User:Ronald Smith/Autism

Revision as of 23:30, 3 April 2018

Monday was World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month.

Autism (along with other disorders in the autism spectrum) is a developmental disorder characterized by troubles with social interaction and communication; and by restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. Autism is a highly variable disorder that is present from birth. First signs generally become apparent during infancy or childhood, but they can be missed and there are many adults who may have autism without even knowing it. It usually follows a steady course without remission, but sometimes individuals can seem to develop normally and then suddenly regress. Early intervention in a child's life can provide significant improvement in quality of life. Symptoms may include any of the following:

infants:

• show less attention to social stimuli
• smile and look at others less often
• respond less to their own name

toddlers:

• much less eye contact
• inability to take turns
• inability to use simple movements to express themselves, such as pointing at things
• delayed onset of babbling
• unusual gestures
• diminished responsiveness
• vocal patterns that are not synchronized with the caregiver
• gestures are less often integrated with words

3-5-year-olds:

• less likely to exhibit social understanding
• doesn't approach others spontaneously
• less likely to imitate and respond to emotions
• not as much nonverbal communication
• gestures are less often integrated with words
• fail to point at objects in order to comment on or share an experience
• inability to take turns with others
• less frequent and less diverse babbling, consonants, words, and word combinations
• less likely to make requests or share experiences
• more likely to simply repeat others' words
• they may look at a pointing hand instead of the pointed-at object
• hand flapping (move arms while allowing hands to flap freely)
• difficulty with imaginative play and with developing symbols into language
• head rolling
• body rocking
• compulsively placing objects in a specific order, checking things, or hand washing
• reduced tolerance to being interrupted
• abnormal distress to changes in their environment
• interests or fixations that are abnormal in theme or intensity of focus
• self-injury: eye-poking, skin-picking, hand-biting, head-banging

(Note: Even though they may be social disconnected, younger children can form attachments to their primary caregivers.)

Older children and adults:

• perform worse on tests of face and emotion recognition
• more intense and frequent loneliness compared to non-autistic peers

(despite the common belief that autistic individuals prefer to be alone, they have a normal need and desire for socialization)

• difficulty maintaining friendships
• hand flapping, head rolling, body rocking
• compulsively placing objects in a specific order, checking things, or hand washing
• reduced tolerance to being interrupted
• unvarying daily rituals, such as dressing the same every day
• intense focus on a item or activity of interest
• unusual gestures and facial expressions

• up to one-half of individuals with autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs
• some remain completely nonverbal
• studies suggest that people speaking to autistic individuals are more likely to overestimate what their audience comprehends
• people with autism are often referred to as being geeks or nerdy
• they may seek careers with reduced social interactions such as computer work or scientific research
• those who are nonverbal may still have a high-level of awareness
• some nonverbal individuals have found ways to communicate through technology

People with autism may be severely impaired in some respects but normal, or even superior, in others. Autistic individuals with high IQ's may be able to function in society by exploiting their intellectual capabilities to consciously perform those social and communicative cognitive functions that normal people do naturally and unconsciously. This is similar to a blind person who uses their hearing to "see" their surroundings. There is a particular form of autism spectrum disorder called Asperger syndrome -- people with Asperger syndrome usually have no significant delay in language development, but social interaction is awkward.

Because the exact cause is unknown, autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed and classified by behavioral symptoms. Since the behaviors are generally qualitative by nature and can be difficult to measure, researchers and professionals have struggled in the past to develop criteria; and classifications have shifted over the years. Individuals can have severe disability with little interaction or communication, or they can have nearly normal functioning. This variability also makes the disorder difficult to study.

Children and adults with high-functioning autism suffer from more intense and frequent loneliness compared to non-autistic peers, despite the common belief that children with autism prefer to be alone. Making and maintaining friendships often proves to be difficult for those with autism.

Because of the way society has treated autistic individuals, it is important to raise awareness about the disorder. We have developed a kind of apartheid-type system in which those with autism are openly denied basic human rights. Their views and ideas are often dismissed and they are denied participation in many parts of society. Autistic individuals are often denied employment even though they are qualified or surpass their peers. Sometimes they are even shunned simply for being who they are. This is one of the few forms of bigotry that still exists and has become an entrenched feature of our society. Because they lack the ability to protect themselves and have no other recourse, some have resorted to violence when they are bullied, including mass shootings. It's not just an issue for those with autism, it's a problem with society and it needs to change.

Although the exact mechanism of autism is not fully understood, researchers have found that genetics and prenatal conditions can cause the disorder. Exposure to certain types of chemicals during pregnancy can cause autism. Males are four times as likely as females to have autism. Autism is NOT caused by vaccines -- that was a weird theory that has been completely disproved.

Autism tests: If you suspect that you or someone you know may have autism, there are some online tools you can use to make a preliminary assessment. These tests are not meant to be diagnostic, but studies have shown that they are highly predictive to a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. If you score high on these tests, you should follow up with professionals for a diagnosis. Here are links to the tests and other resources:

Various assessment tools from the Autism Research Centre: https://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests

Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient Test: http://docs.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/AQ.doc

Scoring Key for the adult test: http://docs.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/AQ_Scoring_Key.doc

Here's a video that demonstrates signs of autism in children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w1c4sF4ZTg

Here's a video about a nonverbal woman with autism (Carly Fleischmann) who "broke through" and now communicates via technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMBzJleeOno

Speechless with Carly Fleischmann (Carly's talk show) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeKKQlMB1NeOLN31_CSJFRQ

Autism Society (an advocacy and education organization) http://www.autism-society.org

Autism Research Institute https://www.autism.com