Autism: An Experience

Introduction

In a high school, everyone is aware of the special needs kids but the students never take the time to get to know them. In my psychology class we had the opportunity to. Our teacher assigned us the Peer Support/ Research project. In the project we were allowed to choose a buddy who has special needs and were required to research their specific needs as well as spend time with our buddy. I chose my buddy to be a kid named Jared. Jared has autism. There were two reasons I chose Jared. One, he was one of the special needs students that I did not know personally yet. Two, I was interested in learning more about autism, a disorder that remains a mystery to most people.

Clinical Definition

Autism is a complex brain disorder that often inhibits a person's ability to communicate, respond to surroundings, and form relationships with others (NAAR, 2005). The severity and symptoms of autism vary in each individual. This is why autism is considered a spectrum disorder. Currently there are five recognized autism spectrums. They are autistic disorder, asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, rett syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (NAAR, 2005).

Autistic disorder is also known as "classic autism" (NAAR, 2005). It affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships, and respond appropriately to their environment (NAAR, 2005). Some people with autistic disorder are highly functioning. They have the ability to speak and interact with others, while others with autistic disorder are more affected and/or mentally retarded (NAAR, 2005).

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Asperger syndrome differs from autism disorder in that individuals do not have delay in spoken language development (NAAR, 2005). They do, however, have difficulties in social and communication skills (NAAR, 2005). These people are often obsessive and are very repetitive with routines.

Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as "regressive autism" (NAAR, 2005). Children that have childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) are usually normal for two- to- four years before developing something that resembles an autistic disorder (NAAR, 2005). The loss of interest in their social environment and self- care abilities are common signs a child has developed CDD (NAAR, 2005).

Rett syndrome is a complex neurological disorder that mainly affects females (NNAR, 2005). It typically develops around 6 to 18 months of age followed by a developmental regression (NAAR, 2005). Then the regression is followed by a deceleration of head growth, the loss of purposeful hand movements, and/or stereotypic hand movements (NAAR, 2005).

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS) is also called "atypical autism" (NAAR, 2005). The diagnosis of PDD/NOS is considered for children who show some symptoms of autistic disorder, but do not meet the criteria for the other pervasive developmental disorders (NAAR, 2005).

Possible Causes

The cause of autism is unknown, however there are many theories as to what does cause it. One theory is genetics, which has not had any substantial evidence to prove it (Fine- Edelstein, 2006). Another is autism may result form metabolic disorders like a

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serotonin deficiency (Fine- Edelstein, 2006). Viral infections such as German measles and complications during pregnancy are also possible factors (Fine- Edelstein, 2006). There is also a theory that autism is caused by certain vaccinations such as DPT and MMR (Fisher, 2006).

Discussion