Developmental Psychology on Autism with Children - Essay Example

?Developmental Psychology on autism: Improving the children’s lives Developmental psychology is the study of the changes that occur in an individual across lifespan (Santrock, 2007). Its major contribution in the mental health literature roots from the extensive research on the normal developmental milestones associated with the biological, cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and social spectra of life. While formulating clusters of expected behaviour and characteristics, developmental psychologists conform to the fundamental belief that humans can be highly dynamic and unique with each other. Therefore, it is vital to distinguish whether a specific behaviour or characteristic is within the normal range for age. With its increasing validity and sophistication of theoretical database, modern approaches to psychiatric disturbances are based on the theoretical themes of developmental psychology. Meanwhile, the exact psychopathology of autism is still unknown, but is regarded as a complex intertwining of biopsychosocial factors that is characterized by decreased responsiveness to direct and indirect stimuli, language and communication deficits, limited interests, and deviant responses to the environment. With the continued effort of therapists and mental health professionals, developmental psychology claims that the cause of behavioural and clinical manifestations of autism may be due to unfulfilled fundamental needs of love, affection, and acceptance (Greenspan & Robinson, 2004). These concepts remain to be important cornerstones of assessment tools and interventions in the care of children with autism and their families. In this paper, the extent of contributions of developmental psychology in these children’s health and well- being, improvement of education and social skills, and their families and method of parenting will be discussed. Education and Social Skills Developmental psychologists are particularly interested in the ways children with autism learn and comprehend. The results of researches in psychology aimed to develop age- appropriate teaching strategies to meet the complex needs of the special population (Parke & Hetherington, 2003). In a study by Howlin (1998), psychological and educational interventions for autism need to be based on individual manifestations and recognized needs. Although there are common domains of physical and emotional manifestations in children with autistic disorder, significant factors from their environment, as well as parenting methods, contribute to the overall efficiency of interventions. Essentially, the language and communication used in the educational system are indispensable factors to be considered in the teaching- learning process of autistic children. Recent findings from research report that these children need the same intensity and quality of information like their typical counterparts, although additional assistance may need to be extended in the language and communication areas. The research by Jordan (2005) established cogent claims on the necessity of autism- friendly environment in the provision of standardized quality of education to children with ASD. This form of environment suitable for education of special population considers the emotional components, learning needs, language difficulties, stress, and anxiety. To maximize desired outcomes, teaching staff are required to undergo training on teaching the special population. In fact, conversational skills to be reinforced to ensure that these children apply learned social skills in the community and home setting (Chin & Bernard- Optiz, 2000). Autistic children are trainable to develop the language and communication skills typical of children of their age. Health and well- being Modern researches in developmental psychology are focused on the enhancement of health and well- being of children (Santrock, 2007). Although there is no effective drug formulation to reverse clinical manifestations of autism, health needs of autistic children are fairly addressed by the provision of adequate nutrition appropriate for their chronological age. In a novel research by Melmed (2004), the autistic child’s physical and mental development should be the basis of their nutritional needs. Balanced diet is an essential part of maintaining their nutrition status. On the other hand, certain food additives may need to be reduced or completely eliminated, if possible, from their diet like food colour, sugar, aspartame, and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Psychosocial health should also be prioritized in the special population. Developmental psychologists found that children with ASD experience increased anxiety that could develop into physical symptomatology such as diarrhoea, constipation, and decreased appetite (Melmed, 2004). Conversely, this finding raised incompatible information from the medical perspective as these symptoms can be considered as part of a separate pathology. Despite the consequences, both disciplines do not overlook the importance of maintaining health for autistic children. Families and parenting method The existence of a family member with a mental disability can be very stressful for the whole family and primary caregivers. For this reason, parenting methods can be different in autistic children in such a way that physical and safety needs are the optimum focus of care and that the emotional component of management is easily neglected. The interest of developmental psychology in the process of attachment proved substantial changes in the perspectives of parenting in children with ASD. This concept influenced current home and community- based care for autism that integrates emotional and social components of interventions (White et al., 2007). In addition, the concepts of developmental changes that occur during toddlerhood are central components in understanding the causes and management of temper tantrums. Sudden outbursts of intense emotions and inappropriate repetitive behaviours tend to be exaggerated when their daily routines are not followed. Conclusions Every mental health professional, psychologist, psychiatrist, and therapist is indebted to a great deal of knowledge- base from the concepts of developmental psychology. The discipline has developed into a sophisticated body of knowledge which is indispensable in the improvement of standards of care for the special population. With a good understanding of the causes, key problem areas, and associated conditions of various mental health disparities, the proposed programs are improved to become age- appropriate and evidence- based. Indeed, the extent to which developmental psychology contributes to the lives of autistic children covers virtually every aspect of their optimum level of functioning— educational and social skills, health and wellness, family and parenting methods—necessary to maximize their innate capacity to integrate in the society as deemed possible. Finally, it is important to note that the management of autism occurs in a long- term basis (Melmed, 2004). There are no short- cut methods to reverse and minimize the psychosocial and physical manifestations of the autism. Integrated knowledge from various disciplines combined with experience and genuine concern for this special population are still the best way to deal with the condition. References Chin, H.Y. & Bernard- Optiz, V. (2000). Teaching conversational skills to children with autism: Effect on the development of a theory of mind. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(6), pp. 569- 583. Greenspan, S.I. & Robinson, R.G. (2004). Improving the prognosis for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A comprehensive developmental approach to intervention. The Journal of Developmental and Learning Disorders, 8, pp. 1-6. Howlin, P. (1998). Practitioner review: Psychological and educational treatments for autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39(3), pp. 307- 322. Jordan, R. (2005). Managing autism and Asperger's syndrome in current educational provision. Pediatric Rehabilitation, 8(2), pp. 104- 112. Melmed, R. (2004). Developmental pediatric approaches to autistic disorders: Experience and reason. The Journal of Developmental and Learning Disorders, 8, pp. 99- 109. Parke, R.D. & Hetherington, E.M. (2003). Clinical psychology: A contemporary viewpoint (5th ed). New York: McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc. Santrock, J.W. (2007). Child development (11th ed). New York: McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc. White, S.W., Keonig, K. & Scahill, L. (2007). Social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders: A review of the intervention research. Journal of Autism Development Disorder, 37, pp. 1858- 1868. doi 10.1007/s10803-006-0320-x Read More