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
