About Me
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Apr. 2, 2008
Autism Awareness
April 2 is World Autism Day!
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention programs.
Autism is one of five disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.”
The five disorders under PDD are:
Autistic Disorder
Asperger's Syndrome (My son falls under this category)
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)
Rett's Disorder
PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)
Asperger's Syndrome/Disorder
Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.
What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.
Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or may show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.
Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger's Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract concepts.
One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give and take nature of a conversation.
Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with Autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay and most possess an average to above average intelligence.
While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.
Living With Autism
The demands of raising a child with autism are great, and families frequently experience high levels of stress. Recognizing and preparing yourself for the challenges that are in store will make a tremendous difference to all involved, including the parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family, and friends.
The uniqueness of each individual with autism makes the experience of raising a child with autism different for each family. But there are some consistent themes or issues that most families will want to be aware to be able to provide the best support to the individual and to family members.
The ASA has developed in-depth information on a variety of topics related to living with autism. The information below is by no means exhaustive, but it should help to equip families with some of the basic tools they may need to successfully raise a child with autism.
Autism Society of America
2008 |
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My Family
Skippy, aka
Grace Seeker
and I were married in 1986 and recently celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. Skippy
is a water treatment plant manager that purifies and recycles water for a large poultry company. He plays
the drums with our Praise and Worship team, coronet, and helps run the sound booth
at our church. He likes to watch HOUSE, Ice Road Truckers, BONES,and the
Deadliest Catch (curled up on the couch with ME, of course!) Skippy is my BEST FRIEND
and the LOVE OF MY LIFE. Oh, and I forgot to mention he is the world's BEST
DAD!
I ? YOU, SKIPPY!
Goose
has graduated from our local community college with an Associate's Degree in
Liberal Arts & Sciences. She is now taking on-line classes with the University of Pheonix to continue her
education, as it is her desire to become a Child Psychologist. She was recently married to her high school
sweetheart, Tang, and they are living close by with their sweet little fur baby, Bailey. Goose enjoys cooking,
the outdoors, crabbing, spending time with family and friends, working out, and finding mouth-watering Weight
Watcher's recipes. She loves watching HOUSE, Will and Grace, The Biggest Loser, eating pumpkin ice cream,
and buying Pampered Chef and Mary Kay. Her latest love is collecting Pandora charms for her bracelet.
WE ? YOU, GOOSE!
Bean is very artistic and a whiz on the computer. She has recently started making
personalized military purses using their spouse's/fiancee's/boyfriend's ACU's. She is doing very
well with her business, but has recently taken some time off to marry her high school sweetheart, Tex, and to
move to their new home our of the area. :> ( Bean is also enrolled in classes now and will be getting her
Associate's Degree in Business when completed. Bean loves animals, enjoys cooking, sewing, working on the
computer, EATING, spending time with friends and family, watching HOUSE, Army Wives, and Paula Dean.
WE ? YOU, BEAN!
Kiddo, aka
Nintendo Master is very much enjoying being
home-schooled. He enjoys playing video games, and listening
to his MP3 player. He loves doing woodworking with Skippy. He is a STYX, Relient K, and RUSH fan, just
like his dad. He also enjoys board games, listening to Adventures in Odyssey, and attending the Youth Group
at our church. Kiddo also loves to EAT, play POKEMON, Guitar Hero, and Rayman on his DS. He also enjoys
spending time with his good friend, Barlow Girl Girl, his cousin, NEMO, watching HOUSE, Deadliest Catch,
and Ice Road Truckers with mom and dad.
WE ? YOU, KIDDO!
This is my girl, Paws......the BEST doggone dog in the world!!!
This is Grandma's girl, Bailey.....She is soooo adorable!!!!
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