This is merely a description of the symptoms without using words that are complicated and confusing. The CDC has posted the DSM5(also known as The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition) has listed the criteria a professional uses when diagnosing autism. When talking about any disability in the medical field, mental health professionals work with the patient to establish ways for them to live happy lives. These treatments are going to work differently because the patient and the doctor have to look at several different treatments to help the person go to work and function to have a happy life.
Autism lasts forever. Autism also does not appear in the same way in every single person, hence why in the DSM5 it is now referred to as a spectrum disorder. The more broad the disorder is described, the more people that fall under it's description, leading ultimately to, more people who get helped. To learn more about these people, research is done to learn about what causes it. Unfortunately, the CDC has pointed out several issues with the main topics of this research. The public focus, as shown in this article by CBS, is centralized around the idea of the cause of the condition on the molecular level and the differences that might help a practitioner diagnose the different genders. There is more we can be looking at that is not receiving the same attention.
Comorbidity is a term used when two conditions appear in the same individual at the same time. In Autism has several lists observed by individuals and the scientific community like the NIH.
Quiz Questions
As before, these questions can be answered with the links above.
What kind of symptoms can look like a benefit in an Autistic person?
Name a social communication impairment of Autism.
Why can the term spectrum confuse people trying to understand Autism?
Why is it hard to count how many people in the United States have Autism?
What kind of exposures to a pregnant woman are thought to increase the likelihood of Autism?
What is one specific comorbid condition with Autism?
Are all comorbid conditions equally expressed in Autistic individuals? Why might this be?
Discussion Questions
What kind of parameters should be used to consider some one to be mentally healthy?
Let's see if we can crowd-source some DQs for Emma's report.
ReplyDeleteHere's one: Given the "spectral" nature of this condition, is it really accurate to describe it as a disability? (It seems clear that some who've been diagnosed as "on the spectrum" are not merely high-performing but are in fact, in their ability to assimilate and share information, quite superior.)
Name a social communication impairment of autism
ReplyDeleteSpeaking from experience, I have a cousin who is severely autistic, and one of the hardest things he has communicating is his emotions. With practice it becomes easy to understand what he's saying, but it's often very hard to determine with what kind of inflection or emotion he is saying it, which really makes it hard for him to communicate sometimes, which is obviously very sad.
Why is it hard to count how many people in the United States have autism?
Sometimes it's hard to tell! You can meet people and have a conversation with them and never know they were on the spectrum unless they told you. It's hard to track something that is elusive in the first place.
DQ:
Would getting an accurate number of just how many people in the States actually have autism contribute to preventative research?