What is Autism?
It has been over 50 years since Dr. Leo Cantor, a psychiatrist at John
Hopkins University, wrote the first paper to define the “autism”
(from the Greek autos,
meaning self) to a group of children who were self-absorbed and
who had severe social, communication, and behavioral problems.
Autism is not a disease but a lifelong developmental disorder
of brain function. It occurs two to four times more likely in males, and in
about four to five out of 10,000 live births.
Autism varies a great deal in severity and it effects children
from all racial and social backgrounds, and it is usually discovered
during the first three years of life.
Your child may not show any signs of autism until about one to two
years of age, but the diagnosis can be suspected early in an infant
who does not respond to the parent’s care-taking with eye contact,
smiling or cuddling. Generally there is some failure to develop
meaningful language and social skills, and infants seem to prefer to
remain alone in a crib for many hours undisturbed and undemanding.
Autistic children generally do not have physical disabilities, and in
fact they tend to be attractive and more graceful in movement.
They have a strong need to maintain uniformity and they may not
make eye contact or respond to normal social cues.
They are conspicuously quiet and passive as long as their
environment remains undisturbed and their activities uninterrupted.
They may have frequent temper tantrums with changes in their
environment or routine for no apparent reason.
Many of these children are more sensitive to sound, smells,
touch or taste. They also
tend to lack imaginative play and develop behavioral rituals that
become less frequent after five or six years of age.
A highly structured environment with a strict unchanging
routine minimizes opportunities for indulgence in these repetitive
rituals. Some of
these children are capable of normal school education after ten years
of age, and some adults with autism have held jobs and lived
independently.
Although the specific cause of autism is unknown, there appears
to be a hereditary pattern in some families, but no gene has yet been
identified. Autism is not
caused by bad parenting, it is not a mental illness, nor is it a
behavior disorder. There
is no specific test to detect autism, although a team of healthcare
professionals using different diagnostic tools can make the diagnosis.
Although there is no cure for autism, with proper help, your
child can learn to cope with the effects of this disability.
Music therapy, behavior modification, medications, and specific
diet therapies have been used in creative ways to help children with
this condition.
Biomedical research on brain and nervous system disorders is aimed at
identifying the underlying brain abnormalities using new methods of
brain imaging and other innovative techniques.
Some scientists are working toward identifying genes that may
increase the risk of autism. Others
are studying specific aspects of information processing and behavior.
Hopefully, these findings will lead to improved strategies for
earlier diagnosis and effective treatment.
WORLD WIDE
WEB RESOURCES
Autism
Society of America
www.autism-society.org/
The web site of the Autism Society of America is dedicated to
providing advocate public awareness, education, and research related
to autism.
Center for the Study of Autism
www.autism.org/
The
Center for the Study of Autism is located in Oregon and provides
information about autism to parents and professionals, and conducts
research on various therapeutic interventions for autism.
Autism Research Institute
www.autism.com/ari/
The Austin Research Institute is a non-profit
organization devoted primarily to conducting research on autism and
other severe behavioral disorders of childhood. |
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