by: frank lisante. what is autism? autism is a life-long development disability. appears in the...

By: Frank Lisante

Autism

What is Autism?Autism is a life-long development disability.Appears in the first three years of life.Affects the brains normal development of

social and communication skills.Affects four times as many boys than girls.The cause is unknown and there is no cure.

Cont.Children with autism struggle in three main areas:

- Social skills – making friends and interacting with peers.- Communication – expressing their thoughts and feelings through speech, facial expressions, and other gestures. Some never learn how to talk.- Imagination – having trouble understanding other people’s thoughts and feeling and being fixated on different things.

* Although children with autism have difficulty with these three areas, the ways in which the struggle vary greatly from child to child.

Signs and SymptomsDelayed or lack of speechRepetitive movement of body (esp. arms and

head)Impaired social skillsLimited interest in activity or playLittle or no eye contactSensitivity to noise and other senses

Autistic SpectrumSince autism varies so much as a disorder, it uses a

spectrum when diagnosing children ranging from severe to moderate cases.

Kanner’s/Classic Autism – this is the lowest functioning and most severe diagnosis.

Autistic Disorder which includes Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) and Pervasive Development Disorder not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) – this is the mid range of severity and functioning varies from person to person.

Asperger’s Syndrome – this is the highest functioning diagnosis on the spectrum.

StatisticsAutism is the fastest growing developmental disability in

the U.S. today.According to the American Academy Pediatrics Report one

in every 91 children in the U.S. has autism. It is estimated that over 1 million people in the U.S. has

autism.A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes

and there are 24,000 new cases diagnosed each year.The economic impact of autism is nearly $90 billion and is

expected to more than double within the next decade.Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of

many less prevalent childhood diseases. More children will be diagnosed with autism this year then

AIDS, diabetes, and cancer combined.

Personal ConnectionsMy mother is an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

therapist and she specializes in scientific behavior therapy to help children on the autistic spectrum.

Her goal is to rescue children from their most severe symptoms of Autism such as repetitive behavior, poor eye contact, and speech as well as teach them social skills.

She uses positive reinforcements and reward therapy with her students to motivate her them and also helps them learn activities of daily living skills that typical children can do such as potty training, brushing teeth, dressing, and tying shoes.

She also works with them on reinforcing their academic skills such as coloring, days of the week, and counting.

Personal ConnectionsMy little cousin Shane is also on the Autistic Spectrum.He showed many signs of autism at a young age

including no language, repetitive movement of his hands, no eye contact, and sensitivity to noise.

He was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) by a pediatric development neurologist at a young age and started at a specialized school with one on one training.

He has made significant progress since then and is now in the 2nd grade at a regular school, where he is no longer classified as autistic, but as other health impaired.

Autism AwarenessThe Autism Awareness Society has been

celebrating April as autism awareness month since 1970.

They use this month to educate the general public about autism and issues in the autism community.

The puzzle piece is the most recognized symbol of autism awareness. It symbolizes the mystery and complexity of the disorder and the bright colors are said to represent hope.

Videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO17EBD3

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Sourceswww.autismasperger.net/intro.htmhttp://www.talkaboutautism.org Http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/autism

/latest_autism_statistics.htmhttp://www.autism-society.orghttp://www.pinningdownautism.com/autism.h

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