Children and Autism

             Autism is a developmental disability that appears in children during their first three years of life. Autism affects the development of social and communication skills. About one in every five hundred children will be diagnosed with autism. This paper will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of Autism, some major characteristics of children with Autism, and why this topic interests me.
             Parents begin to notice the autistic characteristics when their child is antisocial, has behavioral problems, and avoids interaction with others. Since there is no real test to diagnose Autism, different professionals have different ways of diagnosing it. Since many of the characteristics of Autism are shared with other disabilities, tests for those disabilities are performed, to rule out those possibilities. Children are also diagnosed by a group of doctors usually containing a neurologist, psychologist, speech therapist, developmental pediatrician, a learning consultant, and the use of parental input about the child's abilities and behaviors. Once diagnosed the professionals can help the families design an appropriate treatment plan. Treatment plans may contain any or all of the following: medication (there is no specific drug made for autism), behavior modification, special educational programs, and therapy. There is no cure, though, for autism.
             Characteristics of autism vary in each child due to the severity of the case. Children can exhibit the behaviors in different combinations and different degrees of severity. One main characteristic is behavioral problems such as aggressive or self-injurious behavior. The child may be either overactive or passive. They may exhibit odd or ritualistic behaviors such as rocking back and forth or waving their hands. They may also have a resistance to change in normal routines. Sometimes the child may have an extraordinary talent in art, music, math, or some other area. Many autistic children don't speak at a...

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Children and Autism. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 15:25, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/100802.html