Introduction:

What is AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

AUTISM is a neurodevelopmental issue portrayed by disabled social connection, verbal and non-verbal correspondence, and by limited and repetitive behaviour. The investigative conditions involve that symptoms become obvious in advance a child is three years old. Autism is well-known as a “spectrum” disorder since there is a wide-ranging distinction in the kind and severity of symptoms people familiarity. ASD occurs in all ethnic, racial, and economic groups. Though ASD can be a lifetime disorder, treatments and services can improve a person’s symptoms and skill to function. Individuals with ASD have trouble with public communication and contact, limited interests, and repetitive behaviours.

• Signs of Autism: Psychological: Unconscious of other emotions.
• Behavioural: Poor eye contact, impulsivity, compulsive behaviour self-harm, repetitive movements, incorrect social interaction.
• Developmental: speech delay, learning disability in a child
• Cognitive: extreme interest in a smaller number of stuff or difficult giving attention.
• Anxiety change in voice, sensitivity to sound is also very common.
• Children dealing with autism have trouble communicating. They have trouble understanding what other people think and feel. This makes it very hard for them to express themselves either with words or through gestures, facial expressions, and touch.

Historical Development:

In 1908, The term autism is referred to define a subgroup of schizophrenic patients who were particularly withdrawn and self-interested.

In 1943, Leo Kanner, M.D advertises a document unfolding 11 children who were extremely smart but showed an influential hope for isolation” also “an obsessive persistence on determined sameness.” Later, He defined these conditions as “early infantile autism.” In 1944, Hans Asperger defines a “milder” term of autism called as Asperger’s Syndrome. The cases he stated were all schoolboys who were very intellectual but had difficulty with social interactions and specialized obsessive interests. In1950’s Bruno Bettelheim spreads the theory that “refrigerator mothers,” in which he, triggered autism by not loving their kid’s plenty. First twin study on autism was coined in 1977s by Susan Folstein and Michael Rutter in which they found out that autism is caused by genetics and biological differences in brain development. In 1980’s DSM registered “infantile autism” for the first time and the conditions formally split from childhood schizophrenia. In 1991, The authority announces autism a unique learning category. Public schools started identifying children on the spectrum and recommending them special services.  The DSM-5 concludes all subgroups of the state into protection conclusion of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Asperger’s Syndrome is no more measured in a separated form.

ASD is well-defined by two types:

1) Impaired social communication and/or interaction.

2) Restricted and/or repetitive behaviours.

Theoretical Background:

Theory of mind: This theory attempts to describe the first symptom criteria (A) of the DSM-5 in which the constant deficits in communication and social interaction in several settings with individuals with ASD. The theory of mind is the skill that neurotypical people (people with no clear mental disorder) must stand for the mental states of others. This ability appears genetically during the first phases of child development and is determined at around 4-5 years old.

The theory of executive dysfunction: The theory explains the second symptom criteria (B) of the DSM-5, and it aims to justify the limited and stereotyped forms of behaviour, interests and activities of individuals with ASD. Executive functions (EF) are a collection of mental skills that are lay into practice through self-sufficient activities. These skills, which are also essential, permit us to organize ourselves, be amenable, look forward to planning, set goals and targets, manage our desires, etc. These are a set of cognitive processes that behave in new places where we don’t have an earlier plan of the act. These are in the prefrontal cortex. It is the last part of the brain to mature, which arises from 12 months to 18 years of age, with two famous peaks at 4 and 18 years old.

The theory of weak central coherence: It was given by Uta Frith, Joliffe and Baron-Cohen and it compacts with justifying the problem that individuals with ASD  with information in a single clear and general “everything”, aiming their interest on small details.

The theory of empathizing systemizing: this theory seeks to describe the struggles of people with ASD in forming communication and forming social relationships.

RESEARCH EVIDENCES:

1. Christopher Caniff M.D,  Matthew Maenner B.S., Ellen Giarelli Ed.D (2009) investigated the timing of when children with ASDs are found. The method they adopted was Survival analysis was applied to assess issues that impact the scheduling of community-based detection and analysis. This concludes that a huge gap among the era at which kids can be seen and when they really are seen means a serious need for more exploration, improvement, and increase in this field of scientific exercise.
2. M. Catherine Cappadocia, Jonathan A. Weiss and Debra Pepler(2011) studied bullying encounters among children detected with ASD but initial research hints that children with ASD are at more risk for being harassed compared to usually by peers. Victimization was linked to child age, affecting and give voice to mental health crises, communication troubles, and a number of friends at school, also parent mental health problems. Harassment avoidance and mediation approaches are examined.
3. Benjamin Zablotsky, Connie M Anderson and Paul law (2013) explored the study of risk factors for bullying among children with ASD. The results from many parents of children found with ASD who were chosen from a national web-based registry. This concludes that Children found with Asperger’s disorder, attending a public school or a school with a common education population, were at the greatest risk of being victimized in the past month. And children with a high level of autistic attributes were likely to be victims, harasses, and bully-victims. Lastly, kids in complete presence classrooms were more prone to be victimized than those who spend most of their time in special education sites.
4. Kristin L. Berg, Kruti Acharya, Cheng-Shi and Michael E. Msall (2017) studied out to determine The impacts of family aversive childhood experiences (ACEs) on the timing of ASD diagnoses and note of therapies. The result shows Parametric enhanced closure time valued the relationship between family ACEs and both timing of ASD analysis and receipt of therapies among US children (age 2–17 years) Related to children with no family ACEs. ACEs can cause major obstacles to diagnoses and care of children with ASD.
5. Lindsay L. diamond (2018) investigated problem-solving using visual support for young children with Autism. Also, various stages of social and behavioural deficits in the early years. Behavioural deficits can affect the growth of right interpersonal problem-solving skills and peer approval, supporting the demand for instructional aid. This concludes that working of a visual support poster to enable the advancement of problem-solving skills throughout social and academic tuition for young kids with autism.
6. Jan Blacher, Lauren Berkovits and Abbey Eisenhower (2016) studied the strength of emotion regulation and its relationship with other phases of a child working. Members include 108 children with ASD, ages 4–7, and their primary caregivers. ASD signs and cognitive/language skills were evaluated upon study entry. The result suggested that emotion dysregulation expects rises in social and behavioural troubles within time.
7. Bethany Rigle (2017)  studied out to verify the number of ACEs among children with autism and how ACEs are related to resiliency and health. The method was conducted was quantitative analysis. This results in kids with autism face much more ACEs than their friends, which is in the negative related to their health. Though, resiliency is not much linked with ACEs in this people. ACEs extremely affect children with autism, which is undesirably correlated with wellbeing, other than resiliency
8. Pegah Athari, Leila Ghaedi, Azlina Binti and Mohd Kosnin (2013) conducted a study to evaluate the connection among mothers’ depression and stress linked with the seriousness of autism in children and the impact of family income on the connection among these two variables. The results indicated that various salaries of mothers have major cause on the amount of depression and stress among mothers and the seriousness of autism This concludes that seriousness of autism in kids shifts with family income and mothers’ depression and stress-seriousness
9. Elrod, Marilisa G. MD, PhD; Hood, Bradley S. MD (2015) conducted a study to evaluate Sleep differences among kids with ASD. The result displayed that children with ASD and normal intelligence had less  TST as linked with TD peers, whereas those with ASD and intellectual disability had a large fall in TST as linked with TD peers. This concludes Children with ASD have little but significant objective changes in their sleep issues that are reliable with biased reporting. Children with ASD have smaller TST, longer SL periods, and decreased SE as matched with TD peers.
10. Carol B. Garrison, Anna M. Egan and Malia Beckwith (2013) conducted a study to identify levels of overweight and obesity in young kids with ASD and things linked to overweight. The technique Retrospective chart assessments were used for 273 children after receiving case services with a developmental paediatrician or the evolving team at a kid’s hospital. This resulted in rates of obesity in kid’s suffering from ASD is above. This assumes that children with ASD are at threat for overweight and fatness, and children with autistic disorder are at more risk for weight troubles than children with Asperger’s disorder.

Conclusion:

Through my research, it is seen that Autism is when an individual faces problems and struggles in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication. Autism can be caused by genetics where if an identical twin if one has autism, there’s nearly a 90% chance the other twin will have it too. For siblings of a person with autism, the possibilities of having the disorder are greater than for the rest of the people. Exploration has found autism risk genes. There is no treatment for individuals from autism. Medications are used for controlling the symptoms such as aggression, self-harm etc. Modification and intervention play a significant role in the treatment of people with autism. Therapy in early age can also be effective in the improvement of the behavioral pattern of ASD.

Key Learnings :

• Every autistic individual is unique.
• Sometimes there are communicational differences.
• Autistic individuals mostly appreciate structure. (follow a strict structure etc)
• Autistic persons have feelings like everybody person.
• It is important to know that a few autistic persons cannot cope with bodily touch.