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Anthony Norcia

Mrs. DeBock

English IV Honors

9 March 2017

Autism in Children

Autism is an awful learning disorder that millions of Americans suffer from each year.

This learning disability can hinder a child, or adult, from reaching the full potential his/her IQ

would normally allow. The symptoms of an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, can range from

manageable to severe. Many young people who live with an ASD are often unnoticed by the

general public aside from certain idiosyncrasies that raise suspicion. No matter how mild autistic

symptoms seem to be, they should all be handled with an expert approach to maximize potential

in an individual. Parents should identify social, communicative, and language deficiencies in

their children so an early diagnosis can be reached and the special attention needed will be

provided.

The signs and symptoms of any Autism Spectrum Disorder become increasingly obvious

in children when the parent or guardian knows what to look for. Autism is characterized by

specific social and learning deficiencies that often appear in the first three years of a childs life

(Nordqvist). The telltale indicators that a child may suffer from an ASD range from lack of

knowledge of social cues, inability to make eye contact, and difficulty holding a conversation

(Nordqvist). Sporadic behavior and repetitive actions can also signal an ASD, a child can often

get lost in a sentence and repeat a word or phrase several times without becoming aware (An

Untreated Epidemic?). Another way to spot autism is to observe a child for certain obsessions,

small tics, or resistance to any major or even minor changes in a daily routine (Nordqvist).
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Children can become so accustomed to simple routines such as waffles for breakfast or more

complex activities like going to a certain school that it can become a major stressor when the

routine is broken or changed. Sudden changes should never be sprung upon a child with an ASD

rather they should be eased into the process. According to Gilman, her son, Benjamin, dealt with

extreme social anxiety, failed to create small talk, and often did not offer greetings to other

people he came across. All of these were red flags when dealing with an ASD despite Benjamin

being an intelligent learner and verbal child (Gilman). This goes to show that the spectrum of

autism is so wide and offers many different flavors, one child can be a socially anxious

individual but brilliant learner, while another child can be a social butterfly but have difficulty

absorbing information information in the classroom. Possibly the most brutal side effect of

autism is the inability to express feelings or emotions externally while all individuals possess

them (Nordqvist). It is important for caretakers to understand the way an autistic feels and

expresses love, happiness, sadness, and pain despite them being unable to truly exhibit these

feelings (Nordqvist).

Supportive parents or guardians plays an enormous role in an autistic childs life. Both

Dachel and Gilman give their first hand experiences on dealing with a child with an ASD.

Dachels son, John, had always been behind the learning curve since age three, forcing him to be

homeschooled throughout his childhood. At the time, autism was not widely recognized and

Dachel had to handle Johns social awkwardness the best she could without any real template

to go by. Piano lessons kept young John engaged and focused while he was homeschooled, but it

was not until a real diagnosis was reached, Aspergers Syndrome, that John could be treated and

taught appropriately (Dachel). The author, Johns mother, was able to bring normalcy to this

young mans life by always staying upbeat about her sons prognosis. John was able to obtain a
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regular job while collecting disability each month. Gilmans experience is similar in the case that

her child was autistic from an early age and she jumped through hoops to keep her child up to

speed. Benjamin was three years old when he was put into an alternative school for children with

learning deficiencies. Gilman read up on autism as a whole and found many forms of therapy

she could do with her son. This self proclaimed therapy included hours of speech games and

physical exercises utilizing trampolines, endless amounts of play-doh, and speech journals to

document words Benjamin said and in what context (Gilman). Another way Gilman assisted her

child with the effects of autism was helping him adjust to new environments. Benjamin and his

family were relocated while he was in middle school and he struggled catching up and adjusting

at first, but through counsel with school officials and his mother, ingenious ways for him to learn

effectively were concocted which raised his grade drastically (Gilman). Being a parent of an

autistic child presents many obstacles in life, but it is important to persevere through the rough

times to give that child the most successful future possible. Both authors from each source were

able to guide their children through life into functioning adults who face limited challenges on

the daily.

Parents and educators would be nothing without the tools that help them teach their

children or students proper social skills and learning methods. These learning mechanisms range

from complex scientifically supported apps to home remedies. One widely used learning medium

is an app called Sosh and is specifically used to treat children with Aspergers, a specific ASD.

This app focuses on social interaction and is based around 5 Rs, relate, recognize, regulate,

reason, relax (Dean). The app is so beneficial because it provides a comfortable learning

environment for the child, who often deal better with a computer than a human (Dean). Sosh

offers a variety of features such as a guide for modern slang and interpreting sentences that do
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not quite compute in their heads, conversational skills, listening exercises, eye contact guidance,

and even an appropriate voice level for children who struggle with volume (Dean). One feature

of the Sosh application that stands above the rest is the calming mechanism built into the

program which puts off user frustration, according to Dean. Besides apps to help learning, most

children with a form of autism are sprung into special education of some sort to fit their unique

learning styles. Snell states that a special education curriculum would best be constructed by an

occupational therapist who interacts closely with the child of interest. This specialized

curriculum aims for improvements in social communication, appropriate behavior, decision

making, and functional academic abilities (Snell). Without this learning approach autistic

children would be left far behind in the classroom. However, a government act called Individuals

with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which is supposed to provide sufficient funding for

children with a learning disability has severely lagged behind and hinders many from getting the

special education they require (Snell). Without proper legislation, Americas learning disabled

youth will not be able to access cutting edge treatments like Sosh or will be unable to obtain a

personalized learning program which is vital to ones development.

When children exhibit social, communicative, and language deficiencies parents should

be cautious and possibly refer to professional help that can provide the special education required

to help their child. So many methods are openly available to the public that assist individuals

with an ASD it would be foolish to let them fall through the cracks. Thousands of parents and

guardians around the world have a child with a learning disability and are forced to jump through

hoops for their loved one. Dachel and Gilman bravely shared their stories of struggles with an

ASD in their children but only with the help of unique learning methods and patience. With

autism exploding in populations all over the world, health care professionals must come together
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to not only reach more definitive diagnoses, but also find ways to reach a childs full potential

through alternative learning tools and special education handcrafted to fit an individual.
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Works Cited

Dachel, Anne McElroy. "Autism Is a Serious Public Health Crisis." Behavioral Disorders, edited

by Louise I. Gerdes, Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 22 Feb. 2017.

Dean, Rick. "Apps Can Help Special Needs Students Improve Social Skills." What Is the Role of

Technology in Education?, edited by Judeen Bartos, Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 23 Feb. 2017.

Gilman, Priscilla. "The child you didn't dream of." Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2011, p. 46. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 23 Feb. 2017.

Nordqvist, Christian. "Autism: An Overview." Why Is Autism on the Rise?, edited by Clay Farris

Naff, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 21

Feb. 2017.

Snell Martha, E. "Autism, Education of Individuals with." Encyclopedia of Education,

edited by James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2003, pp.

161-162. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 23 Feb. 2017.

"An Untreated Epidemic?" America, 2 Nov. 2009, p. 5. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

Accessed 22 Feb. 2017.