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Peyton Snyder
4.1.14
3rd Hour
Learning about Autism
Autism is a serious brain disorder which affects children all over the world. Many people
are very uneducated on this disorder and in turn do not know how to treat or act towards these
children. Whether educated on this subject or not, odds are most people will come into contact
with an affected child or adult with autism sometime in life. It truly needs to be made a priority
to learn more about these people who are just like anybody else, just with a few mental
disabilities which may hold them back. Though autism may not affect everyone personally,
knowing more about the disease, its symptoms, those suffering from this disorder, and the
possible treatments are all valuable things to be aware of.
Autism is a disorder which varies from person to person. Autism is a general term used to
group together many disorders of brain development. People with autism often fit all these
characteristics, each in their own ways: abnormal social interaction, difficulties in
communication, and repetitive behaviors. Symptoms of autism most commonly appear in
children 2 to 3 years of age. The cause of autism cannot be narrowed down to one specific thing,
not only because many things contribute to this disorder, but also because their is no one type of
autism. Each person is affected differently. Some causes are linked to rare gene changes, while
most seem to be linked to a combination of autism risk genes and environmental factors.
Environmental factors are nongenetic things which may have helped form the childs autism
before or during birth. Some environmental factors are difficulties during birth which most often
involves oxygen deprivation, the mother and father may be of older age, or a maternal illness
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which occurs while the mother is still pregnant. None of these are specifically linked to be the
cause of autism; however, they are found to increase the risk when combined with other genetic
risk factors. (What is Autism?)
All over the world, about 1 in every 68 children have autism, and a majority of children
with autism are male. About 1 out of every 5 children with autism are female. There is no sure
reason why; however, females who suffer from this disorder are sometimes much less fortunate
when it comes to symptoms and severity. Children with autism are most commonly known to be
very indifferent towards important people in their life such as parents or caregivers, and they
tend to not show much emotion unless very angry, sad, or happy (Who Is Affected By). As the
child grows older, they may begin to try interacting with people. However, the ways that the
child may speak to others may be odd or inappropriate because they do not understand how to
communicate with others very well. Often, higher functioning adults or teens with autism may
come across as being overly polite and often seem as though they are speaking with a set of rules
because they dont understand social interaction and try to speak with a type of normality. People
who suffer from autism often suffer with other disorders which add to the severity, such as
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or Mental Retardation. (Sternberg)
There are many different treatments for autism that all give different outcomes. Two
treatments that have been proven to help the child greatly are both Music Therapy, and therapies
which push the child to interact with others and understand feelings. Music therapy is very
common partly because of the great impact it has had on those affected by autism, these children
often are calmed by the sound of some types of music or are stimulated by the music and in turn
they may dance or sing, it allows them to express themselves which is something that these
children may not understand how to do on their own. Therapies that push the child to interact
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with others can mean anything from just carrying on a conversation with a caregiver or parent, to
meeting a stranger. The child is pushed out of their comfort zone and are obligated to learn these
social skills. Though it may not be simple, and the child may be apprehensive in the beginning
these treatments often have very positive outcomes (Autism Spectrum; Baron-Cohen 103-4).
However, therapies are not the only way to treat autism, some parents or caregivers find
medications which help to ease the childs symptoms to be very helpful, or just doing little things
at the home of the child affected which may help to ease the symptoms such as sticking to a
schedule and making sure to be aware of the setoffs of the child and what may affect him/her
positively or negatively. After reading the online article Helping Children with Autism, it is
apparent that all children with autism have their own set of symptoms and react in different ways
to treatments. Its the caregivers job to know their child and learn what helps the best, whether
that be a type of drug, therapy, or just helping the child at home. (Smith and Segal)
Autism is a disorder which affects many children worldwide; it should be a made a
priority to learn more about these children and what they go through on a daily basis. Knowing
someone affected by autism or not, it definitely doesnt hurt to know the facts since thousands of
kids are affected in the United States alone. Help make a difference in these childrens lives;
knowledge is power.







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Works Cited
Autism Spectrum Disorder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 8
Apr.
2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/treatment.html>.
Baron-Cohen, Simon. Autism and Aspergers Syndrome. New York: OXFORD University Press,
2008.
Smith, Melinda, Jeanne Segal, and Ted Hutman. Helping Children With Autism. Help Guide,
Dec.
2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/autism_help.htm>.
Sternberg, Barbara S. "Autism." Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. 2003.
Encyclopedia.com.
27 Apr. 2014 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3405700042.html>
What Is Autism?. Autism Speaks, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. <www.autismspeaks.org/what-
autism>.
Who Is Affected By Autism?. Ed. Susan C. Kim and Fred Volkmar. Autism Speaks, 12 Apr.
2010.
Web. 1 Apr. 2014. <www.webmd.com/brain/autism/who-is-affected-by-autism>.