Autism - Stephanie Brown

Autism
By Stephanie Brown

Have you heard of the diagnoses Autism? I am going to go into some detail of what Autism is and some of the diagnoses that are involved with the disorder. There are many organizations that have gathered together to reach out to those families with a child that has autism and individuals that are affected by this disorder. One of the most known organizations is Autism Speaks. This organization helps collect funds for research of Autism, one of the biggest events is the Autism walk, that is done every year. This is just one of the many organizations that are looking for research and funding the projects.
What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum disorder that is an umbrella of different disorders that are made up of multiple types of characteristics comprised into Autism. Here is a more defined definition of Autism from a huge organization for Autism, Autism Speaks: “Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.” ( Autism Speaks) Autism was first identified by Dr. Leo Kanner and a few months later Dr. Hans Asperger founded the disorder Aspergers Syndrome. Aspergers Syndrome can be found from mild to severe. This best example of a severe asperger diagnoses would be in the movie, Rain Man. Some of the characteristics of Asperger’s is that they like to be alone, not around a lot of people, they do not have a lot of friends, and they stick to one area of expertise.
Is Autism Treatable?
If I were guessing I would probably say no, but according to American Autism Society (ASA) they say different. “Autism is treatable. Children do not "outgrow" autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.” Some of the early intervention signs the society mentions are: “Lack of or delay in spoken language, Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects), Little or no eye contact , Lack of interest in peer relationships , Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play , Persistent fixation on parts of objects.”
Autism Diagnosis:
Doctor’s have been known to use questionnaires to help diagnose an individual. Some use this as a screening tool, most doctor’s use parent observations as a screening tool as well. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), “Children with some symptoms of autism, but not enough to be diagnosed with classical autism, are often diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Children with autistic behaviors but well-developed language skills are often diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Children who develop normally and then suddenly deteriorate between the ages of 3 to 10 years and show marked autistic behaviors may be diagnosed with childhood disintegrative disorder. Girls with autistic symptoms may be suffering from Rett syndrome, a sex-linked genetic disorder characterized by social withdrawal, regressed language skills, and hand wringing.” This is what they say most doctor’s will diagnose on. There are many ways to diagnose Autism, it can be diagnosed by screenings by observations, evaluations, questionnaires, but in the end the doctor’s look at the behaviors of the individual. The behaviors that were listed in the intervention section of this paper are some of the behaviors that they look at and take into consideration when making a diagnosis.
Have you ever wondered what causes Autism?
There really isn’t a said cause of Autism. Some scientists say that it could be genetics and environmental factors that could be a large part of Autism. While I was researching this topic and looking to see what the different organizations thought about the causes I came across the National Autism Association (NAA). The NAA states that “A growing number of scientists and researchers believe that a relationship between the increase in neurodevelopmental disorders of autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and speech or language delay, and the increased use of Thimerosal in vaccines is plausible and deserves more scrutiny. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine determined that such a relationship is biologically plausible, but that not enough evidence exists to support or reject this hypothesis. Recent studies have confirmed the association between the use of Thimerosal and autism has moved from "biologically plausible" to a "biological certainty" (Boyd Haley). Recent work by Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons and Experimental Biology and Medicine have shown strong epidemiological evidence for a causal relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders in children.” In summary the NAA, has research that has not been proven yet that mercury may play a major role in the causes of Autism. So there are many different opinions and thoughts that contribute to the causes of Autism.
In Conclusion, I have included some facts from another organization for Autism intervention and research. I have learned a lot about autism as I have lived with a parent that has a mild form of Autism, his diagnoses is Asperger’s Syndrome. I have always been interested in helping individuals with special needs and Autism is one of the most in need of help. Here are a couple of facts that are facing individuals with Autism from the organization, Faces for Kids:
• “Every 21 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. It has become an epidemic in our nation. As many as one million American's are currently living with some form of autism. The majority of these individuals diagnosed with autism will require lifelong supervision and care.” (FACESforKids.org)
• Once a person with autism reaches adulthood, the cost to provide the necessary educational and social services, as well as supervised living arrangements, is more than $100,000 per year. (Faces)

References:
What is Autism? (2008). Retrieved July 2, 2008, from Autism Speaks Web site: www.autismspeaks.org
Autism Society of America. (2008). About Autism [Journal]. Bethesda, Maryland
About Autism. (2006). Retrieved July 2, 2008, from FACES Web site: www.facesforkids.org
The facts. (2008). Retrieved July 2, 2008, from National Autism Association Web site: http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/thimerosal.php

(2007). What is Autism?. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Web site: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/autism.htm