Three years later, “infantile autism” was officially separated from childhood schizophrenia in the published Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In 1987, the term, “infantile autism” was later replaced by a broader term - “autism…
4. Equity: We promote fair and equitable access to supports, opportunities and services for all individuals on the autism spectrum; and strive for equity and fairness in decision making and in our relationships with others. 5. Integrity and Accountability: We act with honesty, integrity and openness in all dealings; adhere to high ethical and performance standards and manage resources in a responsible and prudent manner. 6.…
Chapter 1 focuses on how ASD is classified and treated. Autism is largely still misunderstood so treatments and classification vary depending on doctor and family feelings. This chapter explores the theories behind the development of ASD and highlights several studies highlighting scientific research into the cause behind Autism. Chapter 2 primarily focuses on assessments at several different levels. The first type of assessment is a screener that is given to children who may be at risk for developmental delays.…
Autism is not a disease but a disorder. A disorder which affects the brain and according to Human Diseases and Conditions Autism is defined as “a person’s ability to communicate with and relate to other people and limits the person’s interests and activities.” Within the last few years, autism has finally been recognized as a medical condition. For many years, autism was thought to be a mental disease instead of a developmental disorder. This was until Leo Kanner conducted his research on One of the “founders” of autism is Leo Kanner a physician at Johns Hopkins.…
This was one of the more noble goals, but it was skewed as well. There are now too many mental disorders to shuffle through in the books, and the symptoms drag on and on. It’s almost impossible for a psychiatrist to scan the manuals to help diagnose a patient in a meeting. The DSMs never take into account an individual; it’s always a group. The people in charge of creating the DSMs did it this way because it is easier to publish, but it leads to more problems about grouping people until everyone loses touch with their own piece of normal.…
This number has been on the rise for the past 10 years. There are many speculations about why the number has spiked so drastically. A prevalent theory is that the DSM-V broadened the definition of Autism, making more children diagnosable. Under the DSM-V, Asperger’s Syndrome, Rett’s, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, do not exist. Many studies have been done to test if this new classification had any different stigma for a child who was previously diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.…
What scientific evidence supports or contradicts a link between MMR vaccines and Autism? Based on the available scientific evidence can we decide the case pro or contra this link? 7573 Word count: 857 WebMD defines autism as “… a developmental disability… characterized by problems in social interaction and communication and by the need for sameness or repetition of behavior.” Autism has been increasing; this could be due to the awareness, but also people are having their own idea as to why this is.…
Asperger observed autism-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys. Those who were affected were described with the term “high-functioning autism.” In 1944, Asperger’s was added to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, separate from autism. Many professionals still consider Asperger’s as a less severe form of autism.…
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects the brain’s development of social and communication skills. A person with autism may have repetitive behaviors, social challenges, and communication difficulties which last throughout a person’s lifetime. About one percent of the world’s population is living with autism, and about 3.5 million Americans are living with an ASD. There is no known single cause for autism, but most accept that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the brain structure when compared to a neurotypical brain (Autism-Society).…
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people. It is a spectrum condition that shares difficulties with people who are autistic and how those difficulties affect them in different ways. One individual may live independently where another individual may have a learning disability requiring long-term support. So spectrum is used to classify something in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme points. One individual may be on the higher end of the spectrum and another may be on the lower end.…
Focus your attention to the world around you. Your interpretations rely on your ability to relate to the outside world, express yourself as an individual with communication and gestures, and create lasting relationships through social interactions. However, these are foreign concepts to over two million individuals in the United States alone diagnosed with the third most common developmental disability. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological developmental disorder with symptoms showing within the first three years of life. The disorder is five times more likely in boys than in girls, but it knows no social, ethnic, or racial boundaries.…
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM, contains an exhaustive amount of variety when it comes to mental disorders. These mental disorders are classified in clusters to benefit psychiatrists and scholars who are interested in understanding and perhaps treating the mentally ill. From its first launch in 1952, to its fifth edition version in 2013, the DSM has over gone many revisions; however, these revisions stem from the problems and controversies within this scientific text. Judgement and controversy have been placed on the DSM for many reasons. The revisions of this text circle around the DSM's scientific validity, the vague distinction between "normal" and "non-normal" behaviors, as well as the struggle…
Autism spectrum disorder and autism are both terms to describe a group of developmental disorders of the brain. These disorders are measured in varying degrees by difficulties in social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviors. There is no one type of autism, just like there is no one cause. Experts are still unsure about all the causes of autism, but it appears to be a combination of multiple circumstances. These circumstances include environmental, biological and genetic factors.…
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) When you hear the phrase autism spectrum disorder what is the first thing that comes to your mind? According to Chevallier et al. (2014) “autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by marked impairments in socialization and, in particular, by a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, and a lack of social or emotional reciprocity” (p.972). By better understanding autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we might be able to explain the performance gap between children with ASD and children without ASD in the theory of mind (ToM) task.…
The fastest growing disability right now is Autism. According to Gargiulo (2014), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects one’s ability on their social interaction skills. An individual with ASD also displays repetitive interests and behaviors and an impaired development in verbal and non-verbal communication. Some of the many characteristics of individuals with ASD are aggressiveness, hyperactiveness, short attention span, impulsive, hard time concentrating, often causing injury to themselves, little or no eye contact, and obsession with a certain toy or object. They may or may not have an understanding of the concept of Theory of mind which is knowing that others have their own mind that consists of their…