A Secret World: Autism Misunderstood

Today I was looking to expand the blog’s reach. To do so, I 
I was trying to find an old video I posted on Facebook about Autism. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it; however, I did stumble upon Carly. Carly is a girl with Autism. She inspired me to research the disorder more accurately, should I say the spectrum of disorders. I have friends with Aspergers, a high functioning form of Autism, but like many others, I had preconceived notions about Autism before begetting my research. Let me start by explaining a little bit about Carly’s story.

 

Carly

 

The video¹I found might be old, but in the video, ABC news covers a story about a 14-year-old girl with Autism in Toronto, Canada. Her name is Carly. When I clicked on the video, I thought that she would be your typical kid with Autism. Boy, was I wrong? This girl is amazing. At first, my suspicions were confirmed, but as I watched further, something happened; she opened my eyes to a whole new world. Now I understand why people want to work with autistic children. They are so smart and have so much to teach us. It is just that we have not found a way to unlock the keys to their secret world at this point.

 

Carly did not communicate a word until she was 11. Then one day, she ran to a computer and typed one name, hurt. A couple of days later, or I might have gotten the timeline wrong, she ordered help but then was prompted to finish the word, and she added a p. It took time, but with the help of numerous therapists, Carly could find her voice. She now has a blog where readers can follow her story and get updates about Carly and autism². 

 

 

Hollywood Myth

 

Carly’s story inspired me to do further research, and I came across several interesting things. The first of which is a startling number of stereotypes of Austin. These stereotypes about Autism are often perpetuated in mainstream society in popular formats such as the silver screen. A well-known movie was produced in 1988, which had two popular actors and discussed Autism. It was called Rain Man, and it was produced by the Guber-Peters Company³. The movie starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. To give a short synopsis of the movie, Charlie Babbit kidnaps his Autistic brother from a facility after learning that he has been given the majority of the family inheritance. The film portrays Dustin Hoffman’s character “Rain Man” as an Autistic Savant. He can remember numbers extremely well and sticks very near to a schedule. While it is true that some  Autistic people are savants, according to Care2.com, this portion of Autism is highly less prevalent than the movie suggests. Many people with Autism have learning difficulties and need help when it comes to an educational setting⁴.

The Truth About Autism

 

Since I have discussed the Hollywood about Autism above, I feel it is appropriate to outline the basic facts of Autism here. Autism is much like Muscular Dystrophy. Autism does not refer to precisely one disorder; instead, it refers to a group of disorders. Therefore, to be more accurate, there is not a disability known as Autism, rather disabilities along the Autism Spectrum, hence the term Autism Spectrum Disorder. ASDs are not disorders that can be scientifically diagnosed. However, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)⁵, there are seven early signs of Autism. They are no babbling or pointing by age 1, no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2, no response to name, loss of language or social skills, poor eye contact, excessive lining up of toys or objects, no smiling or social responsiveness. However, if your child does not exhibit these early signs, there are still later disorder indicators. They include impaired social interaction or imagination capabilities and language deficiencies, such as the repetitive use of language. Autistic children also tend to be very ritualistic individuals, but it does not necessarily exhibit this behavior. 

 

Now that the primary signs of Autism have been discussed, it is essential to discuss Autism diagnosis. This is a two-step process in most cases. The first signs of Autism or an ASD are usually detected by a pediatrician or other childhood doctor with light screening methods. If a child is thought to have an ASD, then the second stage of screening can begin. This screening stage is more complex and involves a team of individuals, not just one specific doctor. Although "While you may be concerned about labeling your young child with ASD, the earlier the disorder is diagnosed, the sooner specific interventions may begin. Early intervention can reduce or prevent the more severe disabilities associated with ASD. Early intervention may also improve your child's IQ, language, and everyday functional skills, also called adaptive behavior.”⁶  The team usually includes individuals from numerous disciplines, including psychologists, neurologists, speech pathologists, and/or pediatricians⁵. When individuals are diagnosed with Autism, they are usually broken into three groups: classic Autism, Aspbergers, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). The distinction is usually based on an individual’s language skills. Those with highly developed language skills who exhibit signs of Autism are usually classified as having Aspbergers. It is often true, but not always, when an individual with Aspbergers will specialize in a particular subject. As with all Autistic disorders, individuals with Aspbergers struggle in social situations. Another group can be classified as PDD-NOS. This is used as a “catch-all” label for all children who exhibit some Autistic behaviors, but not enough to fit either the diagnosis of classic Autism or Aspbergers. A final, rare group can be diagnosed as having Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. These children develop normally until somewhere between the ages of three and ten, starting to establish Autistic behaviors. All three of these groups are Autistic, but all three of these groups are also not well understood. There are common stereotypes of Autism that need to be debunked. 

 

There are several common misconceptions when it comes to ASD. The most common misconception is that people who are autistic have trouble making friends. This, however, is far from the truth. Autistic people may struggle in certain social situations, but that does not limit them from maintaining friendships and other relationships with their peers. What often limits this is a misunderstanding of difference. Autistic people are just like you and me except that they express themselves in different ways. If we want to change the way people view Autism, we must increase autism awareness and knowledge⁷.

Another common misconception is that autistic people lack empathy; however, this is far from the truth, intact the extreme opposite is often true. Many people with Autism often feel too much empathy and get overwhelmed by the people around them. Perhaps the empathy problem can be better understood if the people who interact with autistic individuals are more patient and change how they present stimuli to autistic people.

Communication in today's society is crucial; if one does not know how to communicate, their ideas can be lost on those around them; however, verbal communication is not the only way contact occurs. A large portion of communication comes from body language and other methods. This principle also applies to the autistic community. If people wish to understand Autism as a whole better, they must realize that traditional communication methods are not always possible or feasible. For example, some individuals with Autism remain non-verbal or a large portion of their lives, i.e., Carly; however, this does not mean they have nothing to say; they are human with wants, feelings, desires, and dreams. Autism, just like disability, in general, is given a negative reputation by society simply because people do not know how to unlock the secret world of Autism. in other words, I believe that Autism is not a disability. Instead, it is a reflection of society's inability to think outside the box. Autistic people may be some of the smartest individuals gods created, and it may be a society behind in the times⁷. 

 

Autism is highly prevalent in the U.S. however; it is not only an American problem. The following graph shows that Autism is a growing problem worldwide and needs to be better understood as a whole. Such organizations as Autism Speaks⁹ and others do a great job of promoting Autism research and Autism awareness. Still, through word of mouth and further knowledge, the world of Autism will one day no longer be a mystery.

 

 

 

COUNTRY China	NUMBER 1,100,000	DATA SOURCE Peking Health Science Center (estimate based on official 2005 rate of 1.1 in 1000 children affected)
India	2,000,000	Action for Autism India (based on an estimated rate of 1 in 250)
United States	1,500,000	U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ADDME Study 2007 and Autism Society of America
United Kingdom	650,000	National Autistic Society 2006 (based on the rate of 1 in 100)
Mexico	150,000	Based on estimates by the Ministry of Health of 2 to 6 per 1000
Philippines	500,000	Autism Society of the Philippines
Thailand	180,000	An estimate of the Minister of Mental Health 8

 

 

 

Footnotes 

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa3X4ASf0wA
2. http://carlyvoice.com/home/ 
3. imdb.com
4. Care2.com
5. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
6. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-parents-guide-to-autism-spectrum-disorder/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd.shtml 
7. http://www.care2.com/causes/dubunking-7-common-myths-about-autism.html#lxzz2SjFo0bOY

Eight .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa3X4ASf0wA9. autismspeaks.org