Transcript Autism - Cloudfront.net

Autism
Lamont Douglas
Per.5
5-6-11
What is autism?
 Autism
is developmental disorder that
appears in the first 3 years of life, and
affects the brain’s normal development of
social and communication skills.
Video
http://youtu.be/TL5GHMEjzt8
Associated Features
 Most
parents of autistic children suspect that
something is wrong by the time child is 18 months
old.
 Children with autism typically have difficulties in
Pretend play, social interactions, verbal and
nonverbal communication.
 People with autism may also be overly sensitive in
sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste, have unusual
distress when routines are changed, perform
repeated body movements, and show unusual
attachments to objects.
Associated Features Continued…
 The
symptoms may vary from moderate to severe.
 Communication problems include, cannot start or
maintain a social conversation, communicates with
gestures instead of words, develops language
slowly or not at all.
 Does not adjust gaze to look at objects others are
looking at.
 Does not refer to self correctly, i.e. they would say
you want water, instead of saying I want water.
 Many other symptoms.
Interview
 When
I interviewed Mirzha about her little
nephew who’s autistic. He has similar
symptoms as were described earlier.
 He’s 7 and his writing and communication
skills aren’t at the level as a non autistic 7
year old child should be.
 He has some trouble differentiating which
way the letters go. This might be related
to some dyslexia.
Interview Continued…
Etiology
 Autism
is a physical condition linked to abnormal
biology and chemistry in the brain.
 The exact causes of these abnormalities remain
unknown, but its still being researched.
 Genetic factors play a role is obtaining the disorder,
i.e. identical twins are much more likely then
fraternal twins or siblings to both have autism.
 Chromosomal abnormalities and other neurological
problems are also common in families with autism.
Prevalence



There is not an exact number who have is
autism is unknown.
Autism affects boys 3-4 times more often then
girls.
Doctors believe the increased incidence in
autism is due to newer definitions of autism.
The term “autism” now includes a wider
spectrum of children, i.e. a child who is
diagnosed with high-functioning autism today
may have been thought to be simply odd or
strange 30 years ago.
Treatment
 An
early, intensive, appropriate treatment
program will greatly improve the outlook
for most young children with autism. Most
programs will build on the interests of the
child in a highly structured schedule of
constructive activities. Visual aids are
often helpful.
Treatment Methods





Applied behavior analysis (ABA): programs
are usually done in a child’s home under the
supervision of a behavioral psychologist.
Medications: risperidone is used to treat
children ages 5-16 for the irritability and
aggression.
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy
Speech-language therapy
Treatment Continued…
 Diet:
some children with autism appear to
respond to a gluten-free or casein-free
diet.
 Support Groups: some support groups can
provide additional information and help
when dealing with autism.
Prognosis
 If
the child doesn’t receive treatment
complications could include, possible
personality disorders, learning disabilities,
epilepsy, depression, and behavioral
problems.
 If the child does receive some type of
treatment then it may improve social
development and reduce undesirable
behaviors.
References
 Steen,
R. Grant, (2001). Chapter 9: Mental
Disorders. Http://search.ebscohost.com
 Halgin, R.P., & whithourne, S.K. (2005).
Abnormal Psychology: clinical
perspectives on psychological disorders.
New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
 Brewer, C.L., & David, M.G., (2011).
Meyers Psychology for AP. New York,NY:
worth publishers.
Discussion Question
 How
might physical therapy help an
autistic child?