Description of Cases of People with Autism - Assignment Example

Autism Interview Part Autism is a developmental disability based on neurology, which affects the victim’s communication, decision making and socialization skills seriously. This part of the paper is an overview of the interview questions directed to two autism patients named James and Joyce. James is 26 years old and lives with his parents while Joyce is 22 years old and studies in a special school for people with disabilities. The two were chosen because they were willing to share their experiences in public. Q: How old were you when you were diagnosed with autism? Joyce: I found out that I had autism when I was 3 years old. Back then, most people did not know much about the condition as they do today. James: I was 8 years old when I found out. I had told my mother that I had noticed I was different from other kids. That is when she explained I suffered from autism that caused those differences. Q: How does the condition affect you personally? Joyce: I have hypersensitive hearing, an issue related to autism. Sudden loud noises bother me, such as whistles and barking dogs. James: I have trouble organizing things. Also, I am usually absent-minded and often misplace my belongings, then spend a lot of time searching for the items. Q: Which autism symptoms did you experience when younger? Joyce: The autism symptoms faced by young children are not that different from those suffered by adults. They all have the same social, developmental, sensory and mental issues, together with shared interests. James: Few autism symptoms differ amongst children and adult victims. However, the major difference is how the individuals cope with the symptoms. Adult victims definitely display the symptoms much differently from young children. Q: How do you cope with the condition? Joyce: For the sensory issue, I put some effort in anticipating a loud noise that might be imminent. I cover my ears with earplugs whenever I feel that a loud nose is about to occur. James: I try to adopt a mental imprinting system for my organization problems. I do this through stopping for a second to memorize where I have placed an item, then remembering to retrieve later when I need it. Q: When did you decide to go public about your condition? Joyce: My mother took me to an annual autism conference when I was nine, where sufferers try to access more information about the condition. At the event, I met the conference director who invited me to give a speech in the following year’s conference. James: I went public about my condition when I was 15, when I was invited to a Christian crusade at a special school for people with disabilities. Since then, I have always talked publicly about my condition whenever I get a chance. Q: How did you find out about going public? Joyce: As I mentioned before, the conference director encouraged me to go public. He felt that since young people are rarely interested in autism, I was the perfect autism ambassador to the youth. He gave me some PR lessons on how to address people in public. James: I found out from the special school where I made my first presentation. Although the school is for students with various disabilities apart from autism, I was chosen to represent the condition and was given guidance on how to do it. Q: What effects do your speeches have on the audience? Joyce: Most of my speeches influence relatives of people with autism, who I specifically target. The impact they get is that in me they see an autism victim advising them on how to take care of their loved ones with the condition. James: My speeches affect my fellow individuals suffering from autism, who find out that they can relate to what I talk about in my speeches. Q: For how long do you plan to speak on autism? Joyce: I plan to present autism until I am too old, or when I retire, or maybe when I die. James: I will continue presenting as long as I get offers to present, earn a living making presentations, or mentally able to do so. Q: Do you think there is a chance of development of new autism treatments? Joyce: That is quite difficult to answer because we have no access to research findings. However, I am optimistic that there will be one to improve our conditions. James: One shortcoming we have as autism sufferers is that we are never updated on the current medical findings. We really hope that scientists are working on something that can cure our condition. Q: Which activities can simulate autistic children properly? Joyce: I believe that they be given motivation involving pleasure and positive reinforcement so that they can overcome social fears and examine their social options. James: The children should have customized educational paths that would influence them to like certain activities, perfect these activities, and gain knowledge about certain domains. Q: Do you think autism is an evolutionary condition rather than a disease? Joyce: I believe that taking into consideration our knowledge on autism, it is not just a disease and cannot adapt to all what is said about it. James: I personally think that autism is not just a disease, but a combination of phenotypes gathered together by doctors. Q: What are Autism’s characteristics? Joyce: Characteristics differ in different sufferers, but the most common ones include delays in development of language, delays in social development, and significant activity and interests’ restriction. James: Some of the most telling signs include intellectual functioning which patterns are uneven and sensory responses being inconsistent. Q: What causes autism? Joyce: While autism is a disorder of the brain that affects how it processes information, its cause is still unknown. James: As much as autism cause remains unknown, it cannot be caused by the psychological environment in which the child grows. Q; How common is autism? Joyce: There are four major developmental disabilities, with autism being one of them, occurring once in every 110 births. James: Autism is quite common, with approximations giving about 50,000 autism cases in North Carolina. Q: Who does autism affect? Joyce: The condition can affect anyone in the world irrespective of the environment one is in. James: Autism is evenly distributed throughout the globe, among all nationalities, social classes and races. One in every five autism suffers is female. Q: Are behavior problems in people with autism severe? Joyce: Behavior problems of sufferers range from mild to severe ones. In severe behavior, the victim can be unusually aggressive, even to the extent of injuring themselves. James: Sufferers’ behavior can either be mild or aggressive. Autism, in its mild form, can be a sort of learning disability. In its severe form, it can be hard to change. Q: Can autism occur alongside other disabilities? Joyce: The condition can occur either by itself, or can associate itself with other disorders of development, such as epilepsy. James: The condition can best be described as a disability on a continuum, ranging from severe to mild forms. The mental retardation degree and number of handicaps will determine the level of continuum. Q: Is there a difference between autism and mental retardation? Joyce: Most mental retardation sufferers show skill development that is relatively even, while those with autism display uneven skill development. James: The main difference is that autism sufferers show deficits in certain areas, especially communication abilities and relation to others. Q: Is autism treatable? Joyce: Yes, it is. According to studies, with proper instructions, all autism victims can make significant improvement. James: Autism is definitely treatable. Once victims learn to understand the world around them, they can eventually be responsive to others. Q: How can autism victims learn best? Joyce: Through teachers who have been specially trained. James: Through specially structured programs putting emphasis on individual attention. Q: Which jobs can autism victims do? Joyce: Generally, autism sufferers best perform jobs that involve repetition and are structured. James: Individuals with autism can work as artists, painters, piano tuners, computer operators, as well as any job that is well structured. Q: Which leisure activities can autism victims enjoy? Joyce: They can enjoy the same leisure activities as normal people. James: They enjoy activities such as solving puzzles, swimming, and listening to music. Q: When victims become adults what do they need? Joyce: They need vocational training, job opportunities, and group homes. James: They require supervised apartments, recreational opportunities, and other options for residential living. Q: Which additional services do children with the condition need? Joyce: They need respite care, care before and after school, and recreational and summer programs. James: They require prevocational training, summer school programs, and other residential living options. Q: What are the important components of an early intervention program? Joyce: It should be predictable, high structured, and able to hold the child’s attention with interesting materials and repetition. James: It should have minimal distractions and also provide modeling opportunities. Q: Can one find intervention programs for adults and older children? Joyce: If autism victims failed to get appropriate intervention programs as children, once they reach puberty, they can exhibit behavior problems of severe nature. James: Such victims need behavior consultants to figure out a way of communicating their needs. A visual communications system can do it. Q: Can autism victims ever live independently? Joyce: Many victims go on to flourish and hold responsible careers, living independently. James: While some victims possess the intellectual ability to hold a responsible job, their lack of social skills holds them back. Q: What is meant by Individual Education Plan? Joyce: It is a written plan describing special services or education program for an autistic child. James: It is a plan updated periodically that reviews the development of a child autism victim. Q: Are there differences between ABA and IBI? Joyce: Applied Behavior Analysis is a method of teaching for autistic children, while Intensive Behavioral Intervention is a therapist approach. James: IBI is a therapy application of ABA done by a therapist. Q: What is meant by connections for students? Joyce: It is a program for helping school going autism victims IBI to ABA. James: It is a group that assists children with autism when shifting from an Autism Intervention Program to a public school. Q: Who decides about the education that autistic children receive? Joyce: The decisions are made by teachers and other educators, who develop the Individual Education Plan for the children, including programs such as ABA. James: Educators together with community agencies work in tandem to make the important decisions concerning autistic children. Q: What do school staff know about autism? Joyce: The education ministry, together with the children and youth services ministry, works together in providing supportive elements for autism students. James: Since 2006, educators including teachers and school principals have been receiving training aimed at supporting ABA’s methods in public schools. Part 2 One of the major issues about autism is what causes it. Despite the fact that it is now recognized as neurological problem that affects certain parts of the brain, it is not well known what causes it. There is general acceptance that abnormalities in the structures and functions of the brain are the main causes of autism. Significant research on the possible causes of the condition continues to be conducted. Scientists are getting more discoveries about normal development together with how abnormalities occur, with the use of a variety of research tools for studying the brain growth of humans and animals. It is apparently clear that the cause of autism is either something that destroys the brain prior to, during, or after birth, or prevents the normal development of the brain (Dodd 8). Recent research into the human brain’s anatomy and functioning indicates that there exist consistent differences between an autistic’s brain and that of a healthy person. Additionally, researchers are also investigating the genetic causes of autism, including the roles played by genes and heredity in the transmission of the disorder from one generation to the next. There are also some suggestions that something within the environment can trigger the condition. In some cases the child may be affected just before birth, or shortly after birth. Due to this reason, researchers are wondering whether some conditions may interfere with the normal development of the brain, such as the health of the mother during pregnancy, complications during delivery, and any other environmental factors. In some families, differences in their child are not during the first year after birth, while in others clear sign and symptoms are not noticed until way in the middle of the second year. Development in some children may go on normally for some time, only to regress after the first year. There may exists a history of severe trauma which is primarily related to poor health, or maybe an accident that the parents feel is the triggering factor, while the cause may be unknown in other cases. Possible risk factors related to the environment include exposure to drugs before or after birth, infections, metabolic disorders, exposure to virus infections, genetic factors, reactions to vaccinations, or development of clinical seizures. However, in majority of the cases, no cause can be identified (Dodd 8). Identification of children with autism at an early stage is vital since it enables families to seek specialized intervention before it is too late, as well as providing parents with information necessary in understanding the individual strength and weaknesses of their child. One difficulty facing doctors is that autism is one condition that it cannot be readily diagnosed medically, meaning there is no standard medical procedure that can identify the disorder. Victims of autism, their families, caretakers as well as advocates usually have a hard time dealing with abuse and victimization. For the victims, these incidences are a living hell, while it s the worst nightmare for the loved ones, advocates and those who care. Moreover, the lack of credible witnesses or someone to report the facts will in most cases leave the autism victim having been victimized two times: by the abuser and then by a justice system that has no ability of understanding them. This can lead to lifelong traumatic effects for the victims. Law enforcement officers can help in alleviating this problem through finding out about victimization and abuse settings and then coming up with effective ways of combating it. These law officers can gather accurate and usable data during interviews, thereby improving the positive outcomes for the autism victim (Debbaudt 50). People with autism are perfect victims since they have the disadvantage of their enigmatic demeanor together with inability to convincingly express themselves. As they lack thinking skills that are abstract, they will not figure out the keys to their victimization, hence might not change, increasing their chances of being victimized again. While these victims may understand and know very well that they are being victimized, those without the training to figure out their intent and meaning may not understand their communications. Even if the autism victim can relate to the incidence, when taken to court, juries and judges may find their communication style and physical presence unconvincing, these being autisms main problems. While perpetrators of victimization may be individuals seeking easy prey or purveyors of ignorance and hate, they may also be people close to the victims, such as caregivers, family members, neighbors, coworkers, and many more. Abuse can take place whenever an autism victim lives, works, studies, spends leisure time, etc. Group homes for people with developmental disabilities such as autism are often targets for resentment as well as fear subjects in the nearby community. Neighbors usually have the impression that the property values for the area will go down, or that the autism victims are an inconvenient burden to the society. They would not be comfortable with the daily remainder that disability could happen to them, or would be awkward to have disabled neighbors (Debbaudt 52). In conclusion, autism is one of the mental disorders that is most misunderstood, especially by family members of victims. However, with the right nurturing and upbringing, a victim can grow to lead a normal life, just like normal people. Works Cited Dodd, Susan. Understanding Autism. Sidney: Elsevier Australia, 2004. Print Debbaudt, Dennis. Autism, Advocates and Law Enforcement Professionals: Recognizing and Reducing Risk Situations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Print Read More