...1. Description: Autistic disorder is categorized as a Pervasive developmental disorder, according to the DSM –IV TR; it is usually diagnosed in the toddler and/or early childhood years. According to Ben J. Atchison (2007), Autism falls in the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) umbrella, alongside other developmental disorders such as Rett’s disorder, Asperger’s disorder and etc, each varying in the degrees of their severity. Autistic disorder is marked by detachment and impairment in social, communication and behavioral skills and development. Autism is usually detected by the age of three; however Atchison (2007) notes “characteristics of autism noticeably emerge between 12 to 36 months of age” when specific developmental mile stones are not reached or regression occurs. Regression involves the typical development of an infant/child followed by degeneration and loss of skills. Diagnosis can occur later in children for those who are labeled at a higher functioning form of autism. Autism is characterized by challenges and delays in language, social and behavioral development. Autistic children display impediments in verbal and nonverbal communication and interaction; according to Atchison (2007) “approximately half of children with autistic disorder remain nonverbal or struggle with severely impaired speech as adults.” Other core characteristics include difficulty with social interactions, lack or limited use of eye contact, and understanding and interpreting social gestures, facial...
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...Autism Spectrum Disorders constitute a major public health problem affecting 1 in 68 children in America. Autism Spectrum Disorders are brain development disorders and are typically diagnosed in children before the age of two. Some of the characteristics consist of impaired social interaction, communication issues, and restricted or repetitive behaviors. Autism is more common in males than females. The development of communication and language skills is a very important milestone that most children should reach. Children with autism may never reach this milestone or reach it many years later. All depending on the severity of their Autism Spectrum Disorder. Children with Autism tend to have problems with conversations, verbal utterances, syntax,...
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...Autism is a developmental disability that typically involves delays and impairment in social skills, language, and behavior (http://autism.asu.edu). A large spectrum of symptoms, skills, and level of impairments are covered through autism. Children with autism have trouble with communication. Understanding what other people think and feel is troubling for autistic children. As an Autistic child, it makes expressing yourself through words, gestures, facial expressions, and touch very hard. Some children may have speech, whereas others may have little or no speech (http://autism.asu.edu). The first three years of life are crucial to a child’s development (http://www.autism-society.org). It is the first three years of life when autism usually...
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...Autism Spectrum Disorder Out of the estimated 12-16% of developmental and behavior disorders that children may develop, autism spectrum is one of the common ones. Autism spectrum disorder is one the neurodevelopmental disorders that begins in early childhood and are characterized by impaired social interactions and communication, with restricted interests, activities, and behaviors, and repetitive patterns of behavior. (Ball, Bindler, Cowen, p.865). As recently as 1990, autism was considered a rare and hopeless disorder. The prevalence was thought to be 1 in every 2500 children. (Bell, p.1) Today, on average, about 1 in every 100-150 children are diagnosed with this disorder. (Ball, Bindler, Cowen, p.865). Where does this disorder come from?...
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...work in clinical, research or educational settings. Whereas, those with Psy. D have completed coursework that is more specifically geared towards counseling in mental health settings. Clinical psychologists often have to diagnose and assess people with mental disorders. There are different tracks within clinical psychology that one can choose to specialize in, such as adult clinical psychology or child clinical psychology. With a specialization of child clinical psychology, a psychologist is responsible for the care and protection of the youngest population of society. Those in child clinical psychology are often the professionals who first encounter and raise awareness of a child’s signs and symptoms of autism Background on Autism Three children are diagnosed with autism every hour. In this day and age, there...
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...Nature versus nurture have a many articles. Nature Versus nurture include inherited genes or the environmental influences and effects that develop our personality whether our behavior , or ability or our intelligence. Autism in children is a subject that can be clarified by nature or nurture. This essay will discuss the difficulties, symptoms, and the causes of autism. Firstly, many autistic children have obstruction issues in a language, social, and behavioral issues. So, we have to understand the communication and social challenges experienced by children with autism. (Wetherby and Prizant , 2000). Secondly, there's no biological test for autism. But some symptoms are behavioral and others are biological. Slow development and abnormal brain size, certain genetic indicators and many others are biological symptoms. Inability to understand the language or inability to understand human faces, these are some of behavioral symptoms. (Mary Jo & McCormick , 2006). Thirdly, the scientists thought that "specific genes" are suspected to be causal in autism. Carlson (2011) explains how in the autistic brain the value of white matter containing short range axons was increased and not connected with the brain (Wegiel et. Al., 2010, p. 755). On the other hand, some parents thought that environmental factors coursed their child's autism while other parents feel that children are affected by biological indicators (Wetherby and Prizant , 2000). Briefly, scientists have discussed this...
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...The history of autism has been report as far back as year 1908, a term that was used to describe patients with a subset of schizophrenia; this causes the patient to displays signs of being withdrawn and self-absorbed. Several decades later a child psychiatrist by the name of Leo Kanner later researched and wrote about children with these signs and symptoms. In his research he finds that these individuals are extremely intelligent in more ways than one, however finds that they display “a powerful desire for aloneness and an obsessive on persistent sameness”. He named this condition “early infantile autism”. Autism is known as a broad range of behaviors such as nonverbal communication, repetitive motions such as pacing or hand flapping....
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...Autism and Mental Retardation Respond to the following: 1. List the primary features of autism. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder. It influences a person's ability to communicate and how they interact and socialize with others. Those with mild forms of autism can be high-functioning and can live on their own, while others with severe cases may remain non-verbal and function on a very limited basis. 2. Which explanation for autism is no longer considered valid and lacks research support? Thimerisal in children’s vaccines does not cause autism. 3. What forms of treatment are helpful for a person with autism? Special education class’s area available for autistic children, structured-behaviorally based programs that are geared toward the patient’s developmental level, parental education on behavioral techniques, and therapy for both parents and the autistic child. 4. List the criteria for a diagnosis of mental retardation: Thorough neurologic and psychiatric evaluation is necessary for diagnosis of a mental retardation. 5. Explain one way in which sociocultural biases in testing might pose problems for assessing mental retardation. All cultures do not develop their children at the same speed and level as other. So when a patient from an under developing sociocultural is being tested the diagnoses may reflect mental retardation, when it is not the case at all. 6. Of the four levels of mental retardation, into which category do most people with mental...
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...What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? Michelle Murphy Adelphi University Abstract Autism spectrum disorder is the most rapidly growing developmental disorder in the United States, affecting 1 in every 88 children (Autism Speaks, 2012). The 1930s brought about the discovery of this disorder by Dr. Leo Kanner when he studied eleven children who possessed similar qualities that did not coincide with any known psychological disorders. Since Dr. Kanner’s initial research with Autism, many signs that he observed in the children he studied began to be noticed in many more children. The most common sign of Autism is an individual’s inability to communicate and express him or herself in the correct way. Furthermore, a lack of social skills, inability to speak, emotionless attitude, and obsessive behavior when performing certain tasks are common qualities seen amongst people with Autism (Wing, 2001.) These signs vary depending on the type of Autism the individual is diagnosed with. Autism is organized into five subcategories: Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Classic Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and Rett’s Syndrome ("Autism community- Autism," 2010). Each of these subcategories help psychologists and researchers to better understand the form of Autism they are dealing with, and as a result provide more effective treatment methods in accordance with the individual’s diagnosis. Although a variety of treatment methods have been established to aid people...
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...Health problem Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a known to be a complex brain disorder found among children during their brain development stages. An individual having difficulties in social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communications, and behavioral challenges can characterize autism spectrum disorder. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated the “1 and 68 children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder and about 1 in 6 children aged 13-17 has developmental disability” (CDC, n.d.). Several children are not recognized to have a developmental disability until after entering grade school. The signs children that may not have been identified with developmental disability are shown when they have...
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...Genetics, Brain Structure, and Behavior Evaluation Over the years autism has been measured a mental illness, a personality disorder, an emotional disturbance, a communication disorder, a developmental disability a mental handicap, as well as, more recently, an information processing problem (Williams, 2006). Autism carries on to be classified as a all-encompassing developmental disorder, a term which mentions children and adults who have severe enduring difficulties in social plus communication skills beyond those accounted for by general developmental delay. Increasingly children are being diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. It is significant that teachers are aware of the features of the disorder and have an understanding of its implications for learning, as well as being able to identify the disorder in its early stages so that appropriate help may be given. Autism is a complex disorder that may not be due to a single cause. It may be that a variety of influences affect neurological development at an early stage (Humphreys and Ramm, 2003). The factors that have been implicated are outlined below. Methodical research has failed to support any more than a small role for the social environment in the development of autism. The conviction that faulty parenting or family factors are implicated has now been discredited, even though raised anxiety levels within the family can lessen children's ability to cope. It is thought that a basic cognitive deficit to do with the...
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...Autism Kiara Mickens Comp/156 07/28/2013 Barbara Rowland Autism Autism may be manifest in infancy as impaired attachment, but it is more often identified in toddlers, mostly boys, from 18 to 30 months of age, in whom parents or pediatricians note an absence or delay of speech development and a lack of normal interest in others or a regression of early speech and sociability. (Rapin, 1991). Autism influences in such a way that it is difficult for people to understand someone who is autistic. Sometimes it is tricky to notice that a child is different from other children. There is a variety of signs to look for in a child when dealing with autism Three major signs of autism are no response to his/her name by the age of 12 months, avoiding eye contact, and repetitive movements One sign of autism in children is not responding by to his/her name by the age of 12 months. If it is noticeable when constantly calling a child’s name and they do not react or turn their head to answer, that’s a bit of a concern. Some parents usually consider something is wrong with their child’s hearing and that could very much be an issue but there is more to look for with autism. Also if noticing the child has no social interaction with other children that could be something to pay attention to. If the child has siblings and during play time he/she does not acknowledge the fact that there are others playing around them that is something else to look for. Usually a child, whom is autistic, typically...
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...Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is attributed to various conditions distinguished by complications with “social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as unique strengths and differences” (“What Is Autism?”, 2012). This is the reason why the term “Spectrum” is used, it “reflects the wide variation in challenges and strengths passed by each person” (“What Is Autism?”, 2012). ASD does not come in one form, but varied types caused by distinct blends of genetic and environmental influences (“What Is Autism?”, 2012). ASD can be diagnosed by 18 months, but symptoms usually arrive at 2 and 3 years of age. There is currently no medical test that diagnoses ASD, but behavioral evaluations that are done by trained physicians...
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...Educating Autistic Children COM/156 Sunday, July 07, 2013 Serafin Roldan, Ph.D. Parents and educators that have children with autism have many concerns for them. Knowing the signs and what to do to provide for a child with autism is very important to that child. The sooner parents and educators know about autism the better for the child’s concern. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the world, but not as common as Down syndrome, parents and educators need to know how to help and recognize the early signs of autism. Starting from birth, a child will start to develop at his/her own individual pace. As children grow and develop they begin to show signs of developmental disabilities such as autism. At each milestone in their lives, there are certain things that all children should be doing, whether they have autism or not. As parents are educating their children, they need to understand and recognize the signs of autism to help the children be prepared for future events that will happen in their lives. Autism is the most commonly used short term, which defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children with ASD handle thoughts much differently than children without. ASD is a group of complex disorders of brain development. Disorders are broken up into different groups of levels like an umbrella. These different levels have their own names, such as autistic disorder, rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder...
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...One of the most intriguing medical mysteries today is autism, research in this area has exploded within the past decade. Medical professionals and other researchers are looking at a variety of different areas that might provide important insight on mechanisms that may cause this disorder. Epigenetics is the study of how various changes may arise from gene expression rather than alterations in the genetic code itself. The connection between epigenetics and autism is best articulated by Dr. Alycia Halladay, the director of research for environmental sciences for Autism Speaks. Dr. Halladay explains, “because epigenetics gives us a way to look at the interaction between genes and environment, it holds great potential for identifying ways to prevent or reduce the...
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