User:Jessi ryan/sandbox

= Autism = Jessi Ryan, January 17, 2017

Autism Spectrum Disorder, sometimes referred to as ASD, is a term used to describe a group of behavioral disorders with varying symptoms and severities. It is known as a spectrum disease due to the varying degrees of severities. Autism has been a mysterious disorder to many doctors due to the many ways it presents itself in children with little to no known cause. Until May 2013, autism was only a sub-type of a group of behavioral disorders. When the DSM-5 was published, all the groups were merged into one group labeled "ASD". Autism effects tens of millions of people worldwide and has shown an increase over the past few years. Although there is still little known about what causes this disorder and how it can be prevented and treated, researchers are testing out new treatments and diagnostic tools to hopefully one day better improve the lives of those living with the disorder and possibly prevent others from having autism.

Symptoms and Signs
Because autism is a spectrum disorder, it can present itself in varying degrees with varying symptoms. Some common, early symptoms that may indicate autism may include: Autism may also present with other disorders. Common disorders are seizures, other genetic disorders, Gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disorders, possibly even a sensory disorder. It has been found that a majority of people with autism will also present one of the other disorders. Many of these disorders are very treatable but they only add to the difficulty that goes along with living with autism.
 * Delayed speech or lack of speech development
 * Little or no eye contact
 * Fixation on objects
 * Repetitive behaviors
 * Lack of interest in social relationships

Treatments
Although autism is a life-long disease and there is no known cure, doctors have found many ways to help ease the lives of those with the disorder. Many treatments include therapy to work on the skills that autistic adults and children struggle with. Another common treatment is an intervention. It has been shown that many people benefitted from these treatments, especially when they were started early in life. Therapy and interventions have been found to successfully reduce the symptoms of autism and improve skills that are lacking which can provide a lifetime of benefits. Also, it is quite common for medicines to be prescribed. Although there is no cure, these medicines help manage symptoms and improve the quality of life of the effected individual.

Many scientists are still unsure exactly what causes Autism Spectrum Disorder however, there is much speculation that both genetics and the environment play a role un causing this condition. Because of this, many different types of treatments have been experimented with to not only help those who are already effected with autism but to also help prevent it in the future. Currently, imaged of the brain are being studied in order to determine when the deficits happen and speculate as to why. It has been found that the deficits happen very early in development. This has led many scientists to look into possible genetic effects that there many be on the effected individual that early in age.

Social Challenges
From an early age it has been shown that those developing with autism have trouble with forming social bonds and skills. They may have trouble playing in social games, forming close relationships with peers, and conveying emotions with peers and parents. It is very common for someone with ASD to have difficulty regulating their own emotions. This is often interpreted as being immature, however, it is almost an universal struggle with those effected by this disorder. An autistic person may also lack the ability to see others' perspectives. This can cause a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of how one is feeling.

As infants, those with autism have trouble focusing on their parents' gaze which can cause a disruption in how the child develops the attachment to the parent and also hinder the child's understanding of emotion recognition in faces. This can overtime develop into a lack of motivation to focus on human emotions and gestures as they grow older. Another social hinderance that appears early on is the lack of Theory of Mind. Theory of the Mind is the understanding that everyone has their own internal thoughts and perceptions aside from what anyone else may think. This understanding helps humans interpret how others may be thinking or feeling about certain social settings and also allows for predictions to be made about how to respond to people according to how they are acting. Those who have autism are unable to make this distinction which makes interactions in social settings very difficult, especially when their condition is unknown.

Communication and Behavior
Due to the lack of Theory of Mind, people with autism have a very difficult time communicating with others. It is difficult for them to read social cues that most would normally pick up on. When communication is made, an autistic person may come off as non-empathetic or rude. It is not that they feel this way, but that their brain does not know how to respond and act in situations that involve communication, especially when there are emotions involved.

It is also common for someone effected by autism to show repetitive behaviors. A few behaviors that could be included are rocking, hand-flapping, jumping or fidgeting, making sounds, etc. This is partially due to the limitations of the brain as it develops with autism. The range of things the brain can process properly as an autistic person develops is extremely slim compared to a normal growing person. This restricts the activities they may be introduced to which can cause these repetitive behaviors. Although this is a common occurrence, these behaviors can sometimes turn to obsessive behaviors. This is usually treated with therapies if thought to be dangerous but many times it is an obsession that can look like an extreme talent. For example, an obsession with numbers can be seen by the outside world as an extreme talent and affinity for math.