Autism (Essay Sample)

Autism
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Defining Autism
Autism refers to a group of developmental brain disorders that significantly affects social interaction, verbal, and nonverbal communication, therefore affecting a child’s academic performance adversely (Zimmerman, 2008). Collectively, these developmental brain disorders are known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and manifest in infants before the age of three years. The term spectrum represents the wide range of level of impairment, disability, and symptoms that infants children with ASD manifest. According to Zimmerman (2008), Autism may present in some children mildly, in which case they display low symptoms of impairment, while in extreme cases it may be severe for other children who become adversely impaired both cognitively, emotionally, and psychologically. According to the center for disease control and prevention, the prevalence of ASD currently stands at one out of every 88 children. ASD is 5 times more common in boys than among girls (Rutter, 2013).
Causes of Autism
Presently, scientists are yet to discover the exact causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though research suggests both the environment and genes play an important role. Behavioral researchers believe Autism is caused by different known and unknown biological brain dysfunctions that affect the ability of the developing brain to process information (Bonnie, 2013). This explains why autism is classified as a neurodevelopment disorder. Though evidence backed by scientific research is yet prove the causes of autism, the United Kingdom National Health Service organization describes causes of ASD in two ways:
Under primary ASD, medical conditions that explain the symptoms of autism are absent
In secondary ASD, there exists an underlying medical condition thought to trigger the symptoms of ASD
Under primary ASD, researchers are currently studying four possible causes of the condition. These are:
Genetic mutations, environmental factors such as exposure of pregnant women to radiation, neurological factors that lead the brain and nervous system to develop erratically, and finally psychological factors that push victims to think differently from normal individuals, thus contributing towards their symptoms (Bonnie, 2013).
Under secondary ASD, the following medical conditions are known to trigger symptoms of ASD:
Tuberous sclerosis – this genetic disorder triggers the growth of multiple non-cancerous tumors in the brain and throughout the body. Its prevalence is in one out of every 6,000 born children.
Fragile X syndrome – A rare genetic condition common among boys than girls, which causes children to develop unique bodily and facial characteristics, for instance large ears, flexible joints, and long face. Prevalence among boys is one out of 3600 births, while among girls it is one out of 6000 births.
Rett syndrome – Prevalence is one out of every 20,000 and results in difficulties with development and physical movement.
Symptoms
They vary from child to child, but generally, they fall into the following three categories:
Social impairment
Stereotyped and repetitive behaviors
Social impairment
The onset of autism becomes apparent prior to attainment of age three by a child suffering from the condition. Parents should be wary of early signs such as a child avoiding eye contact, exhibiting of different ways of communication, for instance not sharing interests with other children, although they request what they want from their caregivers/parents.
In addition, they lack creativity and imagination in their play compared to their peers. They have reduced non-verbal communication and lack the ability to point or gesture. They prefer to play alone or stay with adults, and they usually experience delayed language development.
Furthermore, autistic children exhibit signs of confusion, as they are unable to understand subtleties on reading and relating with other people (Zimmerman, 2008). Consequently, they may be seen as uncooperative at school, for instance they can become anxious when asked to sit in a specific position they are not used to in the classroom setting.
Autistic children also have problems with perceiving sensory sensitivities, that is their sense of sound, smell, light, taste, or touch may be hyper (intensified) or hypo-sensitive (below normal). For example, some find certain sounds of fabrics as very distressing. According to Zimmerman (2008), researchers agree that autistic children possess specific strengths such as better attention to detail, trustworthy; they are very precise, and reliable.
Methods of Treatment
There is no known cure for the ASD condition. However, specific approaches have been developed to assist children with specific difficulties that affect their quality of life. One approach is channeling these children intense interests in their related fields, thus assist them develop useful skills. Other programs include the Pictorial Exchange Communication System designed to help these children develop the ability to communicate effectively (Rutter, 2013). Most importantly, autistic children need support from their family and their community to help them meet their unique needs. This can be enhanced by increasing awareness campaigns of their condition and calling for their support. For those children who are severely autistic, their parents need to seek professional guidance because not every intervention technique works for every autistic child.
Teaching Children with Au...