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Autism

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Autism is an uncurable disorder that affects the way in which the brain develops, in terms of many basic life skills. The numbers of children diagnosed with autism have been rapidly increasing along with the increasing ability to detect and diagnose autism. It is also usually found in children ages one to three, and it affects boys three to four times more than it does girls. Autism is a life-long disorder and is typically treated with a variety of forms of therapy. There have been many spectulations behind the causes of autism, but all have yet to be proven. Originally, doctors were led to believe autism could be directly related to the circumstances in which a child was raised, and the education they were exposed to. While other possible causes include diet and mercury poisioning, many doctors believe these are irrelevant, and would say that genetics play a much larger role. For example, identical twins are much more likely to both have autism than fraternal twins or siblings. Likewise, language inabilities or abnormalties are more often found in relatives of children with autism. Autism is a result of a defective biological makeup of the brain, and a child cannot simply be diagnosed after a brief examination. He or she will be evaluated by multiple specialists who will test the childs skills both physically and mentally before diagnosing them with autism. After a child is diagnosed with autism, many aspects of their life become dependent on outside intervention. Each diagnosed individual will be placed on a program that is specificallly sculpted to their needs, and typically requires a combination of therapy and medicine. Although there has been no medication capable of curing autism, many have been created in order to help control the side effects. Particularly in children ages five through sixteen, people with autism will endure great irribilaity and agression. These symptoms will most often be treated with mood stabilizers such as divalproex sodium. Divalproex sodium works by increasing the amount of GABA, a brain nuerotransmitter,in the brain which makes it harder for brain nuerons to fire, resulting in a curb in agressive behavior. A particular form of therapy, specifically used on children, called applied behavioral analysis (ABA), has been proven to be successful in many cases. ABA is primarily based on one-on-one teaching, and is usually dont within the individuals home. ABA works to reinforce the use of various skills. The goal of this technique is to get a child to acheive normal development functioning as quickly as possible, in order for them to continue and lead a "normal" life. While no two people with autism can be expected to act exactly the same, they will likely have many similar behavioral traits. Autistic people suffer from a loack of communication skills, this shows in their inability to maintain a normal social conversation. A person with autism will also typically have trouble referring to themselves correctly and will also have a tendency to repeat words, and other phrases, even memorize commercials. An autistic person will also respond to things differently than someone with out it would. For example, a person without this diagnose is capable of adapting to a prompt change in routine or has the ability to work around an unexpected obsticle; while someone with autism will quickly become frustrated and can not adapt to new circumstances. After reseraching autism, the causes, the effects and the treatment, I have come to my own conclusion. I believe there is not enough being done to support people with autism. While this is an extreamly popular disorder (almost 1 in 150 are diagnosed) there is yet to be a cure, or even an explanation as to why it occurs. There are a few charities in which attempt to help find a cure, such as "Autism Speaks" but despite the massive amounts of money being thrown into these organizations, not enough is coming out of it. The medication that is available for people with autism right now is based upon mood stabilizers. While this is a large issue that is important to tackle, I believe people with autism should have a more effective medication available to them. Although autism is a difficult disorder to cope with, the right approach will allow all diagnosed with it, to operate normally and properly in everyday life.

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