Psychology-Diagnosis and Treatment - Essay Example

Psychology, Diagnosis and Treatment (Autism) of School Psychology, Diagnosis and Treatment (Autism) Introduction Autism can be best described as a mysterious mental ailment. So far, it has defied all attempts to yield its dark secrets to medical research. There is some light shed on its causes but these are as of now just mere theories. Among these attempts to help explain the mysteries of autism are the theory of mind, the theory of executive dysfunction and the theory of weak central coherence.

However, none of these theories sufficiently explain why autistic people act and think like they do but these theories are good starting points. A real medical breakthrough is still quite far away and autism is unfortunately a lifelong condition. There is still no definitive cure for autism. There is also a prevailing misconception about autism that it is a childhood condition. This belief implies it is a childhood mental disorder but that it gets better or goes away as the child develops into an adult, which is clearly not the case.

This wrong impression about autism is because it is first noticed during the first early years of a child’s development (usually at around three years of age) when the child is expected to learn a few words and start talk in a coherent manner. As toddlers, autistic children seem to develop a bit normally but then inexplicably regress that persists throughout their lives (Frith, 2003, p. 2). One thing is certain though; there are very few solid facts about autism which is a reason why it is poorly understood among parents, psychologists, teachers and educators.

With autism, nothing seems like what it is at first glance and impressions can be misleading (Frith, 2008, p. 3). In a broad sense, autism is the lack of a correct social sense in social communications. Discussion The suspected causes of autism are many: among them are genetics, anatomical fault and a physiological dysfunction although researchers have not found any specific brain pathologies. There is general agreement that autism is a disorder of the developing mind. With this diagnosis as basis, psychologists utilize the three core defining features of autism and these are: problems with social interactions, impaired or incomplete verbal and non-verbal communications with the other people and lastly, repetitive behaviors characterized by a very narrow set of interests.

Autism is a behavioral development disorder diagnosed during childhood that continues through a person’s adult life although at this stage, it becomes less obvious or evident. This is due to some helpful interventions employed today such as early education and personal programs to assist autistic people in self-care and intensive training in social communications to encourage and give them a sense of independence when reaching adulthood. Trends in Diagnosis – there is now widespread agreement that autism is primarily a brain neurological disorder during its development.

There is an ever-growing body of medical research which showed that autism has a neurological basis and a pediatrician with enough background on clinical psychology can correctly diagnose a child as autistic. It takes more than just a single visit to diagnose it as it is based on a professional judgment from a number of behavior observations. There is no single lab test or X-ray that can confirm autism today but scanning using the latest diagnostic devices can tentatively only indicate some hints.

A differential diagnosis must be performed to eliminate other possible causes confusingly similar with autism such as mental retardation, deafness, metabolic ailment or genetic disease. It is often finally diagnosed as autism after a broad spectrum of symptoms using the full range of diagnostic statistical criteria. Treatments for Autism – current research with the view of finding eventual treatment is focused on the three theories mentioned earlier. The research emphasis is based on autism as having a neurological basis that impairs intuition and cognition.

Since autism is a social skills deficit in communicating, recent research focus is on the role played by the amygdala. This is the part of the brain thought by many experts as having the most important role in mediating social behavior (Moldin & Rubenstein, 2006, p. 243). In autistics, the amygdala is often enlarged. Since there is no cure yet for autism, there is no single recommended type of therapy that will work for everyone afflicted with autism. There are different approaches and interventions all patients and their parents can try if it will work or not.

The consensus is that the earlier treatment or intervention is started then the better is the outcome and the long term prognosis. A treatment should be individualized for each person is unique and should preferably use combinations both of behavioral therapies and medical treatments. All of them should be aimed towards achieving a degree of normalcy with regards to personal aspects such as sexuality, speech, functional skills, behavioral skills, job skills and even estate planning in late adulthood.

Conclusion Most autism studies are done during early childhood years but very few after childhood. There are practically no studies on adult autistics and their long term prognosis because many had erroneously thought it had been cured during a person’s development towards adulthood. It is not the case though since autism is a lifetime mental development disorder. The best antidotes are kindness and understanding from family members (parents especially) and also through the educational system early on.

Acceptance, love, patience and de-stigmatization can go a long way towards helping autistic children live meaningful lives as adults (Morton-Cooper, 2004, p. 35). References Frith, U. (2003). Autism: Explaining the Enigma. Cornwall, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Frith, U. (2008). Autism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Moldin, S. O. & Rubenstein, J. L. R. (2006). Understanding Autism: From Basic Neuroscience to Treatment. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Morton-Cooper, A. (2004). Health Care and the Autism Spectrum: A Guide for Health Professionals, Parents and Carers.

London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Limited.