Autism

One of the topics out of these set of chapters that has really stuck out to me had to be the Theory of Mind section. It’s interesting how something growing up we don’t even realize that we develop. It’s not a conscious change, or at least I don’t remember it being so when I started tuning into other people’s perspectives. I guess to a child it’s just imitating the world they see around them. Which is what makes this truly interesting, we develop this theory of mind and are able to tune into…

Case Study: Meet Samuel Samuel is seven years old and in year three. He attends the local public school. Samuel wears the same t-shirt and shorts each day, regardless of the weather. He finds comfort in familiarity and is put out by change. His mother Lisa remembers many tantrums thrown by Samuel if his daily ‘uniform’ is being washed. Samuel becomes stressed and overcome by emotions if his t-shirt is not an option that day. This particular t-shirt fits him snuggly. He is disturbed by the…

Sensory processing is the ability to neurologically organize information our body picks up from the environment around us. Sensory information is received from the peripheral nervous system, which consist of sensations from the skin, muscles and our senses, which then transmitted to the brain. The information is then integrated and the individual has an adaptive response. An individual is composed of eight senses, which are tactile, olfactory, gustatory, visual, auditory, vestibular,…

Cell phones have become essential to American culture. Not a day goes by where we don’t see someone with an iPhone or a Samsung in hand. They could be texting, browsing the web, writing a paper, or even the old-fashioned phone call to someone they love. When cell phones don’t work correctly because of bad reception we become frustrated, angry, or even upset that we’ve psychologically lost our biggest connection to the outside world and the culture it offers. For instance, we can no longer…

of mental health disorder (DSM)V which was updated in 2013, placed diagnostic criteria for disorders such as Autistic disorders, Asperger syndrome, Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified into an umbrella which is now called ASD ("Autism Speaks," 2016; "CDC," 2016). Under the current DSMV, diagnostic criteria for ASD has five criterions A through E and the child must meet the requirements of each criterion to qualify for diagnosis for ASD. For example, the child must meet 3 of…

Fragile X syndrome is defined as a genetic condition that causes intellectual disabilities, behavioral and learning challenges and various physical characteristics. This syndrome, being a genetically heritable disease, is X-linked. This makes the disease more commonly observed in males than females, about two to one. Males have roughly a one in four thousand chance of getting the syndrome and females have about a one in eight thousand chance (Bostrom). Some general characteristics can be seen as…

These problems may include seizures, mood disorders anxiety, autism, motor skills inability , vision problems, or hearing problems. Of Mice and Men relates to this illness. Lennie has mental problems. The character kills innocent animals because of the lack of normal instincts. The mentally challenged man had many…

from athletes and their families, to coaches and volunteers. The special Olympics is offered all over the world in nearly 170 countries. Nattie Adams is a special Olympics coach for people with intellectual disabilities such as, down syndrome, autisms, fragile x syndrome and other disabilities. She explained that people with intellectual disabilities may experience certain limitations in cognitive functioning and other skills, like, communication and self-care. These limitations can cause a…

British author Mark Haddon wrote the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The story revolves around a young boy called Christopher John Francis Boone who investigates the murder of a neighbor’s dog, which leads him to a journey that will change his life forever. Despite his mental illness, he learns to face the difficulties of his world and to be capable of everything he can do. Because of these unique characteristics, I find this book one of the best books I have ever read.…

and often he would only speak one word at a time. He was not able to have a conversation, and would only speak unless he was spoken to, mostly if he was asked a question. According to Pry, Petersen and Baghdadli, children who have autism or are suspected of having autism do not ever fully develop functional language. At age five, children some children do not speak at all. It is thought that there is a relationship between functional language and social understanding. Jimmy does not demonstrate…