You Notice Patterns Everywhere
It’s often a special feature of the autistic brain to be able to see patterns all over the place: in letters, numbers, formations of objects, anything. A 2011 study of nearly 750 people found that the brain regions that process patterns are very active in autistic people, while the regions associated with planning and decisions were less active. If you’re able to pick out patterns nobody else can see, without even thinking, you may have one of autism’s peculiar advantages.
A Little Bit About Autism
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological, developmental disability that is becoming increasingly common. Today, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with ASD, and males are 5 times more likely to develop the conditionthats 1 in 42 boys.1
Individuals with ASD are affected in different ways with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.2At a glance, these persons dont appear different from those around them. But depending on the severity of their condition differences eventually become apparent: There are those who need assistance simply performing tasks of daily living while others are high functioning.3
Early Treatment Is Crucial
There is no known cure for autism, but intensive therapy helps a child learn a wide range of skills ;from making eye contact to hugging to having a conversation. And the sooner a child begins, the better. A panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences in 2001 recommended that children should have 25 hours of therapy per week as soon as autism is suspected. Because children with autism have very different behaviors and abilities, the most effective approach takes into account a child’s unique challenges and encourages healthy development through play, rather than just trying to change specific symptoms. “Intervention can take many forms, from going to a regular preschool to a parent’s working with her child over the course of a normal day to direct therapies from well-trained teachers and professionals ;all depending on the child,” Dr. Lord says.
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People With Autism Are Passionate
Many people on the spectrum are truly passionate about the things, ideas, and people in their lives. They spend the time, energy, and imagination necessary to truly master their area of interest, and they stick with it even when it’s difficult, frustrating, or “uncool.”;How many “typical” people can say the same?
How Is Asd Treated
There arent any standardized treatment recommendations for different levels of ASD. Treatment depends on each persons unique symptoms.
People with different levels of ASD may all need the same kinds of treatment, but those with level 2 or level 3 ASD will likely need more intensive, long-term treatment than those with level 1 ASD.
Potential ASD treatments include:
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Kids Are Getting Diagnosed Sooner
There’s no laboratory or medical test for detecting autism, so doctors must rely on behavioral signs. In the past, many were reluctant to label a child as autistic until symptoms became obvious. “The average age for diagnosis had been about 3.5, with many children diagnosed much later,” says Amy Wetherby, Ph.D., director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at Florida State University, in Tallahassee. But that’s changing.
One reason is that pediatricians are becoming more aware of autism. At the same time, autism specialists are better at identifying early telltale signs such as a lack of babbling or pointing. “Most children with autism will show some signs of developmental disruption by their first birthday,” says Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., an autism researcher at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute.
And while no one is yet diagnosing autism in children that young, doctors can now make a reliable assessment by 24 months;when a child’s brain is still rapidly developing. “If we can intervene while a child’s brain is very immature, it will be much easier to help change her behavior,” Dr. Wetherby says.
Autism Is A Genetic Disorder
Although autism was once believed to be the result of improper parenting, researchers now believe that genesnot psychological factorsare to blame. In fact, a 2019 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that 80% of autism risk comes from inherited genetic factors. The study was widespread, looking at 2 million people from five countries .
If a couple has one;child with autism, there is a 5 to 10 percent chance that siblings will have some sort of autistic disorder. With identical twins, the likelihood is 60 percent. Even though profoundly autistic people rarely have children, researchers often find that a relative has mild autistic symptoms or a high-functioning autism-spectrum disorder.
Experts believe that autism is the result of multiple genes ;anywhere from three to 20 ;interacting with each other. This may explain why the symptoms and severity of the disorder vary greatly. These genes may cause a baby’s brain to develop abnormally in utero or make him more susceptible to unknown triggers. “There is probably a combination of genetic and environmental influences,” says Catherine Lord, Ph.D., director of the Center for Autism and Communication Disorders at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Although the genes linked to autism have not yet been pinpointed, intense research is under way.
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Treatment For Autism In Little Rock
If you or your childs doctor are concerned about the presence of any of these symptoms or your child has been diagnosed with autism, Integrity, Inc. can help you find support services for children experiencing autism in Little Rock. Visit Integrity Inc. online or call us at 406-0442 to learn more. We can provide information about what autism is and how your child can lead a normal life.
Genius May Be An Abnormality: Educating Students With Asperger’s Syndrome Or High Functioning Autism
;Temple Grandin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
I am becoming increasingly concerned that intellectually gifted children are being denied opportunities because they are being labeled either Asperger’s or high functioning autism. Within the last year I have talked to several parents, and I was disturbed by what they said. One mother called me and was very upset that her six-year-old son had Asperger’s. She then went on to tell me that his IQ was 150. I replied that before people knew about Asperger’s Syndrome, their child would have received a very positive label of intellectually gifted.
In another case the parents of an Asperger teenager called and told me that they were so concerned about their son’s poor social skills that they would not allow him to take computer programming. I told her that depriving him of a challenging career in computers would make his life miserable. He will get social interaction by shared interests with other computer people. In a third case, a super smart child was not allowed in the talented and gifted program in his school because he had an autism label. Educators need to become aware that intellectually satisfying work makes life meaningful.
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They Are Not Tied To Social Expectations
If you’ve ever bought a car, played a game, or joined a club to fit in, you know how hard it can be to be true to yourself. But for people with autism, social expectations can be honestly unimportant.
Who cares if someone you’ve never met rolls their eyes when you mention your interest in Disney movies even when you’re a grown-up? What matters is true liking, shared interests, kindness, and the desire to spend time togethernot keeping up with or being as similar as possible to the Joneses.
Behaviors That Reveal A Child May Have Autism
Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by social withdrawal, by repetitive behaviors and by some kind of focal attention in its classic form. Basically, its an inability to relate to others. Harvey V. Fineberg
Autism spectrum disorder is not as mysterious as it used to be ten or twenty years ago. Now, we have a better understand of the spectrum, and with that understanding comes empathy and support. Children on the autism spectrum see and process the world differently than children who dont.
They may also have a harder time socializing and understanding social cues than other children. Without knowing what autism is, or without knowing how to stop the signs, these children can often end up with an unfair expectation put on them by both their parents, teachers and their classmates.
Like the name suggests, autism spectrum disorder exists on a spectrum of different types of behaviors, and things that a child can or may have a harder time doing that most, including auditory processing, speaking verbally and communicating. How can you know when your child might have autism?
There are some classic signs, and once you get a diagnosis you can help your child better interact with the world in a way thats safe and comfortable for them.
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The Architecture And Correlates Of Human Intelligence
The VPR model of intelligence. Under this model, the higher-level architecture of human intelligence, as indicated by diverse mental-ability tasks, involves one general factor, g, and three mid-level factors, Verbal, Perceptual, and image Rotation, that reflect variation among individuals in large-scale neural structure and processing. Adapted from Johnson et al. .
Two orthogonal dimensions of intelligence, which emerge after the general factor g is statistically removed. Poles of each of the two dimensions demonstrate inverse associations with one another, indicative of neurally-based cognitive trade-offs. The psychotic-affective spectrum includes mainly schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and borderline personality disorder. Adapted from Johnson et al. .
Brain regions, and temporal stages, representing the P-FIT model of intelligence. Postulated alterations in autism, compared to control individuals, are shown along the periphery, and described in the text. Adapted from Colom et al. .
Genetic Overlap Of Autism With Intelligence
Recent increases in sample sizes, extensions of target phenotypes analyzed, and developments in analytic methods for genome-wide association studies, have allowed the first robust tests of the sign and magnitude of genetic correlations, due to pleiotropy and linkage disequilibrium, between intelligence and other traits including risk of psychiatric conditions. Four studies have used data from the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium on polygenic risk for autism to assess overlap of autism risk alleles with alleles for aspects of cognitive ability and intelligence. All four of these studies, which used diverse, independent populations and tests of cognitive abilities, have reported significant, substantial genetically-based positive associations of autism risk with intelligence, notably including full-scale IQ and a PCA-based measure of g , childhood IQ, college attendance, and years of education , cognitive function in childhood and educational attainment , and verbal-numerical reasoning and educational level reached . These studies indicate that polygenic, small-effect size alleles that increased risk of autism are also associated with increased intelligence among neurotypical individuals.
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As Autism Awareness Increases Across The Country More Parents Are Gaining An Understanding That Their Kids Are Not Just Socially Awkward Or Late Bloomers But That They Are Living With An Autistic Spectrum Disorder
There are different levels of disability on the Spectrum. Asperger Syndrome; and High Functioning Autism are the mildest. HFA, though no longer an accepted medical term, refers to a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders and is quite similar to AS. However, the two can be differentiated by specific characteristics more commonly associated with one than the other. If you are concerned your child may be living with HFA, understanding the distinct signs and symptoms of HFA may help you decide if you need to look for treatment for autism in Little Rock.
How Is Autism Spectrum Disorder Treated
There is no cure for autism, but treatment can make a big difference. The younger kids are when they start treatment, the better.
Doctors, therapists, and special education teachers can help kids learn to talk, play, and learn. Therapists also help kids learn about making friends, taking turns, and getting along.
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‘i Felt Like An Alien’
But the pieces didn’t quite fit – until he watched a TV programme about autism.
“The stereotyped view that I’d always had of autistic people was that they were either very severely disabled and unable to communicate, or formidable computer geeks.
“But seeing people in the documentary who seemed perfectly normal getting diagnosed, and identifying with them in so many different ways, was a revelation.”
Robert felt “immense relief” following his diagnosis.
“Finally I had a name for the thing that had made me feel like an alien for so long. Finally I could stop feeling bad about being different.”
Barney and Robert are just two of an unknown number of older adults who have spent much of their lives not knowing why they feel different.
With autism first classified as a mental disorder in 1980, people born before then may have gone undiagnosed or been misdiagnosed.
Around 700,000 people are thought to be autistic in the UK, and more are being diagnosed all the time, says Anna Bailey-Bearfield, policy and public affairs manager at the National Autistic Society.
“Autism is often seen only to affect children but more autistic adults are now appearing on TV and people are starting to see themselves represented.”
But the impact of not knowing for 40 or 50 years “can be very traumatic”, she says, leaving people feeling anxious and socially isolated.
National guidance says people should wait no longer than 13 weeks, but 2019 NHS data showed a significant number waiting longer.
I Have Autism But That Doesn’t Mean I’m Not Smart
This doesnt apply to just myself, but to all those who learn differently; different does NOT mean inferior
David Petrovic, BA, is a junior high teacher, author, and national speaker, including his presentation of a TEDx Talk. He has co-authored Expect a Miracle: A Mother/Son Asperger Journey of Determination. Its 2nd edition, retitled Expect a Miracle: Understanding and Living with Autism has superseded the first, and its release is planned for summer, 2020. This latter edition contains two additional chapters on young adult topics, including employment.
Often times, people have a stereotype in their minds of what autism is and how people with it function. But as the saying goes, You meet one person on the spectrum, you meet one person on the spectrum! No two autistic people are the same. Yet, from outward appearances, or because of my label, I feel like people often assume that my intelligence is low-grade.
I have a bachelors degree in Middle Childhood Education with concentrations in social studies and English/language arts, and I graduated cum laude. I am currently working towards my masters in pastoral theology and should finish that degree by the end of summer. I am also a man of faith and I find myself thinking about a potential path as a clergyman.
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Autism Families: Find A Partner In Smart Home Technology
Parents of children with autism face unique challenges that families with typical children dont encounter. And it can be stressful for everyone involved.
If youre one of those parents then you know finding solutions and figuring out ways to support your child while juggling the other aspects of your life is not always easy. But a;Vivint system;can help.
Installing a smart home system in your home can reduce stress by helping you create a safer, more secure environment that you can monitor and better control.
But before we talk about how smart home technology benefits the autism community, its important to first take a look at autism, what it is, and how it affects children and their families.
Parenting A Child With Autism
When we talk about the costs associated with ASD, they extend beyond the financial aspect of support and therapies.
Parents of children with ASD deal with high stress levels related to access and quality of care. Some parents have to stop working altogether to care for their child with autism. And even mothers who remain employed work seven hours less a week on average and earn 56 percent less than mothers of children with disabilities or major health issues.5
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You’re Very Sensitive To Stimuli Like Sound
This is an interesting one, because it differs radically across the spectrum of autism, but it’s worth noting. What are called “atypical sensory-based behaviors,” or reactions to sensory stimuli that aren’t quite normal, are often a part of autism, with some people extremely sensitive to various sensations or sounds. It’s not the same for everybody, though. Autism seems to cause problems in some people when it comes to interpreting and processing sensory information, to the point of causing confusion and pain: you may have difficulty remembering faces, and be either over- or under-sensitive to things like noise and smell. If people keep commenting that your reactions to these things are unusual, it may be a marker of something deeper.
Images: Pixels, Giphy
What Are The Next Steps
Signs of autism are usually evident by 4 years old. If youve noticed signs of autism in your child, its important to talk with their doctor to get them screened as soon as possible.
You can start by going to their pediatrician to explain your concerns. The pediatrician can give you a referral to a specialist in your area.
Specialists who can diagnose autism in children include:
- developmental pediatricians
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You Find It Difficult To Socially Read People
Autism is, in its many forms, often about looking at the world very literally. And that means social situations can seem extremely weird, because there are a lot of unspoken rules, assumptions, communications, and other messages in any social situation, many of which may pass the autistic person by. If you feel perpetually as if you’re getting it wrong in social situations and don’t know why, you may simply be “socially deaf” to these kinds of cues.