Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors. There is no known single cause of autism. Researchers are investigating a number of possible theories including genetics, heredity, medical problems, problems during pregnancy or delivery, as well as environmental influences. It is widely accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in the brain structure or function. There is evidence from neuropathological studies that autism has its origins in abnormal brain development early in prenatal life which continues postnatally, showing acceleration in brain growth measured by head circumference (Zwaigenbaum, L., Bryson, S., Rogers, T., Roberts, W., Brian, J., & Szatmari, P., 2005). The disorder also seems to have a genetic basis, although researchers have yet to find the specific genes that link to the onset of autism. There could be a cluster of genes that have somehow interfered with normal brain development and function. Studies show that twins of children with autism were more likely to be autistic themselves than the regular population, demonstrating there is a heredity lin... ... middle of paper ... ..., Tager- Flusberg, H.,& Lainhart, J. E. (2006). Comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism: Interview development and rates of disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 36(7), 849-861. Orsmond, G. I., Krauss, M. W., & Seltzer, M. M. (2004). Peer relationships and social and recreational activities among adolescents and adults with autism. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 34(3), 245-256. Seltzer, M. M., Shattuck, P., Abbeduto, L., & Greenberg, J. S. (2004). Trajectory of development in adolescents and adults with autism. Mental retardation and developmental disabilities research reviews, 10(4), 234-247. Zwaigenbaum, L., Bryson, S., Rogers, T., Roberts, W., Brian, J., & Szatmari, P. (2005). Behavioral manifestations of autism in the first year of life. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 23(2), 143-152.
“Treatment of Autism in Young Children: Behavioral Intervention and Applied Behavior Analysis:Infants & Young Children, by Jensen, VK, and Sinclair LV, published in 2002, summarized Oct 19, 2006
This paper will review five studies concerning the behavior and development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The studies investigate how autism effects communication, socialization, cognitive development, and a number of other areas. Researchers use many different types of scales to measure and compare the difference between children with ASD and typically developing children.
Numerous studies have been conducted on various facts regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), focusing on the neurodevelopment and core symptoms which include social deficits, stereotyped and repetitive behaviors, and the frequent lack of communication. Bahrami (2012) states that many other problems often co-occur with this condition including challenging behaviors, comorbid psychopathology, and physical delays and disabilities.
Autism is characterized as a developmental disorder that is seen in children by the age of three years old. Autism affects the brains normal, natural development, and causes many impairments. The major impairments that affect an individual are reciprocal socialization, Qualitative impairment in communication, and repetitive or unusual behavior. Signs of Autism can be seen in early infanthood, with proper awareness and resources. An infant child can appear to be adverse to eye contact early on. Some signs in early infancy appear as being indifferent to affection and physical contact. When spoken to, they can appear to be deaf or ignoring the parent or caregiver. Noticing the early red flags of Autism can provide an early intervention and give the child the best chance at learning to tolerate their environment. Children around three years old will display certain signs and symptoms.
Williams, J. G., Higgins, J. P., & Brayne, C. E. (2006). Systematic review of prevalence studies of autism spectrum disorders. Archives of disease in childhood, 91(1), 8-15.
Autism usually occurs within the first three years of life, and drastically affects the development of a child. It is also the fastest growing developmental disorder in the United States (Autism Project, 2014). One out of eighty- eight children is diagnosed with Autism, and boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed (ASDS 2013). Many areas of development are affected by autism. This is a disease that disturbs the brains normal development of communication, social interaction, and sensory processing (Inc 2013).
Measures utilized to collect date were: the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Differential Ability Scales-Second Edition (DAS-II), Adaptive Behavior Assessment System- Second Edition (ABAS-II), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory (PDDBI). ADOS and DAS-II are both child based measures. ADOS is an assessment tool that looks at communication and social skills in the diagnosis of autism. DAS-II tests the cognitive abilities of children from the age of 2.5 years to almost 8 years old. ABAS-II is a parent based measure that looks at adaptive behaviors in 3 conceptual domains and 10 adaptive skills areas. For the purpose of this study, only the Social Subscale and Social Composite scores were used. PDDBI is a form of teacher based measure that looks at behaviors in pervasive development disorders in 6 domains. However, only 2 domains, social pragmatic problems and social approach behavior, were used in this study (Locke et. al,
Autism is a lifelong neurological development condition, which causes the brain to function differently. Autism is often characterized by is social and communicative impairments as well as its restricted and ritual-like behavior and motor skills difficulties. “According to DSM IV (TR) autism is characterized by markedly abnormal or impaired social interactions/communication with deficits in: eye contact/body language; peer relations/friendships; language/speech etc.” (Badcock 2010). This makes it very difficult for individuals to relate to the outside world, which can lead to individuals being aggressive and even self-harming in extreme cases. All of this makes it very hard for people on the autism spectrum to relate to the rest of the outside world. “DSM IV’s second set of criteria for autism: restricted repertoire of activities and interests: stereotype/repetitive behavior; abnormally restricted or intense interests; insistence on routines/rituals preoccupation with parts/details” (Badcock 2010). This is why people with autism can spend hours talking about one of their interests even if whoever they are talking to does not have any interest in the topic and explains the typical stereotype of rocking or arm flapping as constant movement.
Their limited use and understanding of non-verbal communication, for instance, gestures and facial expressions among the children with autism make the interaction difficult between them and their adults and peers as they cannot understand what people mean when they use them. They have difficulties forming and sustaining friendships because they love sticking to some routines in life and find it difficult to switch from one activity to another (McConnell, 2002). For an average kid, they get easily bored doing the same thing, and this affects the interaction between children with autism and healthy children. They exhibit a lack of interests in seeking and sharing enjoyment with other people. They tend to be more attracted to some objects than to people, and this also affects their interaction with others due to their lack of interest. Additionally, children on the autistic spectrum have difficulties with emotional and social responsiveness. This also affects their interaction as they cannot respond to social and emotional acts within their environment. Another way in which their behavior affects their interaction is due to their short attention plan (Cohen, & Volkmar, 1997). They tend to be attentive for a very short time and then engage in their activities, and they cannot concentrate on their peers and adults. Furthermore, children with autism are hyperactive; this significantly affects their interaction with their peers as they are always active which makes their peers get tired easily. They also cause self-injury to themselves which makes their peers afraid of them as they feel they can harm them any time which also affects their
What is Autism? People are quick to label people as Autistic but very rarely understand what it means though they may nod their head and say "ohh makes sense". Autism - also know as ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder- is a complex developmental disorder affecting primarily ones communication and social interaction skills. Meaning they have difficulties communicating effectively or even at all. They struggle in social setting and don 't typically excel in social games or activities.
Hall, Laura J. (2013) Autism spectrum disorders: from theory to practice – 2nd edition. New York, NY: Pearson. p. 195
Kamps, D. et.al. (2002). Peer Training to Facilitate Social Interaction for Elementary Students with Autism and Their Peers. Exceptional Children, 68 (2), 173-187.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as, “A group of developmental disorders. People with ASD often the following characteristics; ongoing social problems that include difficulty communicating and interacting with other; repetitive behaviors as well as limited interests or activities; symptoms that hurt the individual’s ability to function socially, at school, work, etc.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016)
In the United States the onset age for intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities is before turning eighteen years old (Odom, Horner, Snell & Blacher, 2009). In my searching’s, I found a 27 year old, Alex, who was diagnosed with Autism at the early age of three years old. According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), an intellectual disability is a disability in which is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual use and in adaptive behavior. Intellectual functioning is also referred to as intelligence, which means the general mental capacity, such as learning, reasoning, problem solving etc. Adaptive behavior is seen is the collection of conceptual, social, and practical
Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.” Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 37.3 (2007): 589-599. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 APR. 2012.