Autism: male versus Female - Research Paper Example

Because of this, children can be expected to listen to every word their parental figures say, especially at particularly young ages. Should any undesirable, questionable or otherwise ‘wrong’ behavior be observed, the parent or guardian can easily admonish or chastise the child, using punishment or any other form of conditioning and/or reconditioning, until the correct, desirable response is produced. However, there are those children who, no matter the amount of conditioning they are subjected to, continue to behave erratically.

And while this can and is in fact often attributed to a misanthropic, rebellious streak on the part of the child, it can also occur through no fault of their own. Such conditions such as mental retardation, Asperger’s syndrome and autism in particular have a way of stunting, impeding or otherwise messing with a child’s development, with the third being especially and alarmingly common. There are the lucky few who manage to survive, or even thrive in spite of – and sometimes, even because of – their condition, but it is still more likely that sufferers of the aforementioned psychological disorders will end up being rejected or looked down upon by society.

This being the case, the primary goal of this study is to examine what autism really is, such as its causes, symptoms and other such details. In particular, information shall be given on its prevalence in the male and female genders, and efforts shall be made to explain any discrepancies that may be observed. Autism: An Overview The American Psychological Association (2000) characterizes autism as a psychological disorder that often manifests by the time a child reaches 3 years of age. Its most common symptoms include restricted, repetitive behavior, not to mention an unusual ineptitude when it comes to social interaction and communication.

That is, a person said to be suffering from this condition may act in ways contrary to social norms. Autism is one of three conditions classified as an autism spectrum disorder, the other two being Asperger’s syndrome and PDD-NOS. Such conditions are notable for the presence of social as well as cognitive symptoms, which means that people suffering from such conditions often find themselves unable to understand or relate to what others should easily be able to (Rapin et al, 2008). These individuals also tend to deviate from social norms on a regular basis, even from a very young age (Volkmar et al, 2005).

For instance, as children, they tend not to respond to their own name, and eye contact seems to occur much less often. Lack of social understanding tends to take its toll on interpersonal relationships as well, which makes things somewhat complicated when one considers how prone autistic individuals are to bouts of melancholia (Burgess and Gutstein, 2007). Such anomalies often result from alterations within the individual’s neural network and, though they can be diminished given time and proper care, are said to be largely incurable.

But even then, it has not been unheard of for one with autism to recover from it on his own (Helt et al, 2008). Autism: Males and Females While this condition can occur in both genders, there are those who have observed its increased prevalence among males. Bazelon (2007) of the New York Times even notes this, citing how autism is often