Introduction
Autism is a childhood developmental disorder seen throughout the world. The number of incidences is at increase and it is reported that one out of 150 people are having this disorder. Boys are found to have more incidences of autism. Since it is a new dangerous behavioral disorder, there lacks professionally qualified team to treat the people affected by autism. There are number of treatments and therapies to deal with the problem. But, poor people are not making use of them in time due to their financial barriers. This paper presents what is autism, how every one reacts to the problem, what is the difference between the rich and the poor in their response towards the problem.
Background
“Autism is one of five developmental disorders classified under the heading of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).” (Pervasive developmental disorders, 2000, para.1). Autism is becoming a dangerous developmental disorder throughout the world. More cases of autism are reported in United States recently. It is believed that it will become one of the major developmental disorders in this century. “Autism is a developmental disorder that some people are born with — it’s not something you can catch or pass along to someone else. It affects the brain and makes communicating and interacting with other people difficult.” (Autism: What is autism?, 2009, para.2).
Researchers and scientists are of the opinion that there are two important causes for autism. They are genetics and environmental and the scientists have determined a number of responsible genes of autism. “Studies of people with ASD have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. Other studies suggest that people with ASD have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain.” (Autism fact sheet: What causes autism?, 2009, para.11). There are number of symptoms and signs in connection with the disorder of autism. Some of them are “Communication problems (e.g., using and understanding language); difficulty relating to people, objects, and events; unusual play with toys and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings; and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns.” (Autism: What are the signs of autism?, 2009, para.11). There are three major signs and symptoms for autism. They are less “communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors.” (Autism, 2009, para.2).
There is no absolute treatment for the disease but there are number of treatment options to reduce the intensity of the disorder. “The best-studied therapies include educational/behavioral and medical interventions. Although these interventions do not cure autism, they often bring about substantial improvement.” (Autism fact sheet: How can autism be treated?, 2009, para.10).
Position
The people in the community are aware that autism is a behavior disorder and it can be cured through timely treatment. Since the number of cases of autism increases, people observe the children and if they feel some behavioral problems in their interpersonal relationship and communication, people take the children to the experts. Here lies a problem that rich people are very sensitive towards the problem and they will meet the therapists as soon as they recognize the problem. But the poor people are hesitant to get the treatment since they lack money. My position is that there are changes in all the children who suffer from autism if they are treated. At the same time, there is some problem with regard to availability of professional team who are well trained in autism. There is an urgent need of skipping the ignorance among primary care givers and interventionalists on the problem of autism. It is reported that there are hundred cases of Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Scotland, but no teacher was trained to deal this situation. Even though some teachers do their level best, they need a support from others. It is referred that there are different cases of intelligent students who are labeled as having autism or asperger’s syndrome. There are two kinds of thought processes in high intelligent people who have autism like high verbal thought and visual thought. The people who have such disorder have different skills and abilities. Therefore, there should be talented teachers who are able to develop the talents of such people who are suffering from autism and asperger’s syndrome.
Preview of main points
Incidences are at increase: The main problem with autism is that the incidences are more among children. Now it is recognized that one out of one hundred and fifty children are having this behavioral disorder in the United States. Moreover, it is identified that the cases of autism is at increase worldwide. The second major problem related to autism is that there lacks a trained team even in the developed world even though there are more reported cases. The third problem in connection with autism is access of the client irrespective of sex and status. It is found that rich people are getting treatment in time and poor people often go to the trained person when the problem becomes more complicated. The fourth problem is that the parents of children who are afflicted with autism becomes very tensed and nervous and very often they did not have accurate and correct information on the disorder. It also leads to many problems in the family and development of the children.
Opposing arguments
There are number of ways for the treatment of autism. All of them are dependent on each other. It is a comprehensive treatment program that includes different treatments, such as biological based, physical, psychosocial and communicative strategies. It is said that the major causes for autism are diet, medication, vaccines and genetic. So it is effective to avoid these circumstances in life that would increase the possibility of getting affected. “Behavioral therapy is the foundation for most treatment programs for children with autism.” (Autism: Other therapy, 2009, p.10, para.1).
There are many therapeutic treatments, such as physical therapy, sensory integration therapy, auditory integration training, special lenses that would lessen the intensity of behavioral disorders. There are psychosocial ways of treatments which are more effective and successful in dealing with the disorder. They are psychotherapy, therapy that develops the social skills, expressive and animal therapy, play therapy and holding therapy and all these therapies are experimented according to the need of the client. There are some other therapies that are very useful in the development of interpersonal communication. They are speech therapy, facilitated communication, sign language and use of technology and all these treatments are very complementary to each other. “Social stories can also be used to improve undeveloped social skills.” (Autism: Behavior modification, 2009, para.9). The problem here is that the treatment is expensive; so people cannot afford all these treatments. So also, there lacks professional team for treating autism.
Conclusion
Autism is a childhood behavior disorder that results in the problem of interpersonal communication. This paper presents what is autistic disorder; and the various problems with regard to the disorder. There are many treatment options; but these treatments are complementary and expensive. Therefore, the poor people do not have access to the treatment in time.
Reference List
Autism: Behavior modification. (2009). Neurology Channel: Your Neurology Community. Web.
Autism fact sheet: How can autism be treated?. (2009). Child Development Institute, Keeping Parents Informed.
Autism fact sheet: What causes autism?. (2009). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Web.
Autism: Other therapy: Behavioral therapies. (2009). E Medicine Health: Experts for Everyday Emergencies.
Autism: What are the signs of autism?. (2009). NICHCY: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Web.
Autism: What is autism?. (2009). Teens Health, from Nemours.
Autism. (2009). Medline Plus: Trusted Health Information for You. Web.
Pervasive developmental disorders. (2000). IRCA Articles. Web.