Modern Society Embracing Autism

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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.
The exact cause of autism is unknown. There have been many theories that have been proposed, but none have been proven. One theory is that autism is caused by an overload of vaccines given to an infant at the same time or when the infant was slightly sick. This theory has been disproven, but people still blame vaccines. Another popular theory is that autism is caused by the inability to process gluten. This theory is more believe because many individuals with autism do suffer from gastrointes...

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