Forty-five to sixty children out of every ten-thousand born are diagnosed with autism. It is typical for people to take their own intelligence for granted. They do not realize that they are gifted with a well-functioning brain, even if they are not the sharpest tool in the shed. Autistic children have to live every day with a brain that does not function properly. In some cases, these unfortunate children cannot even speak. The cause for this serious mental disorder is not known, along with the cure of autism. Autism is not a disorder that should be taken lightly, and despite the inability of autistic brains to function properly, these individuals still desire the same lifestyle as everyone else.
Autism is a pervasive development disorder that has many unique characteristics. Autism is not a mental illness. The true definition for autism is “a rare, profound, and poorly understood mental disorder that severely impairs a person’s abilities, particularly in the areas of language and social relations” (Rimland, par. 1). Autism is a disorder that affects all races, so anyone has a risk of having an autistic child. Most people do not realize it, but autism is the third most common development disability, more common than Down syndrome. “Autism is diagnosed by observing the child’s behavior, communication skills, and social interactions after medical tests have ruled out other possible causes of autistic symptoms” (World of Health, par. 10). “The word autistic, derived from the Greek word for ‘self’, is applied to children afflicted with this disorder because their facial expressions and unresponsiveness make them resemble daydreaming, completely self-involved adults” (World of Health, par. 5). Most people do not realize how serious of a development disorder autism is, and they do not understand what exactly it is.
The true cause of how children are born autistic is not discovered, however, there are many possibilities. Scientists have discovered many leads on what the true cause of autism is. They know autism is caused by a neurological disorder that interferes with normal brain functioning which interferes with normal brain functioning. They do not know how or why the brain is not functioning properly. Scientists researching the brain found spots on chromosomes 2,5,7,11, and 17. This may or may not be a factor to the cause. There are many odd differences between a normal brain and an autistic brain. “The frontal lobes, home to higher reasoning, are greatly enlarged, due mainly to excess white matter, the brain's connector cables; the cerebellum, like the frontal lobes, is overloaded with white matter; the hippocampus is about 10% larger than normal; the amygdala is also enlarged; and the corpus callosum is undersize” (Wallis, par. 28). “Biochemically, abnormal levels of serotonin, cerebrospinal fluid, and beta-endorphins have been found in the autistic brain” ( McGrath and Travers, par. 4). Autistic children are becoming more common in births, and without scientists knowing what the cause of autism is, autism cannot be prevented.
There are many interesting statistics and facts about autism that Americans are probably not aware of. Autism is diagnosed in the early years of life, before children turn 3 years old. Out of all the children diagnosed with autism, 75% of them are boys, while only 25% are girls. “In a family with one autistic child, the chance of having another child with autism is about 1 in 20, much higher than in the normal population” (World of Health, par. 3). 80% of children with autism are also mentally retarded. 10% of these children have an extraordinary talent in another area such as math or music. 80% of autistic people have high levels of anxiety found in them. Epilepsy affects 20% of the people with autism. Autism is a more severe disorder than people think it is with all these other effects that autism has on people.
Americans do not realize that once you are diagnosed with autism, your life will not be normal for as long as you live. There is no cure for autism that scientists have discovered yet. There are many treatment programs in the United States that help autistic people become more independent. Scientists have discovered that psychotherapy has little or no affect on autistic people. Scientists are looking for a way to stop other affects that autism has on people, but for the most part their search has been fruitless. Certain B vitamins were tested on autistic people and the vitamins seemed to help behavioral problems. In rare cases, the effects of autism receded as the person aged and almost completely vanished. Autism is a life-long syndrome that can’t be cured, but autistic people can lead more normal lives with special therapy and treatment.
Autism is not the kind of disorder that should be taken lightly throughout the United States. Scientists are still searching for the cause, so Americans need to help support Autism research. Awareness needs to be raised about autism, so more people can support this cause. “More than 100 million dollars have been donated in the past decade for research on autism” (Claudia Wallis, par. 13). If people keep supporting autism research, information that can reduce autism or cure it will be found. It is very imperative for people to find solutions to problems. If the problems are not solved, then the future generations will have the same problems. Then, the generation after them will have the same problem. It is not fair for autistic people to be deprived of the opportunity to have the same normal life they yearn for when normal Americans are not aware of how severe of a disorder autism is.
Works Cited
"Autism and Vaccines." Issues & Controversies On File. 10 Apr. 2006. Issues & Controversies.
Facts On File News Services. The John Carroll School. 16 Sept. 2008. <http://www.2facts.com/>.
McGrath, Kimberly and Travers, Bridget. "Autism." World of Scientific Discovery. Ed. Online
ed. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. John Carroll School. 17 Sep. 2008. <http://find.galegroup.com/%3E.
Rimland, Bernard. "Autism." Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. Grolier Online. 19 Sep. 2008 . The
John Carroll School. <http://www.go-grolier.com/>.
Rimland, Bernard. "Autism." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2008. Grolier Online. 16 Sep.
2008 . John Carroll School. <http://go-passport.grolier.com/>.
Wallis, Claudia. “Inside the Autistic Mind”. May 15, 2006. Time Vol. 167, No. 20. SIRS
Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. September 19, 2008. John Carroll School. <http://sks.sirs.com/>.
No comments:
Post a Comment