Antoine Keys
Ms. BJ Levis
HSS 418-75
4/5/13

Autism

Growing up at a young age I thought everyone was the same and that there were no problems in the world. But as grew I came to realize that people are different in many ways. There are many disorders and diseases that abnormally affect many people around the world. And now I think its important to learn about the uniqueness of those with disorders and diseases, and how to interact and be a help to those that have difficulties helping themselves. While in school I just saw those students with disorders as "the ones that always had to have adult assistance". I've never knew a lot about disorders or why people got them. I just knew that people look at them in a negative way. I think its important that we see what others see as a negative and turn it into a positive.
Other than breast cancer, my family and I have been blessed seeing how we haven’t had many encounters with diseases or disorders. In 2005 my cousin Amiya was born with autism. The first in my immediate family with the disorder. When she was born, up until recently, I knew nothing about autism. I just knew that she acted differently than everyone else and didn’t know how to speak words. I also noticed that she tried to use her hands to communicate. She would also mumble and scream randomly. But I gradually began to learn more about my cousin and her disorder autism.
According to autism.org, autism is a autism spectrum disorder of neural development impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior that normally appears in the first three years of a child's life. Meaning that it can be hard for those born with autism to communicate and socialize with others. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering the nerve cells. So how do you get autism you might ask? There is no one cause of autism just as there is not just one type of autism. Causes of autism have been linked to a combination of autism risk genes and environmental factors influencing early brain development.
Other risk factors include stresses during and before birth and problems doing the actual pregnancy, particularly those involving periods of oxygen deprivation to the baby’s brain. Autism.org states that it is important to keep in mind that these factors, by themselves, do not cause autism. Rather, in combination with genetic risk factors, they appear to modestly increase risk.
There are no known immediate cures for autism. Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can bring about substantial improvement. The ideal treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that meet the specific needs of individual children. Most health care professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis.
Autism is one of many different Autism Spectrum disorders. Others include: Asperger Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, and Rett Disorder. Many of these are very closely related to that of autism but Asperger Syndrome is the closest. The main goals when treating children with autism are to lessen associated deficits and family distress, and to increase quality of life and functional independence. No single treatment is best and treatment is typically tailored to the child's needs.
Families and the educational system are the main resources for treatment. Family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, often referred to as ASD, often helps families cope with the challenges of living with a child with an ASD. Doctors may prescribe medications for treatment of specific autism-related symptoms, such as anxiety,