Spectrum

What is Autism Spectrum (ADS)? Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder that impairs a child’s ability to interact and communicate with others. The term “Spectrum” refers to a wide range of symptoms and severity. ASD is defined by the American Psychiatric Association Diagnosis and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), as a single disorder that includes disorder’s previously considered separate. Such as Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, etc. In other words, Autism is a combination of multiple disorder’s previously known to be single. Experts say that autism presents itself upon the first 3 years of a child’s life. It is also believed that the number of children getting diagnosed with Autism is rising, even though it is unclear if the numbers are increasing due to better detection and/or reporting, or because of a real increase, or both. Autism Spectrum Disorder affects the way a person interacts with another. This can cause problems in important areas of development. Different children may show signs of ASD at different ages. Some children show symptoms in their early ages of infancy, while others may develop normally in the first years of life then suddenly may lose the skills they had already learned.…

Being a parent of a child diagnosed under the DSM-IV criteria for PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified), I always state “if you know someone on the Autism Spectrum, you know one individual.” No two individuals are alike due to the wide range of symptoms and severity of the Autism Spectrum. The range allows for a more inclusive way to give children as much help as possible. The DSM-IV broke up the “autism spectrum” into a few main categories: autistic disorder,…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a “lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder” distinguished by “difficulties in social interaction, communication, restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours, and sensory sensitivities” (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2015). Autism Spectrum Australia (2015) explains that the word ‘spectrum’ reflects “the range of challenges that people with autism may experience”, which means that some people with autism may be able to live relatively typical lives, in…

For many expecting parents, the most exciting thing about having a child of their own is not only to have someone to love unconditionally, but also to be loved unconditionally in return. Unfortunately, there are a number of disorders that can affect infants from birth that would impair their ability to return their parents’ affection. Autism is one of these disorders and is the most severe neurodevelopmental disorder classified within the autism spectrum disorders (ASD)— a group of developmental…

Autism is a complex genetic developmental disorder that affects the wiring of the brain. The disorder is also known as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).The severity of this disorder depends solely on the individual carrying it. There are different types of Autism, which allows each case to be unique. People diagnosed with Autism usually specialize in certain subjects, but may not be as well adapt in other areas. There are multiple causes of Autism, it is so much more than a “defective brain.”…

Individuals with autism experience varying degrees of some core characteristics. The severity of disability caused by these symptoms places the individual somewhere along the autistic spectrum. For this reason, autism is actually officially known as autism spectrum disorder, or ASD (Chevallier, Kohls, Troian, Brodkin, and Shultz, 2012). Autism spectrum disorder has recently become an umbrella over subtypes of autism which were previously categorized separately. ASD now refers to autistic…

Autism: An exploration into a unique mind Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the U.S. and affects tens of millions of families worldwide. The occurrence of Autism has increased 30% in the last two years. A family caring for someone with Autism spends, on average, $60,000 per year on resources to help their loved one. Autism Speaks is the worlds ' leading Autism advocacy organization whose mission is " To improve the lives and future of all who struggle with an…

Autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD, refers to a wide variety of developmental disorders. It includes a wide range, or spectrum, of skills, symptoms, and levels of disability. Since it is a spectrum, people who have ASD can vary from being high functioning or severely impaired. As well as explaining the overall symptoms of ASD, this paper will also explore a specific type of ASD called, Asperger’s syndrome known as being on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. However, there…

Since the 1940s autism has been a growing disability across the world. Back in 1985 5 out of every 10,000 people were diagnosed as being autistic. From 2000 to 2002 the rates increased to 6 out of every 1,000. Today 1 out of every 88 people can be diagnosed anywhere on the Autistic Spectrum. To understand why so many are affected by this disorder we must look at the history, what types of labels are present today, how an individual obtains a diagnosis, what to look for in these individuals, and…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social-interaction difficulties, communication challenges, and a tendency to want to engage in repetitive behaviors. However, symptoms and their severity vary widely across these three core areas. Taken together, they may result in relatively mild challenges for someone on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. For others, symptoms may be more severe, as when repetitive behaviors and lack of spoken language interfere with everyday…