ABA THERAPY

Proposal



Proposal

Introduction

Nobody knows the full effects of autism or what causes it. The disorder is so new that there are no drugs and few interventions. The history of Autism is short. Autism had been described as early as 1908 but categorized as a disorder in 1943 by a man named Leo Kanner. Even then, autism is a description of a range of disorders like Asperger's syndrome and Pervasive developmental disorders. Autism is ever changing; everyday scientists rush to figure out the effects of this disorder. Autism is a Developmental disorder characterized by: "Impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and imagination, unusual, or severely limited, activities and interests."

        Autism varies in severity a great deal; some exhibit only certain symptoms of the disorder and others can be unmanageable with the full range of severe symptoms. Autism's more common characteristic is the inability to socially interact or react, Autistic children sometimes fail to respond to their name or avoid looking at other people and making eye contact. Many children do not respond to others' emotions and have difficulty interpreting tone of voice or facial expression. Autistic children appear to be unaware of others feeling or emotions toward them and are oblivious of the negative impact of their behavior.

Some children resist physical contact and have abnormal responses to sensory stimulation like touch and sound. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. This may be because of the abnormalities of the brain that have been shown in CAT scans done on people and children with Autism. These tests have show that there is no reaction to the faces of strangers or acquaintances but the tests have also proven that the tested people have a significant reaction to the faces of loved ones. There has been no serious study on the effects of sensory stimulation on the autistic brain because autistic children are harder to study, they do not react too many things and do not follow directions like normal children.

Autism can resemble Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) which can make diagnosing it much harder on doctors. The symptoms vary widely and can go undetected in mildly affected children or those with multiple handicaps and so researchers have developed sets of criteria for Autism, this is the most commonly used:

Absence or impairment of imaginative and social play

Impaired ability to make friends with peers

Impaired ability to initiate and sustain a conversation with others

Stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language

Restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus

Apparently inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals

Preoccupation with parts of objects

        The intelligence in Autistic individuals is most often limited, about half the people tested for IQ scored 50 percent or lower, 20 percent scored between 50 and 70 percent and 30 percent scored higher than 70. However, it can be difficult to estimate IQ in young children with Autism because problems with language skills and behavior can interfere with testing. A very small percentage of people with Autism are ...