for consistency in routines, autistics also need and demand absolute consistency in their environment. Changes in their environment cause them to act negatively (“Autism”). And individual with autism has a different sensory system than normal people, the stimulations are affected differently. For example, they have oversensitivity to light and this oversensitivity may cause seizures (“Autism”). At least one quarter of children with autism have an epilectic seizure before they become an adult. Other behaviors that may occur are high levels or anxiety, odd fears (ex. of color or shape), and emotions that change from one extreme to the other (Wing 31+; Siegel 49).

Many autistic people have “Tics”. Tics are usually a repeated physical movement that is usually jerky in motion. For instance, hand flapping, head banging, body rocking or other hand tics. All tics include constant body movement. Autistic people usually show aggression towards themselves or to others. Many even show signs of mental retardation. People with autism show unusual attachment to objects or they will refuse to wear itchy clothes due to the sensitivity of their skin.

We see people with autism sometimes struggling to say how they feel, or make new friends. They tend to keep to themselves and not have any human contact. It can be hard for them to give emotions, or understand emotions. They may be able to speak very well either. They may cry or throw fits to show that they need or want something, this isn’t them acting out, it’s their way of communicating. We should know that even though someone with autism has these problems, we shouldn’t underestimate them. Most of them have incredible talents, and they go on to lead really successful lives. One man in particular, took his autism and his abilities and used it to create countless beautiful pieces of art. This man’s name is Stephen Wiltshire and he has a