What is Autism????
Autism is a complex
developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of
life. the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the
brain, autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to occur in as
many as 1 in 500 individuals. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1997).
Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial,
ethnic, or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels
do not affect the chance of autism's occurrence.
Autism Impacts
the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and
communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have
difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and
leisure or play activities. The disorder makes it hard for them to communicate
with others and relate to the outside world. In some cases, aggressive and/or
self-injurious behavior may be present. Persons with autism may exhibit repeated
body movements (hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or
attachments to objects and resistance to changes in routines. Individuals may
also experience sensitivities in the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell
and taste.
Over on half million people in the U.S. today have autism or some form of
pervasive developmental disorder. Its prevalence rate makes autism one of the
most common developmental disabilities. Yet most of the public, including many
professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields, are still
unaware of how autism affects people and how they can effectively work with
individuals with autism.
Until the mid
1980’s, autism was believed to be caused by parents who did not love their
children. Mothers were referred to as “refrigerator moms”. Families did not
publicly acknowledge their children had autism and most children were placed in
institutions.
By the mid 1980’s,
autism was categorized as a psychiatric illness. Medical coverage was limited to
that of mental illness. Most therapies were not covered by insurance and all
treatments were treated as experimental and covered at best on a limited basis.
By the mid
1990’s, the medical community began referring to autism as a Biomedical
Developmental Disability. Insurance has not embraced this change and coverage
remained limited.
Until the mid
1990’s, research into the causes of autism was limited to a few dedicated
individuals who received little funding. Autism was believed to be so complex
that finding answers into the causes of autism was more like finding the needle
in a haystack.
What Causes
Autism?
Researchers from
all over the world are now devoting considerable time and energy into finding
the answer to this critical question. Medical researchers are exploring
different explanations for the various forms of autism. Although a single
specific cause of autism is not known, current research links autism to
biological or neurological differences in the brain. In many families there
appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities -- which suggests
there is a genetic basis to the disorder -- although at this time no gene has
been directly linked to autism. The genetic basis is believed by researchers to
be highly complex, probably involving several genes in combination.
Several
outdated theories about the cause of autism have been proven false. Autism is
not a mental illness. Children with autism are
not unruly kids who choose to not behave. Autism is not
caused by bad parenting. Furthermore, no known psychological factors in the
development of the child have been shown to cause autism.
How is Autism
Diagnosed?
There is no
medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on
observation of the individual's communication, behavior, and developmental
levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared
by other disorders, various medical tests may be ordered to rule out or identify
other possible causes of the symptoms being exhibited.
Since the
characteristics of the disorder vary so much, ideally a child should be
evaluated by a multidisciplinary team which may include a neurologist,
psychologist, developmental pediatrician, speech/language therapist, learning
consultant, or another professional knowledgeable about autism. Diagnosis is
difficult for a practitioner with limited training or exposure to autism.
Sometimes, autism has been misdiagnosed by well-meaning professionals.
Difficulties in the recognition and acknowledgment of autism often lead to a
lack of services to meet the complex needs of individuals with autism.
A brief
observation in a single setting cannot present a true picture of an individual's
abilities and behaviors. Parental (and other caregivers') input and
developmental history are very important components of making an accurate
diagnosis. At first glance, some persons with autism may appear to have mental
retardation, a behavior disorder, problems with hearing, or even odd and
eccentric behavior. To complicate matters further, these conditions can co-occur
with autism. However, it is important to distinguish autism from other
conditions, since an accurate diagnosis and early identification can provide the
basis for building an appropriate and effective educational and treatment
program. Sometimes professionals who are not knowledgeable about the needs and
opportunities for early intervention in autism do not offer an autism diagnosis
even if it is appropriate. This hesitation may be due to a misguided wish to
spare the family. Unfortunately, this too can lead to failure to obtain
appropriate services for the child.
Autism Check
List
Individuals with
autism usually exhibit at least half of the traits listed below. These symptoms
can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. In
addition, the behavior usually occurs across many different situations and is
consistently inappropriate for their age.
- Insistence on
sameness; resists changes in routine.
- Severe language deficits.
- Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words.
- Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of normal responsive
language).
- Laughing, crying or showing distress for reasons not apparent to others.
- Prefers to be alone; aloof manner
- Tantrums -- displays extreme distress for no apparent reason.
- Difficulty in mixing with others.
- May not want cuddling or act cuddly.
- Little or no eye contact.
- Unresponsive to normal teaching methods.
- Sustained odd play.
- Spins objects.
- Inappropriate attachment to objects.
- Apparent oversensitivity to undersensitivity to pain.
- No real fear of dangers.
- Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme underactivity.
- Non responsive to verbal cues; acts as of deaf although hearing tests in
normal range.
- Uneven gross/fine motor skills. (may not kick a ball but can stack blocks).
Please note this symptom list is
not a substitute for a full-scale diagnostic assessment.
Consult your health care provider to obtain a complete diagnostic evaluation.
Is there more
than one type of Autism?
Autistic Disorder: Impairments in social interaction,
communication, and imaginative play prior to age 3 years. Stereotyped behaviors,
interests and activities.
Asperger's Disorder: Characterized by impairments in social
interactions and the presence of restricted interests and activities, with no
clinically significant general delay in language, and testing in the range of
average to above average intelligence.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder: Not Otherwise Specified --
(commonly referred to as atypical autism) a diagnosis of PDD-NOS may be made
when a child does not meet the criteria for a specific diagnosis, but there is a
severe and pervasive impairment in specified behaviors.
Rett's
Disorder: Progressive disorder which, to date, has occurred only in
girls. Period of normal development and then loss of previously acquired skills,
loss of purposeful use of the hands replaced with repetitive hand movements
beginning at the age of 1 - 4 years.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder: Normal development for at least
the first 2 years, significant loss of previously acquired skills.
Autism is a
spectrum disorder. In other words, the symptoms and characteristics of autism
can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe.
Although autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, children and adults
can exhibit any combination of the behaviors in any degree of severity. Two
children, both with the same diagnosis, can act very differently from one
another and have varying skills.
Therefore there
is no standard "type" or "typical" person with autism. Parents may hear
different terms used to describe children within this spectrum, such as:
autistic-like, autistic tendencies, autism spectrum, high-functioning or
low-functioning autism, more-abled or less-abled. more important to understand
is, whatever the diagnosis, children can learn and function productively and
show gains from appropriate education and treatment.
Source: Autism Society of America, January 2000