Diagnosis Of Autism Research Paper

Diagnosis

Imagine you’re in a theater watching a movie, you are totally engrossed in this movie and you hear nothing else except that movie. Now if you had autism that whole concept flies out the window because while you hear that movie you hear the person next to you breathing and eating food, someone walking down the aisle, the little kid hitting the back of a person’s seat two rows over, the obnoxious guy in the top corner talking on the phone, the doors opening and closing, and the creaking of your seat as you move around. Life just seems to loud and you can’t control and without your permission your body flips out and you “catch” a seizure or you beat your head until the noise goes away or stops. This is the typical life of a teen or a kid with autism.
The symptoms of autism usually appear early usually before the age of three.
They can have the symptoms at birth or they could develop normally then start showing signs of autism. “However, it is now recognized that some individuals may not show symptoms a communication disorder until demands of the environment exceed their capabilities” ( Parker S., Webmd) There is not a medical test to diagnose autism so the best way for a diagnosis is to get a physician or psychologist that is specialized in developmental disabilities with experience with diagnosing Autism spectrum disorders.

“The diagnosis of autism is made by taking into account the child's complete medical and behavioral history, lengthy observation of the child's behavior, and ruling out other problems that may cause some of the same symptoms. It is important to distinguish autism from other disorders, because a misdiagnosis may result in delayed, inappropriate, or ineffective treatment.”(Parker
S.,Webmd)

Autism affects the way children socially interact and their behavior in really subtle or drastic ways that depend on how sensitive the child is or how their environment affects them mentally. They have a hard time understanding how other people think and feel, which makes it tough for them to express themselves with words or facial expressions. It's hard to determine at infancy, but parents see the signs first when a baby doesn’t want to be held, doesn’t seem interested in playing certain games, and just don’t talk. Sometimes the child will learn how to talk then lose the ability later on. They can also be confused about whether their child can hear or not because sometimes it seems that a child with autism doesn’t hear or only hears the background noises .Even though autism spectrum disorders differ from each other there are core symptoms that they share such as;

•“Significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions, and body posture.Failure to establish friendships with children the same age.Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.Lack of empathy. People with autism may have difficulty understanding another person's feelings, such as pain or sorrow.”

•Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 40% of people with autism never speak after it has begun.Stereotyped and repetitive use of language. Also, people with autism have difficulties continuing a conversation .Problems taking steps to start a conversation. People with autism often repeat over and over a phrase they have heard previously (echolalia).Difficulty understanding their listener's perspective. For example, a person with autism may not understand that someone is using humor. They may interpret the communication word for word and fail to catch the implied meaning.

•An unusual focus on pieces. Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car, rather than playing with the entire toy.Preoccupation with certain topics. For example, older children and adults may be fascinated by video games, trading cards, or license plates.A need for sameness and routines. Stereotyped behaviors. These may include body rocking and hand flapping. ( Healthwise, Webmd)

Even with the handicap of having autism the children when proper taken advance in areas such as art, music and memorization skills. They also exceed normal children in subjects because of their sensitivity. Some kids don’t even feel pain and then there are those who feel extreme amounts of pain from their sensitivity.

Treatment

If there is an early and intensive treatment the child can develop their social,communicative and behavioral abilities just like any other normal child. Majority of the treatment is individualized that focuses behavioral modification and skills development. It may also include medication to control specific symptoms of the disorder. These medicines include Risperidone also known as Risperdal it is used to help irritably in people with autism, then there Quetiapine or its marketing name Seroquel is used to help with depression or a sedative even though that’s not recommend.

The type of therapies that a child will have are Anger management, Applied behavior analysis, Behavior therapy, Sensory processing, and Online speech therapy. The aim of these therapies is to:

•Stopping inappropriate behaviors so the child can relate better to others.

•Teaching the child to attend to purposeful activity.

•This can help the child succeed in educational settings.

•Helping the child learn self-care skills.

•Providing opportunities for the child to socialize with others.

•Improving the child's communication skills.

•Teaching parents how to provide helpful educational and social experiences for their child. (Parker S.,Webmd)

“ Treatment programs tend to be more effective if they build on the child's unique interests, if they engage the child in highly structured activities according to a predictable schedule, and if they provide regular rewards for desired behavior.” (Parker S., Webmd) The earlier a child's need are met the easier it is very them to develop into a prosperous member of society.