Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LaFrance Nesbitt
Ms. Kenly
British Literature
26 April 2018
How often do you have a discussion with a friend about autism? The topic about autism
barely pops up into anyones conversation these days, and I find that kind of peculiar. The
question that I would like to understand is should people with autism be discriminated? with
Discrimination is a common barrier faced by people with disabilities in need of lifesaving care.
Only a handful of states have banned bias in transplants. Until more states act, this
Having autism can really hurt people because professional doctors sometimes decide not
to treat them. For example, a family was discriminated by several hospitals trying to help their
son who was in the need of a heart transplant and had to go state to state to find help. In the
article, DISCRIMINATION ALMOST COST MY AUTISTIC SON HIS LIFE, it says “Because of
our sons disability the doctors at our local children’s hospital told us would that no facility would
perform the transplant and we should prepare for him to die.” Whatever hospital that told this
family, that they should prepare for their son to die, should be shut down because they was being
very disrespectful and not doing their job correctly. Autism refers to a range of conditions
characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal
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communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. We now know that there is not
one autism but many types, caused by different combinations of genetic and environmental
influences. There’s also Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. People with
Asperger syndrome usually have some milder symptoms of autistic disorder. They might have
social challenges and unusual behaviors and interests. However, they typically do not have
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, also known as “atypical autism” is people who meet
some of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome, but not all, may be diagnosed
with PDD-NOS. People with PDD-NOS usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those
with autistic disorder. The symptoms might cause only social and communication challenges.
Normally, autism mostly affected in children rather than adults. The cause of autism is still
Although, there is no cure for autism, there are treatments and education approaches that
can address some of the challenges associated with the condition. Intervention can help to lessen
disruptive behaviors, and education can teach self help skills for greater independence. But just
as there is no one symptom or behavior that identifies people with autism, there is no single
treatment that will be effective for everyone on the spectrum. Treatment must begin as early as
possible and focus on the individual’s unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
People with autism should not be discriminated towards anybody. A family was
discriminated by several hospitals trying to help their son who was in need of a heart transplant
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and had to travel state to state to find help. In the article DISCRIMINATION ALMOST COST MY
AUTISTIC SON HIS LIFE, it says “Because of our sons disability the doctors at our local
children’s hospital told us that no facility would perform the transplant and we should prepare
for him to die.” Regardless of what disability anybody have you should not say anything as
disrespectful as what those doctors at that hospital told this family. It was actually unprofessional
and that hospital should face some type of consequences for how they handled this situation.
The family thinks since their son has a disability, the doctors at the hospital did not want
to help for whatever odd reason. The cumbersome computer and heavy batteries that hang from
outside the body had the power to extend his life. The local hospital that they have in their area,
failed to make them aware that this therapy existed and could have extended his life. Luckily, the
child survived and is doing well. He spent numerous times back and forth being hospitalized
My friend has a seven year old cousin who was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorder. He has his own language and likes to put things in his mouth. He is very smart, knows
how to read, and plays the piano, but sometimes wanders off outside and does not listen. When
he gets scared, he tends to spin around in circles. He is very repetitive and repeats everything you
say nonstop. His parents wanted to get him treatment from a children’s hospital, but was turned
down. For some reason the doctors declined treated the seven year old because he was autistic.
Though we've made enormous strides in changing the conversation, there is so much more we
need to do to stop discrimination. Adults and children with disabilities in need of organ
transplants should be afforded greater legal protections. Their lives are inherently worth saving.
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Autism is a life sentence of mental solitary confinement. You’re often alone and
misunderstood by people because you see the world through a different prism. However, one
good thing about autism is that you have a unique way of thinking and envisioning things that no
one else does. That special way of thinking can be put to good use through the arts and other
places. People with autism should deserve the same respect and chances as anyone else.
Well, autism doesn’t have to be deliberating. It does present tough challenges but they are
smart enough and strong enough to handle it. Calling it a “life sentence” is perpetuating the
belief that is is some kind of disease and its giving in to the propaganda created by those who
don’t understand it and benefit off of the grants and pharmaceutical industries. When someone
tell another person that they have autism, for some reason they would say that they feel sorry for
them, or that they are sorry to hear that. You shouldn’t feel sorry for someone because they have
autism. It’s actually a natural part of humanity. And it has greatly benefited humanity in a wide
number of ways through out of the box thinkers who were most certainly on the spectrum.
In today's world, some autistic people are afraid of telling people that they have autism,
because they would be treated differently. Some would often be ashamed of it because they may
feel like if they didn’t have it things would be different and things in their life could have gone
better. Their parents could be treating them differently than their siblings, and if they like tried to
impress their parents it would be a little harder. Therefore, their social life would not be easy at
all and if their friends doesn’t notice the autism, they would fail to inform them.
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People may treat autistic people as omniscient superhumans or some mentally disabled
person with the mental age of a 5 year old. I know for a fact that they would hate being treated
like that, which is why they would fail to mention to some people that they are autistic. To me,
it’s the fault of other people for not understanding people with autism. I don’t think they come
off as that different than them. If someone doesn’t want an autistic person around because of
something that they can’t help and because they were born with it, then that’s their problem.
There is honestly nothing wrong with having autism, and they should not be treated any
differently.
Society today reflects on autism as being useless and needing help with everything as if
they are handicapped or disabled. Some people would actually help just to feel as if they are
doing a good deed and it would make them a better person. They get ashamed for something that
they can not control, and nowadays any social disorder is in the same category as “mentally
retarded”. I personally think that mentally disabled people should not be singled out and put into
IMPACTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, it says “While medical professionals have become
much better at diagnosing autism, many people with the condition feel it is still not accepted as a
potentially positive aspect of who they are.” This is why many prefer the term “autistic person”
For the research, they surveyed 111 cognitively able autistic adults about how their
experiences of autism acceptance related to their mental health, and many commented on
experiencing a negative reaction. Unfortunately, they still don’t know why autistic people are at
a higher risk for mental health problems than non-autistic people. Researchers recently published
research that shows a lack of acceptance can significantly impact on the mental health of autistic
adults. Up to 70 per cent of autistic people experience mental health conditions such as
depression and anxiety, according to some research. These findings suggest that simply feeling
accepted plays a key role in a person’s mental health. But do other people accept autistic people
for who they are. We are just starting to learn about camouflaging in autism, and more research
needs to be done to understand the impact it could have on autistic people’s lives. For people
who have a diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition, autism can be an integral part of who
they are. If you feel like others don’t accept you for that part of your identity, this could impact
My moms friend son has autism, and he is often misunderstood. He is extremely high
functioning and to others he act “normal”. Calling him normal is a little insulting because he is
different than the average kid. He do indeed have the average intelligence. He take 3 advanced
placement classes, but what no one knows or undergraduate is the turmoil that goes on in his
head. He have a sensitivity to extremely bright lights and very loud noises, he’s childish and
immature and very socially awkward and can only communicate well through writing, and he
have like little meltdowns when he’s under too much stress. He gets frustrated when he can not
do something that a “normal” person can do because everyone says that he should be able to do
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it, but he can’t because he process things differently and more slowly than others his age. He has
to live with constant reminder that he’s different and it takes time to do certain things.
He actually learned how to control some of his breakdowns, he got used to bright lights,
and he’s gotten better at communicating. He have friends that love him and treats him like
everybody else. His parents and teachers boost his confidence by saying that he is smarter than
he think he is. His friends love how friendly and outgoing he is, which is a trait not everyone
have. Autism is a barrier that we have to break. It’s not deliberating. In some ways they’re just
like us, but there’s a tiny difference. Autistic people have lots of talents and have the ability to do
things that some may not be able to. They can function and succeed but it may be a little
Research suggest that having an older father may increase a child’s risk of autism.
Children born to men 40 years old or older were almost six times more likely to have an autism
spectrum disorder than 30 years old. Maternal age seems to have little effect on autism risk. One
in 10 extremely premature infants tested positive for autism. Children who are born more than
three months early have doubled the expectations got the rate of autism. Any children with
autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain but may be extra sensitive to sound, touch, or other
sensory stimulation, which may contribute to a reluctance yo being cuddled or hugged. Other
disabilities that fall within the Autism Spectrum category include Asperger’s Syndrome, PDD-
NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified), Rett Syndrome, and
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. As early as infancy, a baby can show the three hallmark
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features of autism which are communication challenges, impaired social interactions, and
repetitive behavior.
According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children in the United Rates had been diagnosed with an
Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the 1980s, autism prevalence was reported as 1 in 10,000. That
means back then many children was not really being diagnosed with autism at the time. It was
more like a “rare” disorder. But now-a-days more children are being diagnosed with it. Girls
with autistic symptoms may be suffering from Rett Syndrome. The syndrome affects mainly
females, because male fetuses with the disorder rarely survive to term. Development is typical
until 6-18 months, when language and motor milestones are lost.
In families with one autistic child, have a 1 out of 20 chance of having a second child that
will also be diagnosed with autism. This is greater than the risk for the general population.
Researchers are unclear as to why boys are diagnosed with autism more than girls, but some
think it’s had something to do with the X Chromosome. Scientists and doctors really base their
diagnosis for autism on how a child acts, they don't run any tests or anything in that nature.
Young boys are stereotypically rowdy and sociable. So when boys obsess with maps or avoid
group play and would rather be alone, society recognizes that behavior as neurologically
When girls fixate on dolls or books, when they're obsessively neat or shy or quiet, that's
seen as normal defential female behavior. Early focus on so called “boys behavior” set the
perimeters for what doctors came to think of as autism. Girls with autism stuck close enough go
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other girls to look as if they were socially connected, bug in reality they were not connecting. I
guess you can say that they would try to fit in to make it seem like they are being social and not
isolating themselves from others. While girls and boys on the extreme end of the spectrum share
behavior patterns and are diagnosed in roughly equal numbers, girls in the less extreme end,
whose autism manifests differently than boys, have slipped under the radar.
In the article GIRLS WITH AUTISM OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED, it says “ Girls are often
doctors who still think of autism as a disproportionately male condition often look for other
explanation. As a result, girls may miss out in early interventions.” Despite there being no reason
why women are less likely to be affected by autism than men, research presents us with a number
of ideas that could help us to understand why women with the condition are less likely to be
diagnosed.
Research and surveys are more focused on male characteristics rather than females
characteristics of autism. To this day, there is no research that focuses specifically on autistic
women, largely because the condition is seen as more common in boys than girls, and so boys
are routinely only included in research projects. The National Autistic Society days that because
of the male gender bias, women are less likely to be diagnosed with the condition, even if their
symptoms are equally as severe. The diagnostic criteria for Asperger Syndrome are based on the
characteristic of males. During childhood, boys are often more disruptive than girls so they
would more likely to receive more attention. However, this can lead fk girls going unnoticed as
their behavioral characteristics are seen to be less of a problem that needs investigating.
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Females with autism are better at masking their symptoms. In general, girls are more
skilled at fitting in with their peers and those with autism may try to repress their behavior so that
they don't stand out. Not only does this lead to symptoms not being spotted but it can also cause
mental health issues or cause the girl to act out and let go once they get home. The signs and
symptoms of autism amongst girls are less severe l. A study shoes from the Kennedy Krieger
Institute in Baltimore suggest that, whilst for boys the average age of diagnosis is three, the
average age for girls is four or older. This has been attributed to girls exhibiting less severe
symptoms, perhaps because they're repressing their behavior or because it's socially acceptable
In conclusion, anyone who has been diagnosed or for future preferences, will be
diagnosed, should not by all means be discriminated. It could lead to really severe damages to
their life and there is a high possibility that they could die. Hospitals should be the main ones
who should not discriminate against children with autism since they are so young, they will need
Work Cited:
Cage, Eilidh. "Autistic People Aren't really Accepted--and it's Impacting their.." The
.
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Carino, Jerry. "Why are Autism Cases Exploding, and what can be done about it?" Florida
"Blast from the Past; Treating Autism." Economist, Jun, 2017, pp. 80, SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://sks.sirs.com.
Firger, Jessica. "How to Detect Autism: A Blood Test could One Day Provide Early.."
Hoffman, Jan. "Helping Autistic Students Navigate Life on Campus." New York
Leung, Wency. "Young Adults with Autism More Likely to have Psychiatric Diagnosis.."
Globe and Mail, 14 Sep, 2017, pp. L.1, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.
Reinberg, Steven. "Vitamins Linked to Lower Risk." Hartford Courant, 22 Oct, 2017, pp.
Rodakis, John. "Autism Research should be Financed Like Venture Capital." Wall Street
Ubelacker, Sheryl. "Autistic Characters Lead some New Series, but are they Realistic?"
Wang, Sam. "How to Think about the Risk of Autism." New York Times, 30 Mar,
Zaraska, Marta. "'it's Normal to Take Away our Children'." The Independent (Daily Edition), 17