Life with Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that hinders a person’s ability to socially interact. Over the years there has been much research to understand this state of being at a deeper level. Although there is no test to diagnose one with autism, there are signs and wonders that can help identify the condition. I plan to explain the conditions one may suffer with autism with the hopes of shedding light on steps that can help one achieve long-term success.

As we know, social interactions rule the nation but to communicate properly, one must first listen to understand. This can be difficult for someone who suffers with autism, as their natural ability to communicate and follow with proper behavior is different from the norm. You may be curious as to what causes autism, and the truth is; there is no one direct cause. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one’s genetic make-up and environment can play a significant role in the development of autistic characteristics. One can show signs of autism through repetitive behaviors, having a hard time communicating, showing little to no interest in life and they possess an inability to function “normal” in public settings.

I learned autism is described as a spectrum disorder because the range of severity largely varies. After reading, I begin to think things like chronic anxiety and depression could have a deeper root to them. We know these conditions to be caused by brain imbalances or stressful surroundings, so what if that same imbalance is underlined by a gene that expresses autism. But any who, I really enjoyed reading about the social behaviors that are normally displayed. I found it interesting the first sign was lack of eye contact, well its an inconsistent ability to do so. There is also a disconnect between the expression of emotions through actions. For example, one can have no visual expression of happiness while communicating about something that makes them happy. I was stunned to know that an autistic individual may often misunderstand the point of view of another, as well as be unable to understand people’s path of action. These social response mechanisms were followed by information regarding the behaviors you may see them repeat.

We all know, communication can be verbal and nonverbal, and as one who lives with autism, these skills of communication are not as developed. It’s intriguing how the tone of voice varies from high tones to flat tones across the spectrum. The article also mentioned that a collective of individuals experience restrictive behaviors. For example, slight changes to one’s routine tends to cause emotions like anger and being too sensitive to sensory input makes it difficult to be active. I learned a new vocabulary word, echolalia, means that one either has unusual behavior or she repeats certain phrases and actions. It was cool how the article ended expressing some of their strengths.

Understanding the characteristics of the spectrum is helpful because you understand their strengths differently. As mentioned before, the spectrum varies from high functioning to severe low functioning when it comes to one’s ability to learn and comprehend the information. Studies show that these individuals are best able to learn when they are told and shown how to do something, making them visual and auditory learners. With this skill, they express hypervigilance about detail and can remember information long term. Lastly, its proven that individuals with this development disorder still excel in matters of math, science, and creative arts—cool right? I learned a lot about how the condition varies per stages of life, like from infant age into adulthood.

The National Mental Health Institute explained the autism begins to express itself as early as the age of two. I reviewed an article by two women who had completed research on an autistic collective to be able to provide intervention methods. She started by explaining the importance of getting assessments and understanding that there are two different assessments to take. There is an assessment that analyzes the results for the extent of the diagnosis, and there is another assessment that evaluates areas intervention should start targeting. Assessments are tailored to understand the social development of the person compared to knowing their physical milestones, and they do this by composing the evaluation with test sections. There is a section named Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, or CHAT for short. It is composed of two parts that evaluate the responses within joint attention and responses to social request. The primary goal is to identify where the child is lacking integrated attention, and how out of “control” it is.

I found it highly informative that the autistic gene comes from the father, but mom still plays a vital role of the manifestation of the condition. The article revealed the acknowledgment of the mother’s pregnancy history and family history as vital information to know. They further explained this to be vital due to future siblings being at risk of the factors and it also contributed to understanding the various roots to the autistic behaviors. For example, one could experience a delay in language development due to an illness mom endured while carrying the pregnancy. The article also brought awareness to the fact that psychometric assessments are not as relevant as they should be.

If you would like access to the articles I sourced:

Bibliography

Aarons, M., & Gittens, T. (1998). Autism : A Social Skills Approach for Children & Adolescents. Speechmark Publishing Ltd.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Autism spectrum disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd#part_2280