AUTISM

Autism

Summary

Autism is one of a group of neurobiological disorders identified as pervasive developmental disorders by the American Psychiatric Association. Identification of this disorder usually occurs before age 3, often as a result of the child not developing language or losing communication skills previously evident. For children identified later in life, symptoms are found to have been evident before age 3, even if the diagnosis was not made during the early years. The interaction between the body and mind is the main result of identifying a person being normal or autistic. The autistic child achieved major motor achievements at about the same age as normal children, although there may be a slight delay. However, certain aspects of the behavior driving are abnormal; they tend to repeat a certain movement over and over again. Autistic children may remain wringing her hands in front of their eyes, or they can go round and round for a long time, apparently without being dizzy, also can swing to forward and backward from one foot to another or self-harm. The reaction of autistic children to their sensory experience is often strange. Sometimes acts as if not experience the noise, to see, perceive smells and feel the touch of other people or things you touch (Siegel, 2003).

Introduction

Autism was first defined in the 1940s by Leo Kenner, a psychiatrist, and was considered a disorder caused by an emotionally unavailable mother. This theory was the prevalent thought throughout the 1970s, with a gradual shift to understanding that autism is a brain-based disorder of undetermined origin. Educational implications and theories of how to help children with autism learn have been a part of this shift in thinking, with continued controversies on treatment and methods. This entry provides a definition of autism and information on models of instruction and therapeutic treatments, which remain a point of dissension within the educational community. Prior to the 1990 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), children with autism were given labels of mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or even “other health impaired” when identified by schools as needing special education services. However, these labels did not truly identify the needs of a child with autism, and in the 1990 reauthorization of IDEA, autism was added as a diagnostic category for school systems. Four years earlier, the passage of Public Law 99-457 required school systems to provide services to children with special needs ages 3 to 5 and encouraged the provision of services to children under the age of 3. This included children identified with autism and a documented developmental delay. However, the intensity and type of services were not defined in these laws, and this has led to continued controversy regarding appropriate programming (National Research Council, 2001).

The thesis statement which can be formulated for this research paper is as follows:

“Autism is defined as a psychological disorder in which the patient remains highly self-absorbed and is marked by social withdrawal. It is also associated with a number of other psychological disorders, making it imperative that we deal ...