Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): The Truth about Autism

Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): The Truth about Autism  

     Some people may have misconception towards other’s behaviors. I know I do. Have you ever thought somebody was just kidding around when they were yelling obnoxiously at a store, randomly bursting out into words and/or phrases, or making weird noises and sounds? Well, according to autismspeaks.org, the odds of being diagnosed with autism are 1 in 150. Autism affects an estimated 10 to 20 of every 10,000 people. It is about 4 times more common in boys as in girls. Also, as many as 1.5 million people in the
US are born with some sort of form of autism. As many as 1.5 million people in this country may have some form of autism. Autism can affect all races, socioeconomic levels, and ethnic groups (Ellis, MD, 2005). Most likely what you may be witnessing may not just be kidding around at all. It might actually be someone who is suffering from autism. Autism is one of the most common conditions in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders.

       Some common signs of autism include, not being able to socially interact as well as others, having difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, and having repetitive or constant behaviors. Also, parents tend to be the first ones to notice if their child is suffering from these symptoms (Dowshen, MD, 2008). Children who are born with this disease may tend to act normal up until a certain age, but then become different especially dealing with any social interactions or engagements. Suffering patients of autism, tend to not be able to look a person in the eye, or even be unsuccessful in responding to their own name. That is why one may not realize what the person is suffering from, and just assume they are either being obnoxious or having an inappropriate behavior on purpose. In addition, children with autism are also not as empathetic as a normal person would be, because they lack the ability to be able to understand people’s facial expressions or social cues. Head-banging, rocking, or biting are just a few examples of what a child with autism might take on in. Different signs of autism may come into view throughout the early years or stages of a person’s life.

        By the age of 3 the disorder is also usually diagnosed. Occasionally, the child’s growth expansion seems to be normal until about 2 years old and then regresses swiftly. Symptoms of autism occur in various combinations, including from mild to severe. For more severe however, medication is to be used. Also, some others signs of this disorder in infants include, a lack of any interesting toys, a lack of response to others, marked reduction or increase in activity level, or resisting cuddling (Swierzewski, III, M.D, 2000). According to kidshealth.org, people who have autism often enclose in postponed language development, show very little interest in the effort of making friends, and preferring to spend time alone. Also, another attribute of autism is called “sensory overload”. Sensory overload is when sounds seem louder, lights seem brighter, or smells seem stronger. Even though many people who suffer from autism also suffer from mental retardation, some of them are of average or have an even higher astuteness for knowledge. Furthermore, people who suffer with a form of autism, called savantism, have skills in specific areas or studies including, music, art, and numbers. People with savantism are capable of performing these skills without having any lessons(Dowshen, MD, 2008). In addition, not everybody with who suffers from autism have the same exact symptoms.       

       The symptoms can vary depending on a person and their condition. There are cases of autism that are mild, or there are cases that may be more brutal. Since autism tends to affect everyone in a different way, it is recognized as a spectrum disorder. Even if there are two people who may suffer or have the same spectrum disorder, it does not necessarily mean that will act the same or even have the same skills on possesses. Children suffering from autism may also live a life with a greater risk in resulting to becoming diagnosed with other diseases, such as: fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder (Autism, 2008). As you can see, autism can help lead the way into other diseases, causing more damage to a person in the future. Almost 20 to 30 percent of children who suffer from autism tend to develop or also become diagnosed with epilepsy by the time they reach parenthood (NINDS, 2009). According to kidshleath.org, people who suffer from schizophrenia may perhaps also show autistic behaviors. What causes autism one might ask? The brain obtains over 100 billion nerve cells called neurons. Each neuron may have hundreds or even thousands of connections that carry messages to many different nerve cells in the brain and even the body.  

       Coming from a personal experience of mine, a good family friend of mine has a child whom suffers from autism. Ever since this child was a baby he has always engaged in many different autistic symptoms, including lack of eye contact, not listening, making random noises or sounds, and not being able to respond to his own name when his mother calls him. At first I was confused about what the boy was suffering from, or what he was possibly going threw, until I learned that it was autism. At an early age, his parents are doing everything the best they can do to try and make his life as realistic as possible, without suffering from this horrible disease. Since autism is not curable, it is certainly treatable, and can be made into a more positive, better situation for not only the person suffering, but for other family members as well. It has been proven that noticing early signs of autism, and treating them as soon as possible, can help have a positive effect or outcome in the long run. Today, there are still no x-rays, MRI’s, Cat scans, or even general lab tests that can be used to verify the identification of autism.     

    The diagnosis of autism is based on scientific verdict as regards to observations of the person’s behavior or actions (NINDS, 2009). A child with autism is not uncommon today, considering each day more and more babies are being born suffering unknowingly with this disease. Though we still do not exactly know what cause autism, we do know that research has told us that it may be included in genetics, hereditary, occur from certain types of infections, or even have problems come about at birth. According to webmd.com, some studies strongly tell us that some people have a genetic predisposition to autism, meaning that they are capable of developing this condition and that it may be passed on in your family.  Some guesses or theories may even suggest that the body’s immune system may inappropriately make antibodies that can attack the brains of children causing autism.      

      March 23, 2009, from WebMD Web site: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/mental-health-autism?page=3Dowshen, MD, S (April 2008). What does autism mean? . Retrieved March 23,

This entry was posted on 22. February 2010 at 08:40 and is filed under Mr. Andoscia, Introduction to Sociology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.