Health Sciences - Autism - Research Paper Example

The cause of the illness is not fully understood, but new information suggests the environment in the womb may be a contributing cause. Treatment for autism is in creating coping skills for the child so that they can grow up to be productive adults. The disorder of autism has become an increasing problem as more children are born with the associated issues every year, leading researchers to search for better treatments that can help autistic children integrate and become productive adults. Autism can be described as an “affective, a perceptual, a linguistic, a cognitive, and a communicative disorder with causation being discussed from biological, behavioral and interactional model perspectives (Quill 12).

The basic symptoms of autism are based on the ability for the patient to express or experience emotions in combination with a lack of the ability to socialize and engage the world around them through meaningful relationships. The common problems for children with autism begin with language where the child has difficulty in expressing and understanding communication. Social interactions are difficult with stunted abilities in sharing experiences and interpreting the social cues of others being typical issues.

Children with autism will have a difficult time understanding the idea of imagination, unable to grasp the concept of fantasy. Instead the child will often engage in obsessive and repetitive behaviors. Because of the importance of these different aspects in developing play, children with autism are often left out and isolated without an understanding of the way the world works around them (Moor 19). The causes of autism are not completely understood. When the disorder was first discovered it was believed to be caused through a mental pressure, primarily blamed on the mother for not expressing enough warmth towards the child.

It has since been determined that the issues are evident from birth and it has been determined that genetic problems are it primary cause. The problem with this conclusion is that the rate of autism occurring is increasing at a rapid rate and is far more rapid than the evolution of genes can be held responsible. A study done on the birth of twins has suggested that it is the environment in the womb, not only genetic factors, that cause the emergence of autism. The study looked at 192 sets of twins, some fraternal and some identical, in which at least one was diagnosed with classic autism.

The results are as follows: “The study found that autism or autism spectrum disorders occurred in both children in 77 percent of the male identical twins and in 50 percent of the female identical twins. As expected, the rates among fraternal twins were lower: 31 percent of males and 36 percent of females” (Tarkin). This has lead to the belief that while genetics are a factor, the environment of the womb is also a factor in the development of autism. There are some indications, for example that women who take anti-depressants in the year before getting pregnant might be at higher risk for having children with autism (Tarkin).

Children with autism experience avoidance of sharing space. The social experience of connecting to others, the development of interactions within a defined space is an uncomfortable and difficult experience for a child with autism. Communication is a mystery to them and they do not understand the benefits that come from communicating their wants and needs. As a consequence, even when they