Autism

What is Autism?

Autism is a developmental disorder which usually appears as developmental delay before the age of 3. It affects a person’s ability to communicate and understand language as well as socially interact and play with others in a manner appropriate for their age. Autism is considered a developmental disability because it interferes with the typical rate of childhood development. Usually developmental milestones are not met as expected.

Other diagnoses which also fall under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disabilities are: PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett’s syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.

Characteristics

Every person with autism is unique and therefore no two individuals with autism will experience the world identically or behave in the same way. However, there are some common characteristics of individuals with autism that may occur:

  • Difficulty in using and understanding language. Some children develop typical speech patterns until age two;
  • Poorly developed social skills and unusual play with toys;
  • Over or under sensitivity to sound, sight, taste, touch, or smell;
  • Repetitive behaviours such as spinning objects or rocking;
  • Certain behaviours exhibited to stimulate the senses, such as switching a light on and off repeatedly, or humming loudly;
  • Difficulty with changes to surroundings or routines;
  • Very high levels of activity for long periods of time;
  • Uneven skill development. Some skills are normal or superior for their age while others show significant delay;
  • Challenging behaviours such as aggression, self injury or severe withdrawal.

Causes

The cause of autism remains a mystery. Nobody knows the cause. Some scientists believe there is a biological cause that affects the working of the brain, but this has not been proven. It is possible there are many factors that could interact with one another which could cause different characteristics in each individual with autism. Parents do not cause autism.

References

American Psychological Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition). Washington, D.C.

Baron -Cohen, S., & Bolton, P. (1993). Autism: The facts. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

Barth, C., Fein D., & Waterhouse, L. (1995). Delayed match to sample performance in autistic children. Developmental Neuropsychology, 11, 53-69.

Bee, H. (1997). The Developing Child. New York: Longman.

Bolton, P., MacDonald, H., Pickels, A., Rios P., Goode, S., Crowson, M., Bailey, A., and Rutter, M. (1994). A case control family history of autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 877-900.

Courchesne, E., Chisum, H., & Townsend, J. (1994). Neural activity-dependent brain changes in development: Implications for psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 697-722.

Davis, E., Fennoy, I., Laraque, D., & Kanem, N. (1992). Autism and developmental abnormalities in children with perinatal cocaine exposure. Journal of National Medical Association, 84, 315-319.

Geller, E., Rivto, E.R., Freeman, B.J., & Yuwiler, A. (1982). Preliminary observations on the effects of Fenfluramine on blood serotonin and symptoms in three autistic boys. New England Journal of Medicine, 307, 165-169.

Hardman, M.L., Drew, C. J., & Egan, M.W. (1996). Human Exceptionality: Society, School and Family (5th Ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Klinger, L. G., & Dawson, G. (1995). A Fresh Look at Categorization Abilities in Persons with Autism. Learning and Cognition in Autism. New York: Guilford Press.

Lotter, V., (1978). Follow up studies. In M Rutter E. Schopler (Eds), Autism: A Reappraisal of Concepts and Treatments (pp. 475-495). New York: Plenum.

McDougle, C.J., Price, L.H., & Volkmar, F.R. (1994).Recent advances in the pharmacotherapy of autism and related conditions. Child and Adult Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 3, 71-89.

Prizant, B. (1996). Communication, language, social and emotional development. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 173-178.

Sigman, M., & Ungerer, J.A. (1984). Attachment behaviors in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 14, 231-244.

Suggested Readings

- Cohen, D. J., & Donnellan, A. M. (1987). Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Silver Spring, MD: V. H. Winston & Sons.

- Hart, C. A. (1993). A parent's guide to autism: Answers to the most common questions. New York: Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Co.

- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Available from Plenum Publishing Corporation, 233 Spring Street New York, NY 10013. (Telephone: 1-800-221-9369.)

- Powers, M.D. (Ed.) (1989) Children with autism: A parent's guide. Rockville, MD: Woodbine House.

  
 

 

 

 

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