Challenges and Causes of Autism
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CHALLENGES AND CAUSES OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS Challenges and Causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders In 1978 a normal baby girl named Violet was born into a loving family of five older children. Coddled and spoiled as new babies are by their parents and siblings, Violet initially
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appeared to be a healthy and happy child. By one year of age, however, that health and happiness was being thrust into question. Violet appeared to be developing slower than other children. Rather than crawling and eventually walking, she continued to scoot herself across the floor. She wouldn 't track sounds with her eyes or turn toward noises. She didn 't like toys. She couldn 't be comforted when she cried, but instead cried herself to sleep or exhaustion. At age two and still not walking, Violet 's communication skills appeared to be regressing. Where before she had had a vocabulary of about twenty words and used two or three word phrases, she now appeared to be forgetting how to formulate phrases and began reverting to using only a few words. By age three Violet 's attempts at verbal communication were so frustrating that she stopped trying and began acting out physically. She didn 't look other people in the eyes. She had only barely learned to walk, and potty training was an act of futility. She refused to eat with utensils, instead shoveling handful after handful of food into her mouth, and never becoming sated. Doctors were baffled. Countless and costly healthcare visits resulted in conflicting answers to Violet 's condition, ranging from deafness or cerebral palsy to simple immaturity. The school system did not understand how to help Violet either. Although she was placed in special education classrooms, she was often left to herself to play with blocks or simple puzzles. Violet 's parents and family were frustrated
References: 11 Albana, A. (2008, January 9). Through Different Eyes: How People with Autism Experience the World. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1792 Autism Fact Sheet. (2011, November 4). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). (2010, December 29). Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html Autism & Vaccination: Media Stories. (2009). Whale. Retrieved from: http://www.whale.to/vaccine/media1.html Courchesne, E., Mouton, P.R., Calhoun, M.E., Semedeferi, K., Ahrens-Barbeau, C., Hallet, M.J., Barnes, C.C., Pierce, K. (2011). Neuron Number and Size in Prefrontal Cortex of Children With Autism. Journal of the American Medical Association, 306(18), 2001-2010 Rettner, R. (2011, January 11). Beyond Vaccines: 5 Things That May Cause Autism. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41028118/ns/health-mental_health/#.TsKw5_JbU3I Santrock, J.W. (2011). Life-span Development (13th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Senses Connected, The. (2011). The Autism Life. Retrieved from http://www.theautismlife.com/the-senses-connected What Causes Autism. (n.d.). National Autism Association. Retrieved from http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/causes.php