Below is a synopsis of autism, as written by my daughter, Karon L. Keeney.
On the next page is my story of life with Aspergers and my two son’s stories of Autism and Aspergers. To read this, click the link below:
Autism is a very complex disorder that affects the way the mind works perceives the world.
The word autism was first used in 1912 by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler.
But the actual classification of the disorder did not occur until 1943, when psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner of the John Hopkins Hospital of Baltimore
did a report on 11 children with striking behavioral similarities, and created the label early infantile autism.
He got the word autism from the Greek autos, meaning “self”, to describe the fact that the children seemed to
lack interest in other people. At the same time, Austrian scientist Dr. Hans Asperger described a different form of autism
that later became known as Asperger’s Syndrome. These two disorders were described as two of the five Pervasive Developmental Disorders
(PDD), more commonly referred to today as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). All of these conditions are characterized by
varying degrees of difference in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. 3
There is no known, unique cause of autism, but there is growing evidence that it can be caused by a variety of problems. There is some evidence
to a genetic influence in autism. A great deal of research has focused on locating the “autism gene”, but many researchers speculate that three to five
genes may be associated.1 It is largely believed that autism is a genetic disorder due to the pattern of autism occurring in some families.2
There is also evidence that the genetic link may be a weakened or compromised immune system. Other research has shown that depression and/or dyslexia
are common in one or both sides of the family when autism is present. Another possible cause may be that a virus can cause autism. There is an increased
risk in having an autistic child after exposure to rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy. Cytolomegalo virus has also been associated with autism.
Also, there is a growing concern that viruses associated with vaccinations, like the measles part of the MMR vaccine and the pertussis of the DPT shot,
may cause autism. Some speculate that toxins and pollution in the environment can lead to autism. In the town of Leominster, Massachusetts, where a factory
manufacturing sunglasses was once located, there is a high number of autistic people. Interestingly, the highest proportion of autism cases were found in the
homes down-wind of the factory smokestacks. 1 While a psychological cause has been ruled out, neurological studies seem to indicate a primary brain dysfunction. 2
While there is a lot of evidence supporting all these theories, they are only speculation and no known cause has been determined yet.
There is no real way to describe every person with autism because there are so many forms of the disorder. Differences in behavior can be seen in infancy.
Two common characteristics they may exhibit may include arching their back away from people to avoid physical contact and failing to anticipate being picked up (ex. Falling limp).
They are often described as either passive or overly agitated babies, and many begin to rock and/or bang their head against the crib; but this is not always the case.
As toddlers, some autistic children reach developmental milestones, like talking, crawling, and walking, much earlier than normal; whereas others are considerably delayed.
About 50% of autistic children develop normally until somewhere between 18 months to 3 years or age; then autistic symptoms begin to emerge. This is often called “regressive” autism.1
As children, autistic children may fall behind their peers in the areas of communication, social skills, and cognition. In addition, dysfunctional behaviors start to appear,
such as self-stimulatory behaviors (ex. repetitive, non-goal directed behavior, like rocking, hand-flapping), self-injury (headbanging), sleeping and eating problems,
poor eye contact, insensitivity to pain, hyper-/hypo-activity, and attention deficits. One very common autistic characteristic is the individual’s “insistence on sameness.”
Many children become overly insistent on routines; if one is changed, even slightly, the child may become upset and tantrum. Many routines include: drinking and/or eating the
same food every meal, wearing certain clothing, and going to school using the same route. One reason for the routine may be the person’s inability to understand or cope with change.
This can lead to problems in the future when things beyond their control change, like the seasons or during puberty.1
Many autistic individuals seem to have an impairment in one or more of their senses. Their senses may be hypersensitive or hyposensitive. As a result, it may be hard for them to
process incoming sensory information properly. This can also make it difficult for the individual to withstand normal stimulation. Some autistic individuals are very defensive and
avoid all forms of body contact. Others have little or no tactile or pain sensitivity. Some seem to “crave” deep pressure. But one common sensory impairment is hypersensitive hearing.
About 40% experience discomfort when exposed to certain sounds and frequencies. These individuals often cover their ears and/or tantrum after hearing sounds like a baby’s cry or the
sound of a motor. In contrast, some are perceived to be deaf because they appear unresponsive to sounds.1
Many autistic individuals have impaired cognitive skills and do not realize that others may have different thoughts, feelings, or perspectives than their own. Some are described as
believing that they are behaving normally and that everyone else is acting oddly. About 10% of autistic individuals have savant skills; that is, an ability that is considered remarkable
by most standards. These skills are often spatial in nature, such as special talents in music and art. Another common savant skill is mathematical ability in which some can multiply large
numbers in their head. These skills vary with each individual.1 Many autistic behaviors change over time. Autistic children often have other disorders of brain function; about two-thirds are
mentally retarded; over one quarter develop seizures.2
Other disorders relating to autism are: Asperger’s Syndrome—a child with Asperger’s disorder has the same common problems as children with autism however they don’t have language development
problems of an autistic child; 2 Fragile X Syndrome, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Williams Syndrome. 1
There is no actual cure for autism, but there are many forms of treatment that are used to reduce autistic behaviors and increase appropriate behaviors. Some individuals are given medications
to improve general well-being, but there is not primary drug that has been shown to be consistently effective in treating symptoms of autism. The most widely-prescribed drug is Ritalin,
a stimulant used to treat ADD and ADHD.1
The two treatments which seem to work best are Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA; behavior modification) and the use of vitamin B6 with magnesium supplements. Behavior modification
involves many strategies (ex. positive reinforcement, time-out) to increase appropriate behaviors, such as communication and social behavior, and to decrease inappropriate behaviors,
such as self-stimulatory and self-injurious behavior. Vitamin B6 taken with magnesium has been shown to increase general well-being, awareness, and attention in about 45% of autistic children.
There are also a number of recent reports of the benefits of another supplement, Di-methylglycine (DMG), which seems to help the person’s general well-being and communication skills.
Also, sensory integration techniques are often used to treat dysfunctional tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive senses. As a matter of fact, Dr. Temple Grandin, an autistic woman,
developed a hug machine that provides the individual with deep pressure and appears to have a calming affect on the person. 1
Autism is the most common PDD; for many years the cited statistic was that autism occurred in 4.5 out of 10,000 live births, but now, due to changes in diagnose techniques, it is known
that autism occurs on a much higher scale, affecting an estimated 1 in 166 births as of 2004. This means as many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of autism.5
Autism is also about three to four times more likely to occur in males than females; a ratio not uncommon in developmental disabilities.1 Actually, it is so common, that a startlingly large
number of well-known people have autism or some other PDD. One website listed many names of such people.
Daryl Hannah, an American actress best known for her roles in Splash, Blade Runner, and Kill Bill has an unspecified form of autism. Many people also have been diagnosed with Asperger’s;
Dan Aykroyd—a comedian and actor, H.P. Lovecraft—an author, Michael Palin—British actor from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Syd Barrett—founding member of Pink Floyd, and the director Steven Speilberg. 4
Sources and links(referenced by superscripts):
1)
2) http://www.autism.org/overview.html
3) http://www.autism-pdd.net/what-is-autism.html
4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
5) http://en.wikepedia.org/wiki/List_of_autistic_people
6) http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WhatisAutism