About the Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is considered to be one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. ASD is characterized by impairments in social interactions and reciprocal communication. Additionally, ASD can involve restricted repetitive activities, interests and behaviors (Campisi et al., 2018). Affecting all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic groups, ASD necessitate certain levels of support and, in some case, continuous care.
Signs and Symptoms
ASD patient tend to differ significantly but there are core features that give the key signs and symptoms. The features are grouped into two main categories: social communication and restricted repetitive sensory-motor behaviors. There are no reliable biomarkers, which means that behavioral indicators are primarily used to determine signs and symptoms (Lord et al., 2018). However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) offers a criteria to distinguish both the symptoms and diagnostic issues. Difficulties in communication, pervasive developmental disorder, attention deficit, and such genetic disorders as fragile X syndrome are all used to indicate the presence of ASD.
Diagnosis
The main diagnostic element for ASD is the evidence of difficulties, either in the present or past, which are different across the age groups. The DSM-5 offers several diagnostic criteria for ASD where the min focus is on such aspects as cognitive functioning, sensory symptoms, and autistic impairments (Duvekot et al., 2016). Other predictive behaviors may also be used in the diagnosis of ASD.
Patient Population
ASD affects all populations regardless of race, gender, sex, and socioeconomic status. In other words, ASD can be found in children, adolescents, and adults. Even though there may be some environmental risk factors affecting each population differently, studies indicate that 74-93% of ASD is heritable (Lord et al., 2018). It means that if a member of a family suffers from ASD then it is likely that some descendants will suffer from ASD. Globally, recent studies show that an estimated 1% of the population suffers from ASD. In some developed countries, the rates of ASD are higher with an estimated 1.5% of the population being affected.
Impact on Child and Family
Since ASD affects people across all ages, it can be argued that one of the greatest impact is the inability of the patient to live and work independently. Many ASD patients require constant care, which means other people are also occupied in caring for these patients. Additionally, treating ASD patients can be costly, which means the family expends massive resources to the ASD child (Lord et al., 2018). As for the child patients, inability to adapt to life situations and challenges in socializing may cause psychological issues, including depression.
Treatment Options
Treatment options for ASD patients are limited across the world. According to Lord et al. (2018), the level of education affects access to low-cost publicly funded interventions even in such developed regions as Europe. However, there are several options that can be explored, including early parent-mediated interventions (for example, coaching parents on how to interact with ASD children). Additionally, naturalistic behavioral development interventions, for instance, pivotal response treatment and early social interaction, can also be used. For school-aged children and adults, social skills groups and SCERTS (social communication/emotional regulation/transactional support) is a common intervention.
Treatment Considerations
The key details of treatment considerations are hardly studies for the ASD patients. However, the fact that access to treatment is challenging means that individuals need to consider several factors, including availability, costs, requirements, and wait lists. Across the world, there are clinics and other programs that help people with ASD. The availability of such programs is an major problem, especially because they are not many and the requirements are often vague. Such aspects as wait lists may also be a challenge due to the limited number of programs.
Research Studies
Current studies on ASD focus on a wide variety of subjects, including diagnosis, treatment, genetic and environmental risk factors, and other controversial concerns. Additionally, such scholars as (Penner et al., 2018) describe wait times and delayed access to intervention as a result of inefficient diagnostic practices in selected countries. Therefore, ASD is one of the widely studied disorders despite the fact that practitioners still find it difficult to develop sufficient diagnosis and treatment mechanisms.
Health Teaching
Health teaching on ASD may focus on a number of subjects, some of which can be derived from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Most importantly, health teaching may focus on early signs of ASD where parents can be informed on how to discover ASD in their children. At more advanced levels, including for clinicians, developmental screening and monitoring may comprise the key topics. The main idea is that heath teaching should help in early diagnosis of ASD to allow parents seek interventions as early as possible.
Impact on Personal Learning
ASD causes some challenges for the patients, including personal learning. According to Waisman and Simmons (2018), there is a need to focus scholarly attention to establishing how ASD students may experience greater academic outcomes. Under normal circumstances, ASD patient suffer from attention deficiency, poor memory, frustration and emotional control, and time management. These are factors that hinder personal learning and, consequently, cause poor educational outcomes. Additionally, ASD patients tend to emerge themselves in technological devices, including computers, where they can engage in gaming. Therefore, options for e-learning have been explored as alternatives to improve personal learning among ASD students.
Treatment Modalities
There are several treatment modalities that can be adopted by practitioners. Examples include individual, group, couples, and family therapy. Each of these modalities is slightly different in the sense that they target different groups and necessitated by the needs of the patients. Each of the modality will be discussed in terms of what it entails, how it works, and the conditions in which each is applied.
Individual Therapy: What it Is
Individual therapy can also be described as individual psychotherapy or counselling. It involves the patients meeting with the therapist on a one-on-one basis where sessions are tailored to meet the needs of the patients. The counselor helps the patient work through feelings and life challenges.
Individual Therapy: How it Works
Individual therapy works through individuals attending one-on-one sessions with the therapists. The sessions are confidential, which means all discussions and session proceedings are only known to the therapist and the patient. Additionally, weekly meetings are common, even though the other scheduling arrangements can be agreed. In many cases, only a few sessions will be requires, even though some patients attend sessions for a year or longer. Therefore, it is important to understand the number of sessions are determined by the progress made and the personal goals set by the patients.
Individual Therapy: When to Use it
Individual therapy is often designed for patient with unique needs, which cannot be effectively handled through group sessions. Additionally, they are used the therapist and patient need to address personal issues and experiences. Individual therapy allows for the exploration of a wide variety of needs, which means that only tailored sessions are possible. Lastly, a therapist may use the individual sessions to help develop a comprehensive understanding of a single patient.
Group Therapy: What It Is
Group therapies can be described as therapeutic sessions designed for more than one person. Patients may be grouped according to several criteria, one of which is the age. However, the basic characteristic of group therapy is that the sessions involve a discussion of those issues that unite all group members.
Group Therapy: How It Works
Group therapy works mostly by bringing together people of similar age and suffering from similar problems. For example, in the case of ASD, adolescent patients having problems integrating into social groups may be brought together in therapeutic sessions. Group therapies may also work as a form of soliciting group support from people facing similar situations. However, it is important to acknowledge that personal and private matters may be difficult to address in group sessions due to the lack of discretion.
Group Therapy: When to Use It
Despite the deficiencies of group sessions, group therapy is often used when there are several people with the same problems. In such situations, the therapists may feel that peer support is needed and it is a key part to achieving the therapeutic objectives. Additionally, group sessions are economical because many clients can be included in a single session. Most importantly, the patients can practice social skills in group sessions, especially where this is a key treatment objective.
Family Therapy: What It Is
Family therapy can be described as a special form group therapy. According to Carr (2019), there is evidence to support the observation that family therapy is one of the most effective treatment modalities. The key features of a family therapy is that sessions involve one or more of the family members to accompany the patient. In these case, the family members are pivotal in supporting the wellbeing of the patient. Additionally, dysfunctional family aspects can be addressed, especially where they are perceived to be part of the problem.
Family Therapy: How It Works
From a systems approach, a family is seen as an organized system where each individual makes vital contributions in the creation and maintenance of processes that shape individual behaviors. Therefore, family therapy works by bringing together family members and using their influences as mechanisms of helping the patient. Additionally, some challenges tend to result from the family system, which means broader issues can be explored. Lastly, some of the challenges faced by a patient tend to affect the entire families, which means that the members will need to be educated on how to cope.
Family Therapy: When to Use It
As one of the most effective treatment modalities, family therapies can be used in cased where children suffer from attachment problems. Additionally, patients from dysfunctional families can be treated using family therapies where certain aspects for both the patients and family members are addressed. Where children experience problem behaviors, family members can be involved where they can serve as mentors who can also coach the patients on daily living skills.
References
Campisi, L., Imran, N., Nazeer, A., Skokauskas, N., & Azeem, M. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder. British Medical Bulletin, 127(1), 91-100.
Carr, A. (2019). Family therapy and systemic interventions for child-focused problems: The current evidence base.Journal of Family Therapy, 41, 153-213.
Duvekot, J., Ende, J., Verhulst, F., Slappendel, G., Maras, A., & Greaves-Lord, K. (2016). Factors influencing the probability of a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in girls versus boys.Autism, 21(6), 646-658.
Lord, C., Elsabbagh, M., Baird, G., & Veenstra-Vanderweele, J. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder. Lancet, 392(10146), 508-520.
Penner, M., Anagnostou, E., & Ungar, W. (2018). Practice patterns and determinants of wait time for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in Canada.Molecular Autism, 9(16), 1-13.
Waisman, T., & Simmons, M. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder and the implications for higher education.The Journal of Educational Thought, 51(3), 317-338.