Autism: Understanding Autism
What is Autism? Autism is a complicated developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others. Typically this brain disorder is diagnosed by the age of two or three. It affects children worldwide from various races, ethnic and social groups. Family income, education and/or lifestyle do not seem to affect the prevalence of autism, but the disorder is more common in boys than girls.
Autistic children often appear to be in a world of their own, oblivious to others. The way that they process and respond to information is different from what is considered normal. A combination of characteristics for these children can vary on a complex spectrum from severe to mild. Therefore, children with the same diagnosis often exhibit significantly different behaviors.
In severe cases a person with autism will require lifelong supervision. While autism is not considered a form of mental retardation, many autistic children appear to function at that low level.
The following are some symptoms an autistic child may exhibit:
- Inappropriate laughing or crying
- Temper outbursts, aggressiveness
- Extreme overactive or under-active behaviors
- Difficulty interacting with other children
- Irritation at changes in routine
- Little or no eye contact
- Inability to read body language or facial cues
- Gestures to communicate
- Inability to express desires
- Abnormal speech patterns, such as repeating back what was said
- Inability to carry on a meaningful conversation
- Speaking out or making sounds at inappropriate times
- Prolonged unusual play
- Fixation on an object, such as spinning objects
- Aloofness, indifference
- Unresponsiveness to verbal requests
- Repetitive, self-stimulatory behavior, such as hand-flapping, rocking, head banging or finger snapping
- Self-mutilation
- Little fear with insensitivity or oversensitivity to pain
- Overactive or under-active sensitivity to sounds, lights, touch or smells
- Unwillingness to be touched
- Impaired gross and/or fine motor development
- Sensory integration problems
Some autistic children have most of these characteristics, while others have only a few. The symptoms can vary in intensity and frequency.
Although numerous research studies are underway, no known causes for autism have been established. A variety of conditions affecting brain development before, during or after birth can contribute to a child developing autism. Mental illness in the family or inappropriate parenting are not considered causes for autism. Since there is no blood test or brain scan that can be used to determine the disorder at this time, diagnosis is based on observing a child’s behavior.
Even though there is currently no cure for autism, many autistic children can live successful lives. Specialized education can reduce dysfunctional behaviors and increase the development of specific skills that can contribute to a child’s quality of life. In some cases medication can relieve various symptoms. As the child develops and receives individualized instruction, characteristics of autism may diminish; however, children do not outgrow autism. For information on various treatment approaches see Behavioral and Communication Approaches at www.autism-society.org.
Asperger’s Syndrome is a high-functioning form of autism. It describes children who are often preoccupied with a particular subject and are average or above average in intelligence. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to think very literally. Their voice may be emotionless and their speech is sometimes repetitive and/or stilted.
When conversing they often appear to be self-centered and lack common sense. They may have unusually accurate memory for details and little interest in what others think. There is no specific treatment for children with Asperger’s Syndrome. However, it should be noted that as adults, many persons identified as having the disorder are married, employed and lead productive, independent lives.
Educators are charged with helping autistic children reach their full potential by providing training in academics, and social, communication and motor skills. An Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) needs to be provided for an autistic child whose needs cannot be met in a regular classroom setting.
Autistic children have difficulty learning outside of a structured environment with a small teacher-pupil ratio. However, as deemed appropriate, many autistic children can participate in some classroom activities and complete classroom assignments. Each autistic child is unique and must be considered as such. Whenever possible, interacting with non-disabled students is considered desirable.
Families with an autistic child are often stressed. These children often require constant supervision, understanding and care. Parents worry about leaving home and having their child’s behavior misunderstood by others; they frequently feel isolated and worry about the future care of their child. Siblings with an autistic brother or sister also experience stress due to embarrassment, frustration, jealousy, or anxiety.
Part of an educator’s role is to be knowledgeable of the special services available for parents of an autistic child. In some states Medicaid and Waiver services are accessible to parents of severely autistic children. Parents can contact the Developmental Disabilities Council in their state or their nearest Social Security Office to discover if they qualify for assistance. Networking with other affected families may also be recommended.
Permission to use by Leah Davies from kellybear.com.
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Talking about the Autism, I have a good friend, Melvin who has been diagnosed as one of the autism patient when he was only 5-year-old.
Although he having this kind of disorder, but he was never compromised to anything that happened on him and he faced all the obstacles bravely…
By the way, this is a very informative and well written post about Autism, Lin
Hi Lin – Thanks for this – it’s really helpful. I knew a little about Autism but you have explained the rest really well.
It’s strange but when I was younger, we didn’t know a lot about some of these disabilities. And looking back, I can think of a few kids who obviously had problems and didn’t receive the proper help.
Hi Wilson and Cath, Autism is one of many misunderstood disorders. I recall Michael Savage making offensive comments a couple of months ago about autistic children, and he enraged a lot of people with his misinformed opinions.
hi Lin, Yet again you have produced a nicely written article. We have a friend with an autistic child, so this article hits a little close to home. We seem to hear about autism more and more these days. It makes me wonder if the percentage of kids with autism is growing, or if it just more talked about, or just better/more diagnosed by doctors now. Anyway, I hope a cure is on the horizon, though it was discouraging to read your statement “no known causes for autism have been established.” It’s hard to find a cure something if you don’t know what causes it. ~ Steve
Hi Steve, I’m not sure myself if autism is actually growing or if there are better ways to diagnose autism and provide some type of treatment for these kids. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be in dealing with an autistic child and the various problems associated with it. Hopefully a cure will be found soon.
hi Lin, I can’t image either, and won’t try to. While I think everyone faces challenges in life, some of us have to face more challenges than others. Though it’s a cliche, I decided long ago that “life isn’t fair”. The key I think is to be thankful for and appreciate the things we have. I really admire people that keep a positive attitude no matter what life throws at them.
~ Steve (aka “display booths”)
Each time I read of children diseases i feel very sad – it seems unfair that children who haven’t done anything bad in their lives yet – are suffering from incurable diseases… it shouldn’t be this way… Have carefully read through all symptoms – many of them can be met in healthy children (fixation on objects, clapping hands and repeating the same actions), it should be really difficult to have the disease found in small children if you’re not a doctor…
I have heard of Autism before, but in all honesty I have never understood the full repercussions until you pointed them out, thanks for opening my eyes to this disability.
Hi Danny, I’m glad this article cleared up some things about Autism for you that help you understand it better.
Steve, it definitely makes me appreciate what I have, healthy children etc. Life is definitely not fair.
The many conditions of an autistic individual are being used successfully to identify them as autistic as opposed to having them misidentified as having some other type of condition. The more a condition is pinned down, the more it can be treated specifically.
Armen, I really hope a cure will be found for Autism. It’s a darn shame these children are having to experience such hard times at no fault of their own. I would of course say the same thing about children with cancer, or any other disease affecting children.
Hi Everyone,
I’m a school psychologist and identifying children with autism spectrum disorders is part of my daily life. This is a well-written article identifying some key characteristics of such disorders. I did want to comment in regards to the above question as to whether autism is more prevalent now than before or if the rising numbers are due to a hightened understanding amongst parents. In my professional opinion, it is definitely the latter. A few years ago, this was the case with bipolar disorder. Rather than parents thinking their child was simply moody, public awareness of manic-depressive disorder and the wealth of knowledge on the internet led them to believe that it was something much bigger. In some cases they were correct, but the majority of those brought in for evaluations turned out to be nothing, however, the numbers rose due to the large number of people who felt the need to have their child evaluated. The same, I feel, can be said for autism. I have had many parents who have asked me and my colleagues for a special education evaluation based on the belief that their child showed symptoms of autism that they have researched online. While I applaud their concern, the vast majority do not result in my finding their child to be autistic. The informed parent, however, knows much more about autism now than in previous years and, as a result, more parents are keeping an eye out for signs and symptoms. When more children are brought in for evaluations, some will turn out to be autistic. This, in turn, drives the numbers up.
Anyways, great article Lin.
Hi Chris, thank you for providing that helpful information. I agree with you that there is definitely more attention being brought to autism in order for parents and the general public to understand as much as possible about autism and the effects on children and families.
There is still so much to learn about treatments for autism and effective testing procedures to rule out other possibilities. I’m familiar with bipolar disorder, since a relative was diagnosed several years ago as having bipolar, and I can tell you the effects on the person suffering and their families, friends and acquaintances are immense. Especially for those who won’t/don’t take their medication. Hopefully a real honest to goodness cure will be found for autism; the sooner the better.
Hey Chris,
I subscribed to this post, and just got an email update on your comment replying to my original comment/observation wondering is autism is on the rise? Sounds like you are “on the frontlines” so to speak, and I’m glad to hear your professional opinion that the increasing numbers for autism are more due more to a better understanding of it and not to an actual increase in those that truly have it. And I agree with you that Lin has written a very good post on the subject. Thanks for adding your input, and for what you do. ~ Steve (aka “display booths”, aka “trade show guru”, aka “just Steve”)
Hi Steve,
One thing that many people get irritated about when diagnosing various disorders is how some doctors give a quick response/diagnosis based on a few random “symptoms” rather than taking all the needed tests to really be sure it’s a correct diagnosis.
Thinking about the high number of children “diagnosed” with attention deficit syndrome and loaded up on medications etc, only to discover later on with a whole battery of tests that the diagnosis was wrong. Whether it’s autism or any other disorder, I think it’s really important for doctors (and parents) not to be too quick to decide on what is or isn’t going on with their child, but rather take the time to run all the tests there are available to help make sure the diagnosis is correct and children aren’t being put on medication frivolously and without real merit. IMO
hi Lin,
From what I’ve read, A.D.D. is (or was) over-diagnosed, and Ritalin over-prescribed, when often it was just unruly or naturally hyper kids. I think doctors are under pressure to always have an answer and our society likes to have a pill to pop to solve most problems. I read an interesting study on Yahoo recently about how often placebo pills are prescribed by doctors just to give their patients something to take. Anyway, that’s a whole nother subject I suppose. ~ Steve
Hi Steve, I think I read that same article about doctors prescribing placebos and people being in an uproar about it. I also agree that A.D.D (oops I said attention deficit ’syndrome’) has been over-diagnosed and the quick-fix, pill popping mentality has a lot to do with it.
If that’s true about doctors giving placebos and it wasn’t part of a clinical experiment then they shouldn’t have a license as far as I’m concerned. Since we’re on the topic, I’m going to soapbox about the whole medication thing. I consistently hear parents tell me that their child has been diagnosed with ADHD but they refuse to medicate becuase they don’t want to “drug” their kid. While I’m not a medical doctor, I do see the benefits of these drugs on a daily basis and usually will say to them, “If your child has diabetes, would you give them insulin?” As far as I’m concerned, not providing medication to a child to treat a diagnosed mediacl disorder is a passive form of child abuse. If his activity/inattention level is not allowing him to be successful in school, then how exactly is this benefitting a child and improving his quality of life? Why would you not consider medicating while the child is in school so as to provide the opportunity to gain from the academic environment? These are not meant to be rhetorical questions and I would love to hear your responses because I am curious.
Hi Chris, I’m not at all against giving children medication that will help them with whatever medical condition they have. Not giving such children needed meds would most definitely be thought of as child abuse, as least from my personal perspective.
If I’m recalling the article correctly, there was an article in yesterday’s Dallas Morning News that talked about many people being very upset that some doctors were participating in clinical studies of some kind (I didn’t read the entire article) and were using placebos on some patients without the patients knowledge. According to the part of the article I read, some people were quite upset to discover their “ailment” was being treated with placebos while they were under the impression they were being given actual meds. I don’t know much more about the article than that. I do understand there is benefit to studies using placebos, it was just interesting to me that some were claiming they didn’t know they MIGHT be given placebos rather than actual meds. I would have thought that each person participating in the study would have been told of that possibility. I have no real problem with the use of placebos; or medications for children who have been tested and diagnosed with conditions where meds can be beneficial to them. I just think doctors need to be careful about prescribing such meds due to the pressure of parents asking for a miracle pill to help them deal with their child, unless there really is a diagnosed condition for the meds.
hi Chris,
I agree that withholding medicine (that is properly prescribed) is just plain wrong.
Since I brought this “news story” about placebos up, I thought I’d provide a source. I did a quick seach on Yahoo news. Here’s the title and summary:
Half of U.S. doctors use placebo treatment, NIH survey finds – About half of American doctors in a new survey say they regularly give patients placebo treatments — usually drugs or vitamins that won’t really help their condition. And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found.
and a link to the AP story:
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_10854003
Again, I really appreciate your expertise and comments, and think these topics aren’t black and white. People need to be informed and think for themselves, as with so many things in life. ~ Steve
Steve, thanks for that source link. That sentence “And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found” was the one I was trying to think of but couldn’t come up with the correct quote. That was the same article I read in part yesterday in the DMN.