Autism: a Disorder That Is Becoming More Common
Autism: A Disorder That Is Becoming More Common
Kelly Zulkoski
Central Community College
06 December 2012
Autism: A Disorder That Is Becoming More Common
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) now affects 1.13% which is 1 of 88 American children” (Landrigan et al, 2012). Autism is a neurological disorder that affects lives of many children and adults. Some have a mild affect and some are very impaired to the point that they can not talk. Studies have shown that it is more common in boys than it is in girls (Klein, 2007). In 1943, Leo Kanner, a child psychiatrist, was the first to identify autism. He believed that his young patients were in their own inner world (Ballaro, 2011). Autism has a wide variety of symptoms, causes, and treatments. As there is no known cause and cure there are many things parents can do to lessen the severity of the symptoms. It is getting diagnosed at an earlier age due to increased public awareness which helps treatments start earlier and symptoms to be less severe.
Symptoms of autism has such a wide range of severity, from not visible symptoms to very severe symptoms. If you have autism you may have trouble communicating, socially interacting with others, or have unusual behaviors and interests (Klein). Symptoms can start earlier than three and continue into adulthood. According to Billstedt et al, “Over 60% of individuals diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (AD) in children are noted to have relatively poor outcomes in adulthood” (qtd. in Fodstad et al, 2010). Symptoms of autism are easily mistaken, you must have accurate assessments done before you label someone with autism.
There are three common types of autism, defined by the most severe to less severe. The most severe is the autistic disorder, also known as classic autism. Where “there may be an inability to speak and lower intelligence; difficulty expressing needs: poor eye contact; and
Kelly Zulkoski
Central Community College
06 December 2012
Autism: A Disorder That Is Becoming More Common
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) now affects 1.13% which is 1 of 88 American children” (Landrigan et al, 2012). Autism is a neurological disorder that affects lives of many children and adults. Some have a mild affect and some are very impaired to the point that they can not talk. Studies have shown that it is more common in boys than it is in girls (Klein, 2007). In 1943, Leo Kanner, a child psychiatrist, was the first to identify autism. He believed that his young patients were in their own inner world (Ballaro, 2011). Autism has a wide variety of symptoms, causes, and treatments. As there is no known cause and cure there are many things parents can do to lessen the severity of the symptoms. It is getting diagnosed at an earlier age due to increased public awareness which helps treatments start earlier and symptoms to be less severe.
Symptoms of autism has such a wide range of severity, from not visible symptoms to very severe symptoms. If you have autism you may have trouble communicating, socially interacting with others, or have unusual behaviors and interests (Klein). Symptoms can start earlier than three and continue into adulthood. According to Billstedt et al, “Over 60% of individuals diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (AD) in children are noted to have relatively poor outcomes in adulthood” (qtd. in Fodstad et al, 2010). Symptoms of autism are easily mistaken, you must have accurate assessments done before you label someone with autism.
There are three common types of autism, defined by the most severe to less severe. The most severe is the autistic disorder, also known as classic autism. Where “there may be an inability to speak and lower intelligence; difficulty expressing needs: poor eye contact; and
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