Explaining a Concept : Autism - Research Paper Example

Explaining a Concept Paper: Autism by This Explaining a Concept paper can be useful to new parents and all those involved in work with children such primary school teachers, social workers. Sometimes people neglect first symptoms of autism and reveal it in older age when the behavior has already been set. The concept of autism captured my imagination after I have watched “Raining Man” starring Dustin Hoffman as an autistic genius. The idea of the mental disorder which makes a person extra smart in certain issues, such as calculating long numbers at once, and turns him in an absolutely unadjusted to normal life human at the same time seemed very interesting to me . After a little exploration I discovered that the film created a false stereotype and that the information regarding this mental disorder is far more complicated. It turned out that autism is even more spread than I could imagine and that apart from emotional ignorance and savant skills it has a number of other attributes. Thus, in this paper I am going to explore the concept of autism and demonstrate that this diagnosis does not guarantee seclusion and isolation and that autistic people can even become professionals in certain spheres due to their extraordinary skills. Autism spectrum disorder is an umbrella term for a number of complicated disorders of brain development. All the impairments are characterized by problematic social interaction, difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication and routines in behavior. After 2013 autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, and Asperger syndrome were proclaimed to be one Autism spectrum disorder. The history of autism is long and controversial and begins with legends and tales about the children who were left by elves instead of the stolen. In the 18th century there were medical texts containing descriptions of people who probably suffered from autism (though the term was not used yet) - they could not talk, were excessively secluded, and possessed extraordinary good memory. French researcher J. M. Itard was the one who approached to the problem of people with autism closer than the rest of scientists and described this mental impairment on the example of the 12-year-old boy Victor living in the woods of Averon ("the Wild boy from Averon"). Itard called it "an intellectual mutism", thereby having allocated one of the main signs of autism - absence or a delay of speech development at normal intelligence level. In the work "Mutism called by defeat of intellectual functions" (1828) Itard generalized results of the 28 years researches at Sur-Mue institute (Wolf, 2004). Here the scientist described the attempts of the Wild boy`s from Averon treatment. Itard carried out careful studying of level of attention, memory, and imitating abilities of similar children, and came to the conclusion that children with an intellectual mutism were asocial, experienced huge difficulties in friendly relationships setting, and used adults only as tools for satisfaction of their requirements. Moreover they showed considerable violations in speech and language development (especially in the use of personal pronouns). Further the French scientist described the methods of diagnostics and correction of such children for the purpose of definition of opportunities of the child to recovery of the speech and training. Itard suggested separating the children described by him from mentally retarded children. He demonstrated the main clinical characteristics of an intellectual mutism, the ways of its diagnostics and correction. Unfortunately, at that time the work of the French researcher did not draw great attention of his colleagues (Wolf, 2004). One of the first scientists who formulated the concept of autism was Eugene Bleurer, Swiss psychiatrist, who aimed to distinguish schizophrenia symptoms some of which coincided with what was later coined into a new diagnosis. The term itself has a Greek etymology meaning “self” implying inadequate self-interest which leads to morbid self-absorption to such an extent that the external world becomes a threat and disturbance to patient`s internal fantasies (Kuhn & Cahn, 2004). For a long time the scientists believed that the reason of autism lies in a child`s upbringing, and in the early literature regarding this problem such concepts as “refrigerator mother” and “indifferent parenting” were mentioned. In the late 1960s nevertheless, a new hope for children with autism and their parents appeared. A father of an autistic son, Bernard Rimbland, decided to get all the possible information on autism in order to overturn the theory that this disorder can be a reaction to bad parenting (Tributes to a Founder, 2013). Instead of claiming parents for bad children`s upbringing he collected numerous cases of autism and any methods of its possible treatment. After Rimbland`s book Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior psychologists came to conclusion that genetic, biological, and neural impairments serve as the reason of autism origination. What is crucial in this example is that Mark, Bernard Rimbaland`s son, became a well-known painter. Most importantly, scientists now realize that there is no single reason for autism since there are more than one type of autism diagnosed. In the course of the recent five years, researchers have recognized various uncommon gene progressions or changes connected to autistic disorder. A little number of these genes are sufficient to cause autism without any additional reasons. Most risks of this mental disorder, notwithstanding, are created by a mixture of autism genes and ecological variables impacting early mind development. In the presence of a hereditary inclination to this mental disorder, various non-genetic or "ecological" risks seem to further expand the danger of autism. The clearest confirmation of autism components includes factors before conception and after birth. They incorporate progressed parental age at time of pregnancy (both mother and father), maternal disease history throughout pregnancy and certain troubles throughout conception, especially those including times of oxygen hardship to the infants mind. It is crucial to remember that these elements solely do not result in autism. It is rather a synthesis of factors with hereditary inclinations that can provoke autism in children. A developing group of examination states that a woman can decrease her danger of having a child with autism by taking pre-birth vitamins holding folic corrosive and/or consuming food rich in folic corrosive (no less than 600 mcg a day) during the first months of pregnancy. Progressively, scientists are looking for the new way of influencing autism by enhancing Immune system (What is Autism?). Among the most effective methods of autism treatment doctors claim Lovaas method based on Applied Behavioral Analysis and the Early Start Denver Model. Parents usually admit that such treatment techniques as Floor Time Play and Pivotal Response Therapy are very helping in daily improvement. It is important to start medical intervention as soon as the diagnosis is set in order to influence child`s formation adequately. Recent studies claim that children can even “grow out” of autism. New parents, kindergarten and primary school teachers have to recognize the symptoms of autism from the very beginning. Among the common symptoms of autism it is possible to distinguish social challenges, communication difficulties, and repetitive behavior. Most children at the age of 2-3 months already experience difficulties in social interaction; they do not maintain eye contact and do not interact non-verbally. They prefer solitude to group play, have difficulties with other people gestures and emotions interpreting, and usually cannot understand that people are different from them. Autistic children have visible delay in expressing themselves verbally and non-verbally. They do not bubble at early childhood and do not use words by the age of 1. However, if such impairments are diagnosed early, there is a big chance to correct verbal skills. Another alarming symptom is disability to understand non-verbal language: children cannot interpret gestures, facial expressions, mimics of the others. Moreover, they cannot also use non-verbal language which causes frustration. As they do not connect emotions to body language their understanding becomes complicated for both parties- a child and a parent. Another disturbing factor indicating autism in a child is a repetitive behavior. Such patterns include rocking, hopping, arranging and rearranging objects in a strict order, repeating sounds, words or phrases. Autistic children can spend hours placing their toys in a strict order, and can repeat this routine daily diving in their own world (What is Autism?). Among of the most interesting characteristics of autistic children is their ability to hold much information in working memory although its capacity is limited for average person. Autistic children can not only hold long numbers but operate them successfully in mind. In such a way Stephen Wiltshire , contemporary painter, is able to recreate the panorama of New York after looking on it from helicopter for twenty minutes. This helped him to become a popular UK painter. Most famous painters such as Bosch, Picasso, and Van Gog also had autistic traits of character however were not diagnosed with this mental disorder (Hennesy, 2012). To conclude, it is necessary to say that autism is a serious mental impairment which prevents children from normal communication and development. There are no direct reasons indicating why autism arises in some cases. Researchers suggest that mix of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors influence autism appearance in children. Nevertheless, there exist a number of techniques which prove to be effective in children`s adaptation to social world and their abilities enhancement. Many autistic people however managed to take advantage of their imparities and used extraordinary skills to become outstanding people. Thus, autism is a deviation and a child can even benefit from it in some cases. References Hennessy, D. (2012). How Autistic Artist Stephen Wiltshire Made it Big, The Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelhennessey/2012/09/10/how-autistic-artist-stephen-wiltshire-made-it-big/ Kuhn, R., & Cahn, C. (2004) Eugen Bleulers concepts of psychopathology, History of Psychiatry, 15(3), 361–6. Wolff, S. (2004). The history of autism, Child Adolescence Psychiatry, 13(4), 201–8. What is Autism? (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment Read More