Sarah Peralta Research Paper

When Sarah Peralta came to class as a guest lecturer to talk about autism, I did not know much about the disorder. The closest I have ever come to encounter the subject of autism was my freshman year when people made fun of a student in my dorm for having it. I had no knowledge of the disorder and the only thing I knew about the student was that he was always playing video games in his room. As a result, I negatively judged him as an unfriendly person. However, learning about Sarah's life growing up with her brother Evan has completely changed my perception on people with autism. Although Evan has social and developmental problems, Sarah portrayed him as an extremely sweet boy with great attributes. A memorable fact I learned from the lecture was the prevalence rate of
In 1996, 1 in every 10,000 was diagnosed with autism while currently 1 in 110 are diagnosed. I am surprised how the numbers show a huge increase in people getting diagnosed because there is not a sufficient amount of services available to provide for the increase. I think more people should promote awareness for autism so that more services can rise to help children with the disorder. Furthermore, I think that Evan is very lucky to have an exceptionally supportive family. Sarah is especially a prominent part of his life because they are close in age and she is able to teach him everyday skills more effectively. Also, Evan's family members are all accepting, caring and patient in adjusting to his developmental problems. I think I would definitely have a harder time adjusting to a family