What is Autism?
The Autism Society of America (ASA) describes autism as:
‘A complex pervasive developmental disorder that affects the functioning of the brain’
As a result of the neurological disorder, autism affects children and adults in the areas of social interaction and communication skills and causes problems with restricted or stereotyped behaviors (ASA 2004).
The general perception is that individuals with autism demonstrate difficulty in developing imagination, verbal and non-verbal communication and social relationships.
Autism is one of the most common Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) affecting approximately 1.5 million people in the U.S. today. Autism affects as many as four times more boys than girls. The U.S. Department of Education estimates 10 to 17 percent of growth rate for autism. At this rate, it is estimated that the U.S. will have as many as 4 millions affected by autism (Autism Society of America 2004).
Despite the fact that autism is increasing, its cure or cause remains unexplored. Many professionals belonging to medical, educational or vocational fields are not clear as to how autism affects individuals and how it could be managed.
Causes of Autism
The general cause for autism is abnormalities in the brain structure or function. The pattern of disabilities of autism has not been proven.
Research only indicates that the irregular segments in genetic code of autistic children may be heredity or due to brain impairment. Others have indicated that autism is the result of unstable genes that interfere with brain development processes.
There are others still who are of the opinion that autism is the result of medical conditions such as Fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis or congenital rubella syndrome and untreated phenylketonuria which affects brain development. Toxic substances are also considered to be one of the causes of autism.
Unfortunately, the differences in research findings have not contributed positively to the treatment of autism. What researchers do not understand is that autism is a spectrum disorder. This means that autistic people may demonstrate a variety or a combination of behavioral disorder and varying degree of severity. As a result, there is no clear medical procedure for diagnosing autism. Diagnosis is usually based on observations of individual's communication, behavior or developmental levels that may be associated with autism or a combination of other PDDs.
Signs and Symptoms of Autism
- Symptoms of autism include slight delays in speech as autistic children find it difficult to initiate or maintain a conversation.
- Autistic people usually engage in monologues.
- Autistic people find it difficult to talk about feelings, thoughts or emotions or ideas of other people.
- They falter or fail to communicate with others with appropriate actions or gestures, which tend to communicate different messages than normal individuals do.
However, this must not be mistaken with the fact that autistic people are capable of and do communicate of their needs to others. It is the different level of communication or choice of words that differentiates their behavior from other people.
Characteristics of Autism
Individual with autism find it difficult to combine and integrate their senses which is, perhaps the reason why they find it difficult to adjust to their environment. This characteristic of autism makes its detection easy. In autistic people, the sense of touch, smell and taste tends to be over active or under active due to which some children with autism are sensitive to sound, taste or smell.
People with autism also find it difficult to cope with their imagination. They tend to ignore the "bigger picture" and focus on the minor details such as a wheel in a toy train. They are object oriented rather than imaginative.
As a result, people with autism find it difficult to develop social relationships and hence demonstrate inappropriate, repetitive or inattentive behaviors towards others.
The above characteristics or symptoms do not exactly help medical professionals in treating autism. There is no doubt that autism is not curable but its symptoms can be relieved with treatment. For example special education and structured support can help to develop the individual's skills; minimize behavioral problems and help them adjust to their environment.
Consulting with professionals such as developmental pediatrician, child psychiatrist or clinical psychologist can help assess the degree of autism spectrum disorders. It is imperative that the loved ones and professionals work together to help children with autism. Learning about autism, being prepared for the long process of treatment as well as communicating with others who have family members with autism can help to diversify family confusion, anger or despair. |
