Autism Research Paper

1 Autism is a fond, moral, and physical condition that affects fryren and adults e rattling y auricula atrii. Many families give look dealt and argon dealing with the struggles that accompany this disease. Autism put forward affect a person in various offices, and there atomic number 18 some(prenominal) an(prenominal) assorted fakes that loafer contrive from mild to severe. Autism stays with a person through with(predicate)out their whole life. It is believed that 2 to six of every thousand battalion on the Earth feature from autism. Ameri rotter psychiatrist Leo Kanner came up with the plant Autism in the 1940s from the Greek word for self. Chez, 20) There is no known ca apply or treatment for this disease as of today, but look forers be learning to a capaciouser extent every day. One p arent described her baby bird, saying, There was no joy, no sadness, no curiosity, no connection, nonhing. (Seroussi, 28) There are many symptoms of Autism. These symptoms can be displayed as early as birth, or as late as adulthood, but most cheeks appear in young baby birdren. These symptoms can in addition range in severity. Some cuttings are undiagnosed be urinate of the subtleness of the symptoms, while former(a)s even out for it impossible for a person to function on their own.Some of these symptoms can be mental, but most of the recognized signs of Autism are physical. There are likewise many antithetic kinds of Autism. There is Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise under fix (PDD-NOS), Aspergers syndrome, Rett syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD). Each of these come with their own lay out of symptoms, and affect a person differently. Most people safe cluster all in all of these conditions together as Autism, but the scientific term for these syndromes is Autism Spectrum Disorders or Pervasive Developmental Disorders. 2The symptoms of Autism can be mental or physical. The mental aspect of Autism can hinder a child from being up to(p) to communicate and interact with otherwises. There are many combinations of the symptoms that can vary a way a child interacts in many different forms. There are three main parts of a childs social life that Autism can affect. Autism can cause brachydactylic social interactions, abform communication, and/or restrictive or repetitive interests and behaviors. (Chez, 32) supernormal social interaction comes in a variety of forms. There could be a failure to seek comfort in is parent or a lack of eye contact.Some children wont respond to their name being called or wont want to play with other children. Most autistic children bustt understand social behaviors requisite to interact safely and normally with others. This prevails to lead the children into isolation. There is also a sense of abnormal communication linked to Autism. Most sick children befoolt develop their language as early as normal children would. Some children wont ever develop any t ype of oral language. They pass on learn sign language, or other forms of hand gestures. They use facial expressions to communicate with others.Some children go out talk endlessly about ane subject, going on for hours and hours about the same thing. Autistic children tend to take words literally and speak very precisely. Some suffer from echolalia, which is iterate what is said but not actually replying or responding to a forefront or statement. Finally, Autism can look with restrictive or repetitive interests or behaviors. Some children result watch an interest in one accepted thing or subject. One child might start out an fixing with clocks, another with airplanes, and another with calendars.A child could find an interest in 3 anything you could possibly imagine. They usually spend all of their time nurturing this interest, and dont weigh much about anything else. They will also isolate themselves in that way. Some children suffer from repetitive movements such as han d flapping, rocking, or head banging. Some suffer from OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. They will do things such as placing all their toys in a row quite of playing with them, or organizing things to such an extent that some would find it unnecessary.Most Autistic children insist on everything being the same, and dont know how to counterbalance to any type of change. One parent described her child, saying, His screams sounded like a foreign language. (Seroussi, 25) She also said her child suffered from obsessive clapping, patting his head, and touching the hedge ever. Another child would sit and watch the family fishes for hours a day and would just walk back and forth on the gravel in the driveway. He sat and screamed for hours also. He also suffered from a lack of communication. He could neer say what he wanted.He just pointed and screamed. Another child cried constantly. He would out out call up when he didnt get his bottle. still that wasnt all. He would cry the se cond he woke up every undivided morning. He could cry for at least half an hour after every single nap he overlyk, and nothing seemed to help ever. Any parent of an Autistic child can relate to these stories. The symptoms of this disease can also be physical. Some children can suffer from various conditions such as reflux, insomnia, or ear infections. Few children will suffer 4 from glue ear which is an inflammation in the middle section of the ear.There is usually fluid variant up that whitethorn or may not be infected. This can cause an excruciating earache. Some children will suffer from eczema, high fevers, or seizures. Others can have chronic nonspecific diarrhea or a language delay. It is believed that 40-50% of children suffering from autism also suffer from gastrointestinal reflux. Some may also suffer from chronic constipation. Some children may have constantly shaking limbs. It has been seen that some children will get autoimmune diseases. As you can see, there is an a rray of other symptoms that can accompany Autism.Some children can jazz most of these, while others will experience barely any. Each case is different, and each family has their own way of dealing with these symptoms. There are many things that are believed to be causes of Autism, and many different types of Autism. Three main things that are believed to cause Autism are environmental factors, dietary deficiencies, and genetics. There is an abnormality in the development of the brain in Autistic children. All of the symptoms are too complex for one part of the brain to be able to cause them all though.It has been discovered that there are lower numbers of Purkinje cells in the brains of Autistic children. These cells are very principal(prenominal) and vital to coordination of movement. This discovery may suggest that these cells may play a role in the readying or function part of ones brain. Scientists are currently exploiting to find out what part of the reduction of these cell s causes all of Autisms many symptoms. Usually children with Autism are born with a smaller head 5 than normal, and experience great growth in their first year. This is believed to be an environmental cause of Autism.Some scientists think that if a pregnant woman is exposed to rubella (German measles) or other do drugss it can cause a child to develop Autism. Some people would believe that since most Autistic children have trouble learning, they could receive a simple diagnosis of mental retardation. But this is not so. Children who are mentally retarded usually present with a smaller brain coat than normal. But most children with Autism have a larger brain than others. This suggests that up to now though Autism and mental retardation sometimes present together, the causes of both are completely different from one another.There are many different difficulties with diagnose Autism. Some parents are believed to have a mental disorder, or their mendeleviums dont believe them. They think they are overreacting to what is a normal childhood. But these parents know that there is something wrong with their child. Some parents will lose pile and seem very anxious, leading the doctors to believe there is something wrong with them and not the child. One mother even suffered flashbacks. One parent said You camber compare him to Laura- she was so precocious. Boys talk later than girls do. Hes had so many ear infections.Alan didnt talk until he was three. My next-door neighbors son didnt talk until he was four. (source 2 p 23) There are many different factors in the diagnosis process that can hinder a family or doctor from getting the correct diagnosis. 6 Once a child has received the diagnosis of Autism, doctors still have to sort through all of the different types of Autism. Some children will suffer from Aspergers syndrome. They are characterized as being very fluent in language. They tend to have fear or seek attention. Some children can suffer from OCD or spell of phonic issues.There can also be sleep dysfunction or epilepsy in these children. Most children will present with social awkwardness, anger issues or violence, or appear lost. Some will have a predisposition to touch or noise. Children with Rett syndrome tend to present with breathing problems. These can be very difficult for a parent to watch. Some will present with apraxia, floppy looking gird or legs, or bluish arms or legs caused by poor circulation. Children with PDD-NOS tend to seem eager to make friends, but may not act normally around others. They tend to end up being very close with their parents.Most PDD-NOS children cannot read facial expressions or interpret the feelings of others. They also tend to have delayed speech. CDD is characterized by at least two years of normal development, followed by exit of language, social skills, and motor skills before age ten. It is important to note that every case is different, and some children can present with none of these sym ptoms, while others will seem to have all of them. There are many different ways to treat Autism. Some families will chasten to restrict a childs diet or change the types of activities they take part in.Others will gauge therapy. There is no known cure for Autism as of today, but researchers are working together to attempt at finding a way to get rid of this life changing disease. A child with Autism has several(prenominal) doctors. Most children will have a regular pediatrician, a pyschatrist, 7 a neurologist, a diatrician, and a developmental pediatrician. (Chez, 54) Each of these doctors plays a very important role in the treatment and management of Autism. One form of treatment for some families is diet. Some families will try to exclude certain(a) foods or food groups from a childs diet.One mother said that even though she knew her son loved milk and cheese, she deicided to exclude any and all dairy products from his diet. These effects can be positive or negative. One famil y noted that when there was no dairy in their childs diet, they saw an improvement in eye contact. Another family saw that when they switched their child to pure cows milk, things took a turn for the worse. Another family noticed that their child craved wheat constantly. They inflexible to limit his amount of it, and noticed a slight improvement.Removal of gluten (a protein found in barley, rye, oats, and wheat) and casein (a protein found in dairy products), is what is known as a Gluten Free, Casein Free diet, or GFCF. There is no scientific research behind the hypothesis of GFCF, but many families have noted that it has set many of the habitual behaviors. Some families believe that diet can be a main cause of Autism, and changing their childs consume habits can help to change their symptoms. The other option of treatment is to try some kind of therapy. Most families will try therapy at one point or another.Some will try behavioral intervention, where a child is rewarded for no rmal behaviors. There is also the option of behavioral analysis, where a doctor or therapist will observe a child and try to fix some abnormal behaviors. Some families will turn to drug therapy, which has been reported to reduce 8 some repetitive behaviors. Some children will be put on a regimen of antipsychotics, mood modify meds, and/or stimulants or non-stimulants. Some families will try to cure their child through various immunizations. There have been immunizations of brain fluid and spinal anesthesia tissue in the past.Sometimes serum samples can be used. There are a variety of treatments, but one thing is very important to realize. One type of treatment could work wonders for one child, but have no affect on another. Each child is different, and each case varies. Would I do anything for my child? What would I risk to save a strangers child? Will I fight this thing, struggle it down until it exists no more to torture innocent families? This goal will become part of my life, my daily purpose, my reason for living. I have no choice. I will be driven in a way that I never dreamed I could, and I will not rest until the beast has been slain. (Seroussi, 61) This quote shows how any family would do anything for their child. Autism is a social disease that affects hundreds of thousands. The affects of Autism arent seen in just the child though, as you can see. A family will also suffer. They will deal with the stress and difficulty of raising a child who at times cannot communicate, and will have many health issues. A family can be torn apart by this, or come closer together. In the end, its all about the love that said family shares for one another, and their precious child.