Who Is Elon Musk
Elon Musk was born June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. Biographies written about Musk say he was introverted and bullied in school.
Still, these childhood challenges did not deter his success. He created several high-profile companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company. He is also well-known for his involvement in Dogecoin, a meme-based digital currency.
During his SNL monologue, Musk said, Sometimes after I say something, I have to say, I mean that so people really know that I mean it. Thats because I dont always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak, which Im told makes for great comedy.
He continued: Im actually making history tonight as the first person with Aspergers to host SNL or at least the first to admit it. So, I wont make a lot of eye contact with the cast tonight. But dont worry, Im pretty good at running human in emulation mode.
As the studio audience applauded, his words set off discussions across social media and news feeds about Aspergers syndrome.
Although the DSM-5 no longer includes Aspergers as a diagnosis, Musk still identifies with this subtype. But is there a difference between autism and Aspergers?
Signs Of Autism In Children
The signs of autism can change as children grow babies and toddlers show different signs of autism than children aged 4 and older.;
Babies and toddlers
Signs of autism in babies and toddlers can include a number of things that affect different parts of their life and behaviour.
Autistic babies and toddlers might:
- start talking later than most children
- seem less aware of others around them for example, they might not respond to their name being called
- make repetitive movements when excited or upset – for example flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or making the same noise repeatedly
Autistic babies and toddlers might not:
- smile back when you smile at them
- point to show when they want something
- point to show you something they find interesting
Autistic babies and toddlers might:
- spend a long time setting up toys in a certain way, and set them up the same way every time
- enjoy lining toys up in order, or watching parts of them move
Autistic babies and toddlers might not:
- seem interested in playing with other children their age
- seem to use their toys to make up stories or pretend they might also start pretend play at a later age than most children
Autistic babies and toddlers might:
- react strongly to sounds, smells, touch, tastes, or things they can see for example, if they like the way a stuffed toy feels, they want to spend a lot of time stroking the toy
- become upset if given something to eat or drink thats new to them
- eat a limited range of foods
Social Communication And Interaction Skills
Social communication and interaction skills can be challenging for people with ASD.
Examples of social communication and social interaction characteristics related to ASD can include:
- Avoids or does not keep eye contact
- Does not respond to name by 9 months of age
- Does not show facial expressions like happy, sad, angry, and surprised by 9 months of age
- Does not play simple interactive games like pat-a-cake by 12 months of age
- Uses few or no gestures by 12 months of age
- Does not share interests with others
- Does not point or look at what you point to by 18 months of age
- Does not notice when others are hurt or sad by 24 months of age
- Does not pretend in play
- Shows little interest in peers
- Has trouble understanding other peoples feelings or talking about own feelings at 36 months of age or older
- Does not play games with turn taking by 60 months of age
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What Is A Spectrum Disorder
Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that people can experience a wide range of symptoms and of varying severities. For example, a person with autism who is towards the high functioning range of the spectrum will have a good grasp of language, but a person towards the low functioning range of the spectrum may not speak at all.
As such, it is important to note that a person with autism spectrum disorder will not display all symptoms and symptoms will vary in severity. However, a person with ASD will display several of these behaviors and signs.
How Does Autism Affect People
Autism is a hidden or invisible disability. You cant see if someone is autistic just by looking at them and some people might not have been diagnosed when you meet them. There are some behaviours and ways of communication that an autistic person may use but these aren’t universal as every autistic person is different.
The characteristics of autism vary from one person to another, but there are four main areas of difference.
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How Is Autism Treated
There is no cure for ASD. Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can substantially improve those symptoms. The ideal treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that meet the specific needs of the individual. Most health care professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better.
Educational/behavioral interventions: Early behavioral/educational interventions have been very successful in many children with ASD. In these interventions therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as applied behavioral analysis, which encourages positive behaviors and discourages negative ones. In addition, family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with ASD often helps families cope with the particular challenges of living with a child with ASD.
What Does The Research Say
In 2015, a variety of people were surveyed including those with the condition, family members and professionals to get a better sense of the autism communitys preferences. ;The survey clearly shows that there has been a shift towards language which in some way identifies autism as an integral part of a persons identity.
All those surveyed identified with terms like on the autism spectrum and Asperger syndrome. However, a significant distinction can be found when it comes to terms like autistic and Aspie. According to the survey, those with the condition prefer identity-first terminology like autistic while family members didnt. ;The survey also found that terms like low functioning and classic autism are strongly disliked by most people surveyed.
Recommended Reading: Is Autism A Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Common Signs Of Autism
Some of the more common signs that may indicate a person has autism include:
- Avoiding eye contact
- Delayed speech and communication skills
- Reliance on rules and routines
- Being upset by relatively minor changes
- Unexpected reactions to sounds, tastes, sights, touch and smells
- Difficulty understanding other peopleââ¬â¢s emotions
- Focusing on or becoming obsessed by a narrow range of interests or objects
- Engaging in repetitive behavior such as flapping hands or rocking
- Children not responding to their name by 12 months
- Children not pointing at distant objects by 14 months
Worried you or someone you know might have some of the signs of autism? The Ada app can help you check symptoms. or find out more about how it works.
Why Do Children With Autism Lie
If autistic children tend to struggle with two of the cognitive skills important to lying, how can they do it anyway?
Autism research doesnt quite have conclusive answers to this, but there are theories. In the aforementioned Li et al. study, the children with autism and the typically developing children were tested on their FB understanding as well. As expected, the typically developing kids scored much higher on average. FB understanding didnt have a strong correlation to whether either group lied in the first place, but the neurotypical kids with better FB understanding also told more convincing antisocial lies.
However, the researchers were surprised that better FB understanding wasnt correlated to better antisocial lying in autistic children. They posited that this may simply demonstrate that children can manipulate others behaviors but do not necessarily reflect a conscious attempt to instill a false belief in the mind of another. In other words, deceit by kids with autism may be more of a learned strategy to avoid punishment than an indication of actual perspective-taking.
As for the white lying, there wasnt a correlation between effective deception and FB understanding for either neurotypical participants or autistic ones. This could be because white lying is learned more by socialization from parents, or the amount of experience in politeness situations
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What Research Is Being Done
The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. The NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health , the leading supporter of biomedical research in the world.; NINDS and several other NIH Institutes and Centers support research on autism spectrum disorder.;
Nearly 20 years ago the NIH formed the Autism Coordinating Committee to enhance the quality, pace, and coordination of efforts at the NIH to find a cure for autism. The NIH/ACC has been instrumental in promoting research to understand and advance ASD. The NIH/ACC also participates in the broader;Federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee , composed of representatives from various U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies, the Department of Education, and other governmental organizations, as well as public members, including individuals with ASD and representatives of patient advocacy organizations. One responsibility of the IACC is to develop a strategic plan for ASD research, which guides research programs supported by NIH and other participating organizations.
Signs Of Autism In Girls
The ratio of boys to girls diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is 4:1. However, there is some evidence that autism is going undiagnosed in girls, particularly those who are at the higher functioning end of the spectrum.
There is discussion around whether girls and women with autism may display different symptoms to boys and men, and that the current diagnostic criteria may be biased towards boys and stereotypical male behavior. Girls and women may also be better able to mask difficulties with social interactions than boys, and this may delay a diagnosis. New diagnostic criteria may be needed to assess ASD in girls and women. Past theories, including controversies such as the extreme male brain, may have led to under-referral and under-diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in girls and women.
Signs that a girl may have autism include:
- Difficulties with social interactions; however, differences from typical autism symptoms may include:
- Better grasp of emotions and ability to make friends than boys
- May mask lack of intuitive understanding of social situations by repeating role-plays seen in real life or film/television
- May be able to make friends but find difficulty keeping them
Also Check: Can People With Autism Become Teachers
What Disorders Are Related To Asd
Certain known genetic disorders are associated with an increased risk for autism, including Fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis each of which results from a mutation in a single, but different, gene. Recently, researchers have discovered other genetic mutations in children diagnosed with autism, including some that have not yet been designated as named syndromes. While each of these disorders is rare, in aggregate, they may account for 20 percent or more of all autism cases.
People with ASD also have a higher than average risk of having epilepsy. Children whose language skills regress early in life before age 3 appear to have a risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity. About 20 to 30 percent of children with ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood. Additionally, people with both ASD and intellectual disability have the greatest risk of developing seizure disorder.
Wandering In Children On The Spectrum
The tendency of children on the spectrum to wander off impulsively is a huge safety issue. Wandering off without warning also known as elopement or bolting can have tragic results, as children attracted to water have drowned. The behavior is in part attributed to an impaired sense of danger, which might inhibit a neurotypical child from leaving caregivers. Other explanations for bolting range from goal-directed to escaping a stressor .
In a survey, more than 800 parents reported that roughly 50 percent of children between the ages of 4 and 10 with an ASD wander at some point, four times more than their unaffected siblings. The behavior peaks at 4, but almost 30 percent of kids with an ASD between the ages of 7 and 10 are still eloping, eight times more than their unaffected brothers and sisters.
Read Also: Does My Child Have Autism
What Are The Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Signs of ASD range from mild to severely disabling, and every person is different. The following signs are considered to be red flags that indicate your young child may be at risk for autism. If your child shows any of the following signs, please get in touch with your childs healthcare provider to discuss a referral for an autism evaluation.
The signs include the following:
- Your child doesnt respond to their name being called at all or responds inconsistently.
- Your child doesnt smile widely or make warm, joyful expressions by the age of 6 months.
- Your child doesnt engage in smiling, making sounds and making faces with you or other people by the age of 9 months.
- Your child doesnt babble by 12 months.
- No back-and-forth gestures such as showing, pointing, reaching or waving by 12 months.
- No words by 16 months.
- No meaningful, two-word phrases by 24 months.
- Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age.
How Common Is Autism
Autism is always present from birth, but it might not be recognised or diagnosed until adulthood. Early intervention, in the form of support for their individual needs, can be helpful for autistic children.
Even if you arent diagnosed until adulthood, getting a diagnosis can be very helpful for identifying your strengths and the things you struggle with, and finding support.
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Should We Say ‘with Autism’ Or ‘autistic’ Here’s Why It Matters
One;mom;wrestles to understand;which;term better serves individuals on the spectrum, including her son.
Should we say “with autism” or “autistic” when talking about kids or adults on the spectrum?
I get this question often. I also have readers ask me to change the way I use the terms in this blog, and hear a lot of confusion from my friends, family, and the professionals who work with;my son, a non-speaking 7-year-old on the spectrum.
With autism, as with all things, how we speak about it reflects how we think about it, our priorities in relation to it, and what we believe to be the truth of it. For these reasons, many advocates are challenging the use of “person-first” language and reclaiming the term autistic.
At face value,;person-first language, which is what;Parents;uses when writing about ASD, makes sense. It puts the person before the disease. We don’t say things like “my diabetic brother” or “my cancerous mother.” Those are cringe-worthy constructions, indeed, and many people argue that saying “my autistic son” is in the same league.
The problem here, however, is both simple and complex. By using person-first language and saying “my son with autism” in conversation, I’m calling his autism a disease, like cancer or diabetes. Wrapped up in that is the notion that a disease needs a cure, that my child needs “fixing.”
Autistic Or Has Autism Which Way Is Right
Within any community, there are certain ways to say and not to say things.; Within the autism community, one of the larger discussions is on; the use of person first or identify first language.; Some being offended by one or the other, while others are just left to wonder which is right?; Autistic or has Autism?
Through my last major post on autism, it was brought to my attention through the #actuallyautistic community that there needs to be more conversation on labels and their;affects on those on the spectrum.; In response to the amazing conversations that post created, I will posting on some of the toughest topics in and surrounding the autistic community.
Your input will be a huge factor on where this series goes.; So jump in and ask me questions or let me know what questions you need answered.; Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you do not miss a beat!
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Paige Layle Talks Autism On Tiktok
Paige Layle is an eyelash technician from Ontario who recently went viral on TikiTok after posting a 4-part series about being an autistic woman. Her TikTok account is filled with facts about autism and she talks about how it took a long time to get her diagnosis because she is a woman that doesnt necessarily fit the mold of being autistic. People Magazine reported that:
Layle also said that girls with autism tend to live with mental disorders, disclosing that she currently has seven, including OCDAll of these mental illnesses stem from having autism, but OCD, anxiety, and depression are very, very common, especially in girls
learn more about autism! i get many questions every day to make more vids about it, i will continue to show you guys! ##feature##fup##fyp##featureme original sound paigelayle
- Matthew Labyorteaux Actor
The Prison Break star told CBSNew York:
Autism is central to who I am. I wouldnt change it.
- Kim Peek Inspiration for Rain Man Movie
- Sue Ann Pien Actor
- Henry Rodriguez Reality-TV Star
Known for getting Married at First Sight, there has been a lot of speculation on Reddit as to whether Rodriguez is on the spectrum.
- Scott Steindorff Producer
Steindorff produced top films like the Lincoln Lawyer. Now according to The Hollywood Reporter, he is producing a documentary called Spectrum Neurodiversity. Steindorff is on the spectrum himself and said the documentary:
- Ian Terry Big Brother Star
Ian said on Twitter: