Autism: Slowly Achieving Life's Endeavors - Essay Example

The aforementioned disability results from problems in the nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and a network of nerves that allow an individual to move, think and sense the world (Brill 13). Autism though often associated with a social stigma, may be faced successfully with the appropriate approach. This condition should not be a hindrance for an individual to achieve his or her endeavors in life. This paper deems to explore autism and look into the concepts and experiences associated with the said condition that were triumphant in combating the effects of the disorder.

Definitions and Descriptions of Autism Autism as given emphasis by Happe is a biologically based disorder which is not confined to childhood (6). Moreover, it is also portrayed as a developmental disorder which lasts throughout life, which is not always characterized by special or savant skills (Happe 6). It is surprising that this disorder can be found at all IQ levels, but is usually associated with general learning intricacies or the person being mentally handicapped (Happe 6). Finally, it is labeled as a severe disorder of communication, socialization and communication (Happe 6).

The First Recognition of Autism People have been noticed and thus have been aware of the strange developmental patterns linked with autism for this reason several individuals tried to answer the inquiries about this bizarre phenomenon. Two of the known personalities were able to first publish the first accounts regarding this disorder namely Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger (Frith 5). The said publications by these two pioneers in the study of autism was published in 1943 and 1944 respectively; both contained comprehensive case descriptions and also provided the first theoretical attempts to explain the disorder (Frith 5).

Both authorities supposed that a fundamental biological disturbance was present from birth, which gave rise to highly characteristic predicaments as cited by Frith (5). Both experts also utilized the term “autistic” to describe such disturbance; such term was first coined by the eminent psychiatrist named Eugen Bleuler near the beginning of the twentieth century and was well known in psychiatry (Frith 5). Autism was illustrated as the extreme narrowing of relationships from people and to the outside world wherein the individual with autism exclude everything but himself (Frith 5).

This narrowing is depicted as a withdrawal from the fabric of social life into the self; hence, the words “autistic” and “autism”, from the Greek word “autos” which means “self” (Frith 5). The success of these two individuals in making detailed accounts of the disorder greatly helped in understanding, diagnosing, managing and dealing with the said condition. Understanding Autism Children with autism typically appear physically normal, but they manifest a cluster or group of behaviors that are linked to autism (Brill 13).

Medical practitioners usually look for an array of symptoms associated with the condition to be able to determine if an individual has autism (Brill 13). The manifestations are identified whether it is mild or severe and how it affects the manner how an individual develops and learn (Brill 13). The signs are usually dependent on the child and may vary diversely from one individual to the other (Brill 13). Knowing the impact of the symptoms to one's life