Autism
Autism is a neurological disorder, characterized by inability to interact socially, linguistic disability, intense, narrow interests, and repetitive behaviors. These are called stims. They include walking on tiptoes, flapping of hands, staring at objects for a prolonged period of time, oral fixation, spinning in circles, and other repetive activities. Other signs include lack of eye contact, playing alone, lack of words, or in the case of aspergers, big vocabulary but lack of social skills or inapropriate behavior. It is usually detected by the time a child is four years old but some people have forms of autism that are so mild that they go unnoticed into adulthood. There are many intelligent and talented autistic individuals.[1]
Autism appears to be on the rise and psychologists claim that approximately 1 out of 166 people has autism today. Some estimates are as high as 1 in 150 people [2], and it has been rising. Among boys, 1 in 94 has the disorder. In New Jersey, which has the highest rate in the nation, 1 in every 60 boys has autism and 1 in every 94 children is affected.
Autism is a spectrum disorder which means there is a range in how it effects different people. Every child is also different. You have the fragile x syndrome, aspergers,pdd nos, mild autism, moderate autism, severe autism, and some idiot savantes. Autistic children will not all act like rain man. Nor are all autistic children uncaring or unable to show emotion, in fact many are very caring.
There is a rare form of low functioning autism called idiot savants in which the people who suffer from it cannot brush their teeth or take a bath or dress themselves or do any other basic activities but are extremely good at one thing, usually mathematics but sometimes also involving music, memory feats, or hyperlexia.
Autism was discovered in the middle of the twentieth century by Dr. Leo Kanner. Dr. Hans Asperger also did some research into autism at about the same time and discovered Asperger's syndrome. In the past it was blamed on frigid mothers. As early as the 90's many psychotherapy's were used to treat it. The best treatment, but not cure, is A.B.A. therapy, or Applied Behaviorial Analysis.
There is a raging controvery about whether or not thimerosol contributed to the rising autism rates. Thimerosol is a inorganic form of mercury that was used to a vaccine preservative. It is out of most vaccines, in all but the adult flu versions(however the mercury can go through the placenta). To read more on this, you would want to read David Kirby on the huffington blog.
External Links
- http://www.autismspeaks.org/(also has a charity that gives money to people who can't afford aba therapy. Sadly, a good many parents are in financial difficulties, due to insurance companies and medicaid bueracracy. ABA therapy wants at about 40 hours to turn a autistic kid around. They are trying to retrain the brain.
- http://www.autismdigest.com/
- http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/
- http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer
- http://www.autismlink.com/
Go to yahoo groups and type in asd. Each state has it's own group.
References
- ↑ Temple Grandin, "Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism" amazon link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307275655/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3432247-4184629?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1CWNFSEUCIXQL&colid=49VN3HJC5OQK
- ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm
