What is Wrong with Your Child? : Autism as a Social Problem?
             What is a social problem? An easy way to describe my definition of a social problem is to believe a social problem is a controversial issue, which effects or has ability to effect a great percentage of the population. It is an issue that has the potential to be solved, however takes government intervention and the help of the surrounded environment to come to a conclusion. Social problems are usually surrounded and intertwined with smaller issues or problems. Problems like this usually get a lot of press/news coverage, which may lead to public demonstrations either for or against the issue at hand. They also have a long history of controversy; social problems do not just appear out of the woodwork. Autism is one of our societies Health problems. It has molded from a health issue, to a large Social problem.
             Most frequently asked question by everyone is, "What is Autism?" Autism is a severely incapacitating life long developmental disability that mostly appears in the first three years of life.
             Autism can occur in as many as 22 of every 10,000 births in the United States and affects close to 400,000 Americans. Boys are about four times as likely as girls, to be affected with autism. It is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD). It knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries (Freeman, p.2 of 6).
             The reasons of development are beyond clarity. The causes of the disorder are unknown, therefore no cure can be determined, but there are ways of helping and controlling the disorder. It is a subject of debate and controversy amongst many established pedestrians. Autism is poorly understood and misrepresented. It is a behavior disease that controls the mind, manifesting itself at an early age. It impairs communication and social skills, and can range from mild to severe on a spectrum scale of disorders. Autistic persons live in "their world" and the "o...