Autism Case

Autism

Autism came about in the early 1900's when Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, first used this term. He used autism to refer to schizophrenia symptoms. Than in the 1940's Leo Kanner used the term autism to describe children that have social and emotional problems. When Kanner did his research, he was studying children that had taken themselves away from human contact as early as age one. Autism describes conditions in which a person isolates oneself.

There is no definite cause for autism, but experts say that it could be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There are two theories that connect vaccines and autism. One theory is that the Mumps-Measles-Rubella vaccine can cause intestinal problems which could lead to autism. The second theory that a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal, used in vaccines, could also is linked to autism. There are many studies that show families with autistic members are most likely to have children with autism. Some parents think that they are at fault for their child developing autism but that is not the case. Bad parenting cannot cause autism; this was just a misinterpretation of this disease. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are trying to figure out if autism is caused by atypical brain development. They have found that autistic children have larger brains and their brains process information differently. Immune Deficiency problems have some evidence connected to autism. Some food allergies have been seen to contribute to some autistic symptoms. So basically there is a combination of different factors that contribute to the cause of autism.

There are many different symptoms for autism, but everyone with autism expresses these symptoms in their own way. All persons with autism have abnormal functioning in three main areas; social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and the presence of repetitive and restricted patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. Autism is generally not diagnosed until all three areas are showing signs of abnormality. Symptoms include poor use of body language like eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. They prefer to be alone, they may not want to cuddle, they have a lack of social play, they do not respond to verbal cues, such as acting deaf, or difficulty interacting with others around them. As for impaired communication, they are delayed or have total lack of the development of speech. If their speech becomes developed it will be abnormal in the sense of content and quality, making it difficult for them to express needs and wants. Persons with autism resist change, insisting on following routines and sameness. They tend to have repetitive body movements and/or abnormal posture, and narrow, restricted interests. Autistic persons have problems with neurologic functions, cognitive functions, and have behavioral symptoms.