...Autism: Acceptance versus Cure? By: Fayola Adonia Electra Introduction About 1 percent of the population of the world has autism spectrum disorder (CDC, 2014). Autism is often overlooked or thought of as something negative. People need to be aware of autism. Many people with autism are discriminated and isolated against— just because they don’t fit in society. People with autism should be accepted as they are, and they should also be allowed to have their own opinions and do whatever they want about their autism. What is autism? Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way a person’s brain develops. This causes changes in the way a person might behave and learn. Autism is not a well-defined...
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...Autism Jennifer Van Puymbrouck ENGL 112, Composition DeVry University Autism, what is autism? Autism “is a complex neurobehavioral disorder that includes impairments in social interaction and developmental language and communication skills combined with rigid, repetitive behaviors” (WebMD). Autism spectrum disorder or ASD for short; is how the doctors are recognizing any child or adult that falls within the Autism category. Clearly we have a growing problem with ASD, it is estimated that “1 out of every 88 children” will be given a diagnosis of autism (Jaslow, 2014). Why instead of decreasing, are autism cases rising? Some say it due to the ways that doctors are able to diagnose autism, but I think there is a different cause. There is one thing that most children have in common and that is the immunizations that are given to most children from birth. Doctors have found that ASD affect boys more that girls and they are “almost five times more likely” to be diagnosed with some form of ASD then girls (Jaslow, 2014). There is enough evidence at present to say that the rise in autism cases can be linked to immunizations. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism can be defined by “a group of complex disorders of the brain development” and “has roots in very early brain development” (Autism Speaks, 2015). Children typically show some signs of autism between 2 to 3 years old. Some of the most common characteristics that most ASD patients display would include: difficulties...
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...Literature Review on Autism Literature Review on Autistic Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become a widespread and familiar disorder in the 21st century. ASD is defined as an impairment of cognitional and emotional functioning. People with ASD will have difficulty interacting socially with their peers, and many struggle with developmental delays such as speech. Autistic children will often be less responsive to their caregivers than children without the disorder. In the research article by Tong &Brereton two important areas of difficulty for children with ASD is the ability to speak clearly, and the lack of skills needed to play and have an imagination (2010). Children with autism are very matter of fact, and rarely understand any metaphors. They may also be ritualistic and have compulsive behaviors. The cause and effect of ASD is still unknown, many researchers believe there are biological and genetic factors that play a role (Tong, Brereton, 2010). Since ASD as a behavioral disorder, can autism be cured? Will children who are diagnosed with the disorder live with the same delays and rituals as they did as a child? After reviewing many journals, I have failed to find any evidence of cures; I have however come across different therapy’s in there preliminary phases. Music and dog therapy are being used across the country. Gold, Wingram and Elefant explain in their article that music helps people who are non-verbal interact without the use of words...
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...1 Potential Etiologies of Autism Autism spectrum disorder, also called autism, is a severe physical disorder of the brain, characterized by impaired cognition, limited language, repetitive patterns of behavior, difficulty with social interactions, and a lack of responsiveness to other people (Schreibman). Other conditions within the autism spectrum include Asperger syndrome, Child Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and Rett’s Disorder (58-63). Scientists consider these disorders to be similar because they share common characteristics (58). Asperger syndrome occurs when children have difficulty with social interactions, but do not exhibit delays in language. CDD develops within two years and autism is evident within the first year of life (59). PDD-NOS occurs when children have difficulty with social interactions and either communication problems or restricted interest (63). Rett’s Disorder is diagnosed definitively in females and autism is diagnosed primarily in males (58). The term autism was first used in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner, who wrote a paper “Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact” (Koegel 2). In his paper, Kanner described his observation of eleven children between the ages of two and eight who displayed a tendency to want to be alone and lacked the ability to interact with others. The children also displayed a delay in speech, a lack of imaginative play, unusual interest, and verbal...
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...2.1 Definitions and diagnosis There is now 'a high degree of consensus on the diagnostic criteria for autism and consistency in the evidence on the validation of autism as a diagnostic category.' (Rutter, 1996, p. 257). Kanner (1943) first identified a condition in eleven cases that he felt had sufficient in common, and were sufficiently different from other conditions, to merit a separate syndrome. He referred to this disorder as a disorder of affective contact and identified criteria in terms of interpersonal development, communication and imagination deficits that have largely stood the test of time. Wing and Gould (1979) established the fact that the condition often cooccurred with learning difficulties. The two major diagnostic systems now have common criteria for a diagnosis of autism based on a triad of impairments in social interaction, communication and a lack of flexibility in thinking and behaviour (DSM IV: American Psychiatric Association, 1994; ICD 10: World Health Organisation, 1992). This same triad of impairments underpins other autistic like conditions said to form 'autistic spectrum disorders' (Wing, 1996) or 'pervasive developmental disorders'. The spectrum may contain a number of different medical conditions with different diagnostic criteria, but sharing those common developmental difficulties. 2.2 Asperger syndrome Asperger, in 1944, first wrote about children having characteristics similar to those identified by...
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...to what is causing autism in our children today. It is believed that autism is a genetic disorder, and that there are environmental factors however we are not yet sure how they are related. The “conspiracy theory” suggests that vaccine makers are withholding the truth about these vaccinations mainly the measles, mumps and rubella MMR. In London in 1998 a gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield published a study in a prestigious medical journal Lancet that linked the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism in children. Mr. Wakefield’s ethics were questioned due to the manner in which he carried out his research. In a ruling, the General Medical Council, ruled that Wakefield acted dishonestly and irresponsibly during his research and had no regard to his human study subjects (Harrell, 2010). Mr. Wakefield carried out test such as colonoscopies and spinal taps; these tests are invasive and can have ill effects on children. Wakefield was also accused of paying children at his son’s birthday party to give blood. Mr. Wakefield also failed to mention that he was being paid by the lawyers representing the parents who thought their children were injured by the MMR shots (Harrell, 2010). Twelve years after the study was published The Lancet retracted the paper. A statement published in the British medical journal states that several elements of the paper it published by author Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues are incorrect. The original paper by Dr. Wakefield and...
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...on Autism Wilfredo Garcia Table of Contents Abstract 3 Autism 4 Videogames and young people with Developmental disorders 10 Funding of Applied Behavior Analysis 11 Executive function in individuals with sub threshold Autism traits 12 Conclusion 14 References 15 Abstract The increasing number of individuals with Learning Disabilities (LD) and psychiatric disorders presents a key challenge to their assessment and treatment in mental health services. Children and young people with LD are more likely to experience mental health than the general population (Allington-Smith, 2006). There is a close relationship between autism spectrum disorder and learning disability. Epidemiological studies suggest that autism is more frequent in people with LD, nearly 40% of people with LD also have autism on the other hand, and nearly 70% of people with autism also have LD (La Mafa, 2004). The strong association between autism and LD (Bradley, 2004) also associates an increased risk of mental health problems. It is suggested that adults with LD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience symptoms of anxiety at a greater level than the general population; however, this requires more conclusive evidence in relation to the prevalence of anxiety disorders in adults with LD and autism. Autism ...
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...Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social, communication skills, and restricted and repetitive behavior. It affects the processing and organization of information to the brain. But this is only one of the recognized disorders in the autism spectrum, the other two are Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder. Autism has a strong genetic basis, and in rare cases, is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. The signs usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills. Although there is no known cure, there have been reported cases of children who recovered. Not many children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, though some become successful. An autistic culture has developed, with some individuals seeking a cure and others believing autism should be accepted as a difference and not treated as a disorder. Social deficits distinguish autism and the related autism spectrum disorders from other developmental disorders. People with autism have social impairments and often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted. Some unusual social development becomes noticeable in early childhood...
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...Dictionay.com, autism is, “Psychiatry. a pervasive developmental disorder of children, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment.” The word “autism” is derived from the Greek word “auto” which means “self”. Often parent’s question, “How could my child develop autism?” Who fault is it? And so on. Research has shown that autism has a huge impact on, not just the parents, but the family emotionally, physically, and mentally. The most common signs of autism varies from individual to individual. “The most common symptoms of an autistic person are social deficits (they have not much of an interest about other people and they often ignore other children and and prefer playing alone), language deficits (remain mute, babble nonsense), repetitive behaviors and obsessions (stare at objects, rocking back and forth, arranging things in patterns), and etc.” (FIRST PAPER: you sent me in the attach email.). A diagnosis of autism using can be detected by a child third birthday, but signs can been seen when the child is first born. The characteristics of autism has found to be universal, but of course varies from person to person. The cause of autism, until this day, remains unknown. Many studies tend to focus on the family’s history to find the cause of autism. Until this day, there is no clear evidence to show that the family history strongly impacts the outcome of a member of the family will be autistic. “Like everyone else, people with autism move through...
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...Class: Developmental Psychology II Prof.: Elisabeth Geiling Subject: Reaction to Human Development Article Session: Fall 2014 Pam Belluck, in her “Study Finds That Brains with Autism Fail to Trim Synapses as They Develop,” reports on a new study that establishes the correlation between autism in children and a surplus of synapses in some parts of the brain. This may explain some symptoms like oversensitivity to noise or social experiences, as well as why many people with autism also have epileptic seizures, she says. According to the American Psychiatric Association, Autism Spectrum Disorder is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition which unfolds during the first few years of life and involves impairments in social communication with concomitant restriction in interests and repetitive/preservative behaviors. Our society values a peaceful and well-grounded family. An autism diagnosis basically takes that away. When facing the diagnosis of autism for a child who is showing signs of behavioral disorder, parents often go to the shock and disbelief from the atrociousness of what is being said. The difficulties in understanding and making sense of their child’s behaviors represent the most challenging aspect of their experience. I believe that these parents are looking for somewhere to turn and seek for help. In that perspective, I was especially moved by the content of Pam Belluck’s article. I wholeheartedly feel for the parents with autistic children. Although...
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...THE AUTISM EPIDEMIC By ENGL 135 December 9, 2008 The Autism Epidemic For many adults one of the happiest days of their lives is when they see their children being born. Sometime between the two and four age some parents begin to realize that their child’s behavior is a bit abnormal. At first they chalk it up to just children being children and ignore what is happening with their behavior. It gets to a point and the parents realize that they should go see the child’s pediatrician concerning the abnormal behavior. The doctor runs tests and comes back with a scary diagnosis: Autism. Autism, a lifelong disorder, is defined as a behavioral and neurological disorder affecting physical, language, and social skills1. Autism is a common condition among children that begins within the first two and a half years of life, although it may not be evident until three or four years of age. Autism is a mental behavior that causes children to experience the world differently than normal kids. Autism impairs behavioral skills and development from early on and into adulthood. Children with autism almost always learn at a slower rate, have a lower rate of communication skills, and often times have repetitive types of behavior such as body rocking, clicking a pen for hours at a time, or turning the TV on and off again. Adults with autism continue to have difficulties interacting with society, show some socially inappropriate behavior, and show peculiar use of language such as repetitive...
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...Gregory Carter Comp II Mr. Best Final Paper Is there a link between vaccines and Autism? For many years now there has been an intense debate over the link between the cause of Autism and vaccinations. Since its appearance in the medical community the cause has come under much scrutiny. Research has been conducted by many leading scientist, always to be debunked by skeptics worldwide. The historic timeline for Autism always seems to correlate to an outbreak in new treatments and vaccinations. Some communities worldwide do not receive vaccinations and have no symptoms of Autism within their population, while there are others that do receive them and show no symptoms either. Based on these factors, one cannot surely believe there if there is a link between vaccines and Autism. Although Autism has become more common today than in the past, it is still very much misunderstood. Many people think that it is a disease, something contagious however it is a disorder, not a disease. There are many forms of Autism, labeled in the Autistic spectrum disorder, however it is a very complex disorder that affects the brain, and the immune system (A Medical mystery 2). The severity varies from child to child but the symptoms are pretty typical ranging from social skills, sensory issues, to slurred speech and uncontrollable body movements. It affects children of all ages but most commonly diagnosed around the age of three (2). The disorder crosses all economic and social boundaries, however...
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...Autism Do you believe that Autism may be caused by a specific thing? Is it possible that there is a specific gene that may be present in children that have been diagnosed with Autism, which may make them more vulnerable or likely to develop Autism? Maybe Autism can develop from a vaccine or from vaccine sensitivity? Scientific research has shown that there is no direct link between the two, however how else would you explain, an otherwise perfectly developing child one day, to a child who is withdrawn and completely different the next? Because the actual cause of Autism is not known, in this paper, I will explore some of the probable causes, the signs and symptoms, as well as the treatment options that are available to a family, which may suspect their child may be suffering from Autism. Autism is a developmental disorder that is diagnosed within the ages of 1-3. Children diagnosed with Autism are known to have social and communication disorders. The exact cause is unknown, but according to the Center for Disease Control, there are some suspected causes, which include, diet, digestive changes, mercury poisoning, and vaccine sensitivity. The rising number is not known if it is due to an actual rise in cases, or if it is because, it is now much easier to diagnose the disease. Autism does affect more boys than girls. There is no link between lifestyle, income levels or education to having a child with autism. (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines). Studies show that some children do...
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...Autism When becoming a mother, our ideal expectations and hopes of the baby that we bring into this world are “normal” children with possible aspirations of them becoming the next President or Einstein, not the endless hell that children of autism live in. Unfortunately, children with autism live in their “own world.” Autism is a silent, invisible epidemic that is stealing children and their futures from the world while mothers watch in fear, helpless, with no way to do battle, because it evades all reasoning (Rink, 2010). Autism has no cure and does limit children in certain realms of life but it is treatable. When prompting early treatment, this will allow some kind of normalcy for the children and the parents. In 1943 Leo Kanner described those with autism as being unable to relate to themselves or others, with the term autism derived from the root auto for self. Since then, autism had been defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, as a pervasive developmental disorder having three classic behavioral features for its diagnosis: "the presence of markedly abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication and a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interests" (Snell, 2003). Autism is a prevalent developmental disorder that appears usually before the age of three. Autism affects approximately 1 in every 110 children and approximately 1 out of every 70 boys. Autism affects a person’s ability to...
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...Mandatory Vaccinations Since the dawn of time human beings have been plagued with copious diseases. Through a plethora of years scientists have been working hard to discover cures for these detrimental diseases. Whether or not a person decides to receive vaccines is up to them. Looking back at the effects of these diseases poses the question; should vaccination be mandatory? When people are not vaccinated, they cause a great threat to the health of the public, therefore, vaccines should be made mandatory. A vaccine is a substance that makes your body produce antibodies and gives a person immunity against one or more illnesses. They are generally made with a biological pathogen from the illness. It acts as an antigen which is a relatively harmless part of the pathogen and allows the body to produce more antibodies to fight the disease. Vaccines work as a mock infection. When the powerless virus enters your body, it produces more antibodies. When it easily destroys the virus your body is left with the surplus of the disease specific antibodies that prohibit the virus from causing any harm (U.S. Department of...
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