|
Autism Articles |
|
Autism is a very common type of pervasive developmental disorder that generates serious communicational and behavioral impairments. People with autism experience pronounced difficulties in interacting with others. Also, patients diagnosed with autism have poor imaginative skills, engage in repetitive, stereotype behaviors and manifest a strong resistance to change. In many cases, autism can also involve a certain degree of mental retardation. Autism has drawn the attention of many medical scientists throughout the course of history. Fascinated by the various levels of impairment determined by this complex neurological disorder - behavioral, emotional, communicational and cognitive, scientists have tried to clarify the notion of autism and its revealing signs. The most exhaustive research conducted upon this type of disorder belongs to Leo Kanner, an Austrian psychiatrist that focused on the study of autism and other related disorders. Kanner was the first scientist to establish an elaborate description of the disorder which he referred to as a syndrome. Based on the U.S. Department of Education's 2002 report to Congress on IDEA the number of students with autism in U.S. schools has increased by 1354 per cent in an eight-year period from 1991-1992 to 2000-2001 (as cited by the Autism Society of America, 2003). This increase is almost fifty times higher than all disabilities (excluding autism), which has increased in the U.S. by 28.4 per cent. From 1991-1992 to 2000-2001 school years, the number of students with autism that are being served under IDEA has increased from 5,415 to 78,749 respectively (as cited by Autism Society of America, 2003). Expert Author: Thomas Stewart | Summary One of the toughest times for a parent is actually not knowing whether or not their child has autism. It can be a shattering non-stop anxiety that can crumble even the toughest of people. So what are the signs of autism in children? You see children are very difficult to judge because at the age that autism would appear, children have not yet acquired all of the normal skills that children of a later age will have. Expert Author: Thomas Stewart | Summary Most people who say that being the carer of an autistic child is easy and enjoyable are just a downright liar. It can be the most soul destroying and lonely experience that any one person can go through. Being the carer of an autistic child does not need to be the frustrating and sould destroying experience that it sometimes is. Find out the 3 most important tips to start living your life to its fullest. Expert Author: Kamran Chy | Summary The characteristics of Autism are not fixed. They vary from one child to another. Each autistic child is unique and his symptoms will rarely match with another autistic child. In addition, there are mild and severe forms of autism. One child might act completely normal at home and school, but have a little bit of social discomfort when interacting with people or might have some extreme preference. This is a mild form of autism. On the severe side you might find children who have no communication skills at all. They are completely unable to interact in social settings. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary The symptoms of autism are hard to define because each autistic child is unique in their own way. Not only are the symptoms individualized but the severity of the disorder also differs from child to child. One child might have mild autism and be able to function normally at home or in the classroom. The only difference you might see is minor social awkwardness when interacting with other or a certain preference of where there food is positioned on a plate. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary Autism affects the speech and communication to some degree of all autistic people. The communication varies and is usually contributed to the actual mental of the brain to translate the communication and what social development the child has had. If parents of an autistic child learn and practice methods that encourage the full use of the communication skills that the child has, then the child will develop faster to meet their mental ability. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary Autism is a mystery for most health care professionals. They have found no one clear cause for autism though there are several factors that are common throughout the research. The most common is that autistic sufferers have abnormalities in their brain. When compared to non-autistic people, autistic brains are shaped differently and function differently. There are many theories concerning the factors that contribute to autism in which genetics, heredity, and environmental aspects are suspected. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary Toilet training any toddler can be an adventuresome and tiring ordeal. There are many methods that have hit the markets lately and these methods can range anywhere between diapers that change color when wet to musical toilets that reward the child with music when they use the potty. This task is more difficult when your child has autism. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary Fixation is a common characteristic in the behavior of an autistic child. The child may be fixated on a book, a picture, a person, maps, music, numbers, or a movie. Whatever the fixation, the high functioning autistic child will become a resident expert on the subject. They will memorize and will be able to regurgitate in rote the exact amount of information they are fixated on. They may even to be able to read music aloud by sounding out the notes or something more simplistic, your child may be fixated by a music artist and have all their songs memorized. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary According to the DSM-IV classifications asperger's syndrome and autism are two separate disorders. There is debate however because aspergers and autism exhibit some of the same symptoms. The argument is that aspergers is a form an autism and should not be listed as a separate entity when diagnosing the disorder or when devising treatment. The argument relies on the idea that since there is no distinct criteria for either disorder and they are both persuasive developmental disorders they should be treated the same. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary About ninety out of every ten thousand person born in the United States will have a diagnosis of autism before they are three years old. Boys will have a significantly higher chance of contracting these horrible disorders than will girls. The causes of autism have not been determined as of yet, but researchers at the University of Texas are coming closer than most have yet. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary The Autism Society of America or ASA is an organization that encompasses an army of volunteers that staff a website that provides information on autism and collects donations for research and other positive autism outlets. The ASA has not only vowed to help in the education, advocacy, and treatment of autistic individuals, but they have also vowed to help the parents and the experts facilitate information of autistic issues and at the same time build a support group to help both autistic children and their families. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary If you are a parent of an autistic child you need to put your child in a structured environment as soon as he or she is diagnosed. Studies have proved that a structured environment that provides nurturing and teaching is the best method to start to teach the social skills and behavior redirection that your child needs. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary As with all disorders that people do not understand, myths and claims are made out of ignorance and become apart of urban legend that confuses the public and puts misinformation out there that could detrimental to the parent looking for an answer to their dilemma. Autism is a disease with an unknown cause and an unknown cure. This mysterious mental disorder is something for parents to be frightened about and the myths that pop up on the internet or in conversation does not help the placate the emotions of the parent who is facing life with an autistic child. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary Sounds and visual distractions are other areas for concern when teaching the autistic child. Sounds such as school bells are fire alarms can hurt their ears and cause either a violent reaction or bad behavior. Record the sounds that the child should be used to and then let them playback the sounds at the volume of their choice. When they are comfortable with one sound, encourage them to increase the volume the volume until they can take the sound at the volume it will occur. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary You may have seen an autistic child or adult and never knew that the person had a diagnosis. Your ignorance about the disorder is not uncommon because most people who are not experienced with the disorder look at autistic people as those who are mentally retarded or have some learning disability. This is not true. Autism is a very complicated disorder that affects children typically from the age of three to conception. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary With the incidents of autism up 172 per cent since the 1990s, parents are anxious to find out if their baby has a chance to acquire autism. Seven out of every ten thousand infants will develop autism within the first three years of life. The sad thing about the diagnosis of autism is that the symptoms are subtle to about one and half years of age and most doctors and even parents are hard pressed to find what symptoms they should worry about and what symptoms they should ignore. Expert Author: Jonathan Sullivan | Summary There have been stories and tales of a cure or magical treatment for autism. These claims are not true. They set up the hopes and dreams of both parents and teachers alike only to be disenchanted with the discovery that the claim is false. There has only been one proven treatment for autism and the treatment is not a cure.
|
Complimentary Industry Resources
We are pleased to offer you this exciting, new, and entirely free professional resource.
Visit our Free Industry resource center today to browse our selection of 600+ complimentary Industry magazines,
white papers, webinars, podcasts, and more.
No credit cards, coupons, or promo codes required. Try it today!
No credit cards, coupons, or promo codes required. Try it today!