Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is defined as a group of neurodevelopment conditions based on three areas of impairment; social interaction, communication and a stereotyped. In communication both verbal and non-verbal aspects are impaired (Zander and Sven, 1). The symptom of the disorders usually are obvious before one reaches the age of three though in most cases that have been recorded diagnosis has been conducted when the child is over three years of age.
The term autism was first brought to light by Eugen Bleuler (1857–1939), a Swiss psychiatrist. The word was derived from a Greek word autos which refers to self (Damiano, Cara R. et al). His idea was to give a description of the active withdrawal of patients suffering from schizophrenia to their individual life of fantasy striving to deal with the immense external perceptions. Autism came in to use some years later when an Austrian pediatrician, Hans Asperger, adopted it in one of his lectures at the Vienna University Hospital. Meanwhile, in the US Leo Kanner while at Johns Hopkins University Hospital described 11 children who possessed common behavioral traits with the ones depicted by Asperger (Damiano, Cara R. et al). Majority of the characteristics identified by Kanner including autistic aloofness and insistence on sameness are still applied in the diagnosis of autism currently. In spite of this, Asperger’s and Kanner’s description of the children differed whereby no significant delays in language development were observed.
Socialization
Perhaps something striking about the condition is the difficulties it brings about in social interaction. As early as a young age, a child may experience hardship using and understanding non-verbal communication such as eye contact, gestures and facial expression (Zander and Sven, 2). The same situation can be experienced when understanding intonation. At an older age, children tend to speak in an unusual tone or sound like robots. The tones they use never match their exact feelings. The reason behind this assumption is that autistic individuals tend to put less focus on social cues which are typically noticed by others. Children suffering from this condition possess no social reciprocity and even go further not to neither share their joy with the closest people around them nor seek comfort from them (Zander and Sven, 2). The same children also tend not to have interest in interacting with their peers and when they do they find it difficult maintaining the friendship.
Moreover, autistic people experience difficulty when trying to understand other peoples’ point of view. This is contrary to how young children at school going age who know people to hold different information, feelings and many more. As a result, they are left in position where they lack the knowledge which can enable them predict someone’s nature or action.
Stereotyped behaviors
Autistic children often present unusual behavioral conditions which reach appoint where they turn out to be extreme and alternatively be mild and discrete. An example is of children flapping their arms repeatedly or walking in a unique pattern. In other situations they may subtly move their fingers by their eyes a move which appears to be a sign or gesture. The repetitions or reoccurrence of such patterns are usually referred to as stereotyped behaviors.
Autistic children also possess overly focused interests. They as a result have fascinations on moving objects such as the wheels of cars in motion. Again, instead of playing with toys when they are provided with, they instead line them up in a certain manner. In case someone moves the toys from their original position they tend to become upset. Another form in which the repetitive behavior can manifest is through persistent and intense preoccupation. This is seen in the case where a child becomes obsessed with wanting to know more about specific or different items such as vacuum cleaners, birds, and train schedules among others. An interesting trait about these children is how they show great interest in numbers, symbols or scientific fields.
With autistic children having been acknowledged to be at good at maintaining routines with daily activities serious difficulties may emerge due to inflexibilities. Such children may insist on maintaining the same type of meals each day or even using a particular route going to school. Any change of route or diet can turn out to be really upsetting. Others will go to the extreme of having emotional outbursts due to frustrations which occur because there is a change in how they are used to doing things.
There is no point where two autistic children will maintain similar severity of symptoms. Each will get used to different routines and interests but it is important to note that some of the normal growing children may at some point display behaviors similar to those with autism. Running in to a conclusion that one suffers from autism is never recommended but diagnosis from a health professional serves as the best way.
Future prospects
Future prospects of autism all have to be directed towards achieving a society where there are few cases of autism. The level of services channeled towards autistic children have to be effective through primary health care and putting to use the current resources and manpower. Primary healthcare providers have to be well equipped with knowledge to manage screening, diagnosis and management (Damiano, Cara R. et al). Moreover, the treatment gap existing has to be worked on while looking for suitable ways in which costs associated to its treatment are reduced (Damiano, Cara R. et al).
Meanwhile, there has to be studies on individual differences on the autistic population in an aim of enriching the etiological and phenotypic heterogeneity (Damiano, Cara R. et al). More emphasis have to be placed on mechanistic processes together with longitudinal development paths instead of the outcomes. There has to be higher understanding in overlapping features that are common with different neurodevelopment disorders (Damiano, Cara R. et al). There has to be an integration of different research methodologies such as that of behavior and brain imaging measures. The autistic interventions which are to be developed have to match the requirements of those with autism and their closest keens such as improving how these individuals function without affecting the positive and unique attributes possessed by each autistic person (Damiano, Cara R. et al).
What can be done?
Since autism is well known to be a permanent form of disability just like blindness no treatment has had significant outcomes in its cure. On the other hand, children suffering from autism can grow equally in the same way as normal children if early, well planned and individually designed educational efforts in conducive environments. The primary objective is usually to enable the child have a functional communication. With individually tailored education all approaches adopted will dwell on how these type of children learn. Some of the specially tailored educational strategies that can be adopted for autistic children include the applied behavior analysis (ABA). A structured teaching method which also can be used is the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH). The first step towards dealing with autism is through identification, assessment and diagnosis. After which, is the provision of precise information for the sake of educating the closest relatives and people concerned. The two steps together with other promptly adopted supportive measures also individually tailored will act as a long term solution to deal with the problem while helping the child develop. Specially designed nursery schools will serve as an important prerequisite. Similarly, an easily adaptable home environment will be important for the adults. Adults and adolescents need to have access to educational measures so as to enable them to sharpen their skills which are to make them become self-sufficient while on their own. For people considered to be high-functioning they are to receive different forms of assistance especially when it comes to organization of their studies and their access to different types of tailored activities.
Work cited
Zander, Eric, and Sven Bölte. "The New DSM-5 Impairment Criterion: A Challenge To Early Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis?." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45.11 (2005): 3634-3643. Web.
The authors aim at enabling readers of the journal to have a clear understanding of the condition and the issues that emerge as a result of autism. This is achieved through his definition of the condition, how it affects an in individual and the best measures that can be put in place to salvage the situation.
Damiano, Cara R. et al. "Future Directions For Research In Autism Spectrum Disorders." Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology 43.5 (2014): 828-843. Web. 3 Apr. 2018.
The authors of the article give different ways on how best autism can be diagnosed and the expected outcoomes expected from the same. Above all, they provide a thorough future prospects of what is expected of those involved in the provision of healthcare when dealing with autism.
