Autism Spectrum Disorders ASD

What Is Autism?
Autism, also referred to as autism spectrum disorder, is a disorder that takes into account a variety of conditions signified by challenges with social abilities, repetitive manners, speech and nonverbal communication, in addition to distinctive strengths and differences (Autism Speaks, 2018). Delineated by a set of behaviors, autism impacts persons in dissimilar ways and to varying magnitudes. There is no acknowledged sole cause of autism, but increased cognizance and early diagnosis or intervention and accessibility to suitable services give rise to substantially augmented results (Autism Society, 2016).
What is the history of autism?
1887- Dr. John Langdon Down, the first to describe Down's syndrome, researched mental retardation and this is what would be classified as having Autism today
1911- Eugen Bleuler used the word autism to describe a symptom of schizophrenia
I943 and 1944 – Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger develop Infantile Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
1971- Eric Schopler and Robert Reichler studied the effects of parent involvement in the treatment of children with Autism
“Autism did not stop Einstein, Mozart, Newton, or Temple Grandin from reaching the stars and it won't stop my child”
1980- Autism was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Third Edition (DSM-III) as "infantile autism". This facilitates the ability of physicians to accurately diagnose Autism and enabled them to easily differentiate Autism from schizophrenia.
2013- After 19 years, the DSM has been updated based on new literature and clinical experience. Significant changes to the Autism criteria occurred in this update. The diagnosis will now be referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Project Autism, 2018).
Autism has become prevalent over the years.
The number of children detected with autism or associated disorders have increased at a considerably alarming rate. In the epochs of 1970s and 1980s, statistics indicated that about one out of every 2,000 children had autism. However, in the present day, the CDC makes and estimation that one in 150 8-year-olds in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD (Doheny, 2018).
How is Autism diagnosed?
Diagnosing autism continues to be challenging because up until the present day there is no one particular medical test or procedure that can diagnose the disease. Rather, specifically trained physicians together with psychologists run and oversee autism-specific behavioral evaluations and subsequently make a diagnosis. The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder takes two phases including developmental screening and comprehensive diagnostic evaluation.
Developmental Screening
Developmental screening is a short test that makes it possible to ascertain whether children are currently learning basic competencies and skill when they should or if they are experiencing some delays. In the course of this test, the doctor may ask the parent a number of questions or speak and play with the child in the course of an examination to perceive the way in which he or she speaks, learns, behaves, and moves. A perceived delay in any of these developmental aspects could be an indication of a problem.
All children ought to undergo screening for developmental interruptions and disabilities in the course of consistent doctor visits when they are 9 months, 18 months, 24 or 30 months. Supplementary screening may be necessitated if a child is at high risk for developmental issues owing to aspects such as pre-term birth or being born with low weight.
Furthermore, all children ought to undergo screening distinctively for autism spectrum disorder during doctor visits at the 18 month and 24 month period. Extra screening may be necessitated if a child is at high risk for ASD or if mannerism linked to ASD are existent.
If the doctor perceived any signs or indications of a developmental problem, an extensive diagnostic evaluation is necessitated (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).
Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation
The subsequent phase of diagnosis is a comprehensive evaluation. This exhaustive and in-depth assessment may encompass looking at the behavior and development of the child in addition to conducting an interview with the parents. The evaluation may also comprise of a genetic test, hearing and vision screening, neural testing, together with other medical tests (Lord et al., 2006).
Family Supports and Resources
Family members of children and adults with ASD experience numerous joys and challenges throughout their lives. The following are websites that can largely help families of individuals facing ASD:
1. ASD Vacations LLC
2. Asperger’s Community
3. Autism in Action
4. Autism Atlas
5. Autism Blogs Directory
6. Autism Calendar
7. Autism Family Online
Second Story Headline
References
Lord, C., Risi, S., DiLavore, P. S., Shulman, C., Thurm, A., & Pickles, A. (2006). Autism from 2 to 9 years of age. Archives of general psychiatry, 63(6), 694-701.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism Spectrum Disorder: Screening and Diagnosis. Retrieved 20 June, 2018 from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/screening.html
Doheny, K. (2018). Autism Cases on the Rise; Reason for Increase a Mystery. WebMD.
Autism Society. (2016). What is Autism? Retrieved 20 June, 2018 from: http://www.autism-society.org/what-is/
Autism Speaks. (2018). What is Autism? Retrieved 20 June, 2018 from: https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
Project Autism. (2018). History of Autism. Retrieved 20 June, 2018 from: http://projectautism.org/history-of-autism