Effects of Autism
AUTISM ESSAY
Name: Cloleisha Ottey
Group: M1
Date: April 11, 2013
Lecturer: Miss. M. East
Assignment: Three
Autism and its Effects
Autism is a syndrome characterized by issues in communication and social interaction and is diagnosed at the latest three years in a child’s life. Autism is also called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and includes a broad range of disabilities such as Asperger Syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome (almost exclusively affects females) and Pervasive Development Disorder. There are varying degrees of the disorder from low-functioning (no communication) to high-functioning (some communication and inappropriate but existent social skills). The characteristics also vary and present themselves socially (resistance to being held or touched), linguistically (makes verbal sounds while listening-echolalia), behaviorally (obsessions with objects, ideas or desires.), emotionally (resists change in the environment (people, places, objects).) and physically (unusual gait.) in the child’s life. With an individual dealing with so much, how does it affect the family structure? I will be exploring the implications of the effects of Autism for the individual, parents and siblings.
The life of an Autistic child is overwhelming. Carly a fourteen year old, when she was finally able to communicate in a way the world could understand expressed what it feels like being Autistic. After eleven years of silence she ran up to a computer and entered her first word “hurt”, her second word was “help”. She expressed how much she would love to be like other children but she can’t help but be herself. She explained the reason for her constant rocking, not wanting to be touched and banging her head. She said it felt like a thousand ants were crawling over her body, her feet felt like they were on fire and if she didn’t bang her head she felt like she would explode. For years she understood what was being said around/about her but had no way of expressing herself.
Name: Cloleisha Ottey
Group: M1
Date: April 11, 2013
Lecturer: Miss. M. East
Assignment: Three
Autism and its Effects
Autism is a syndrome characterized by issues in communication and social interaction and is diagnosed at the latest three years in a child’s life. Autism is also called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and includes a broad range of disabilities such as Asperger Syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome (almost exclusively affects females) and Pervasive Development Disorder. There are varying degrees of the disorder from low-functioning (no communication) to high-functioning (some communication and inappropriate but existent social skills). The characteristics also vary and present themselves socially (resistance to being held or touched), linguistically (makes verbal sounds while listening-echolalia), behaviorally (obsessions with objects, ideas or desires.), emotionally (resists change in the environment (people, places, objects).) and physically (unusual gait.) in the child’s life. With an individual dealing with so much, how does it affect the family structure? I will be exploring the implications of the effects of Autism for the individual, parents and siblings.
The life of an Autistic child is overwhelming. Carly a fourteen year old, when she was finally able to communicate in a way the world could understand expressed what it feels like being Autistic. After eleven years of silence she ran up to a computer and entered her first word “hurt”, her second word was “help”. She expressed how much she would love to be like other children but she can’t help but be herself. She explained the reason for her constant rocking, not wanting to be touched and banging her head. She said it felt like a thousand ants were crawling over her body, her feet felt like they were on fire and if she didn’t bang her head she felt like she would explode. For years she understood what was being said around/about her but had no way of expressing herself.