Childhood Illness – Autism, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Autism is a rapidly growing mental disorder problem that is on the increase in North America. It is considered primarily to be a genetic problem that manifests itself in children at a very early age. Symptoms often show up before age 3 and boys tend to be at greater risk of the illness than girls. Research has indicated that this is largely a neurological disorder that is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. In particular a high level of serotonin is present in the brain but there are no real apparent explanations for this. Another indication of this being a neurological disorder is autism is widely related to behavioral functions.

Within North America this had a considerable impact in Canada where it has been stated there are approximately 90,000 new cases each year. There is no specific cure for autism and the remedial action involves behavioral therapy and intervention with treatment spread over many years. The two treatment types have been defined as Advanced Behavioral Analysis (ABA) or that of Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI)

Child Autism – The Facts

Impacts around 5 out of 10,000 children; Boys are more prone to the illness than girls; Research indicates that this is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain; Main symptoms include inability of social interaction, difficulties in language skills and conversation, tendency towards obsessing on things; there is no cure for autism – main treatment involves behavior modification treatment and intervention; treatment takes a long time and is based upon progressions; Genetics are considered to be a key factor; as there are no specific causes for autism the diagnosis can prove difficult as there are no straightforward or obvious tests to perform.

Early signs of autism include difficulty with speech, behavioral problems and the tendency to obsess on things. In addition poor social skills that include such items as lack of eye contact, failure to respond to his / her name, prefers to play alone etc.

Subjective symptoms include that of repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, self-injuries, sleep deprivation and social communications issues. The risks of children getting this disease are mostly genetic and through hereditary traits passed through the family history. This is not an infectious or trans missive illness.

Treatment options are mainly long term and are covered through behavior modification. There is no cure as such but more a progressive line of therapy aimed at making behavioral modifications and improvements. There are certain drugs that can be used in the treatment of behavior modification like that of risperidone and aripiprazole. There has been considerable debates on the benefits of ‘Inclusion’ within the context of mainstream education and the applicability of special needs students.

It is important to have properly trained and skilled educators in order to meet the special needs requirements of disadvantaged / disabled children. Most teachers are not equipped with the special skills and education needed for teaching such children. This particularly relates to the sociological and psychology skills together with the cognitive component that equips them for dealing with special needs. Training needs to include the understanding of the disposition of the student and the recognition for dealing with specific needs.

The teacher needs to retain a flexible teaching approach and this will need to be modified according to the specific situation. For example effective listening skills, empathy skills, tolerance in approach, commitment and behavioral management would form an integral part of the teacher skill sets required.

A knowledge of inclusion and the challenges this represents. This includes the formal integration of dealing with disadvantaged children in normal class settings. It is important to have parental involvement in the inclusion and to make them an integral part of the solution when scoping out the teaching approach and special needs. This helps towards an increased support system for the student. Education therefore needs to be focused towards integral participation as opposed to barriers of learning. The argument is therefore against child segregation unless such a case is severe and would cause potential major disruption to the remainder of the class.

It is widely felt that the benefits of Inclusion outweigh the other approaches. Results show that disabled and disadvantaged persons respond better to being in mainstream education and overall progress is better owing to the advantages of social interaction, the love and care shown from other students and the ability to raise the self-esteem of these students. Segregation sets these people apart as a form of stigma and despite the efforts made in special care centers this shows a more uncaring response from society.

Inclusion means that the curriculum should, as far as possible follow that of mainstream students, but have flexibility to offer those special needs associated with autistic children. Social interaction with the other students is a very important part of the behavioral modification therapy in terms of achieving longer term progress.

Educating the Public

Stigma may be defined as discrimination, prejudice or bias against other people who are often deemed to be inferior in some way, for example mental patients, drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. In Colorado there has been a degree of stigmatism associated with autism. These have mainly been attributed to where autistic children have attended regular school sessions and have social interaction difficulties with classmates. Certain parents have been unsympathetic to this plight and perceive such children to hold back their brighter pupils from progressing. The problem has not only been confined to the schools but may also extend to the family that has to cope with the child difficulties. The implications of this for problematic social interaction are considerable (Gray, D.E. 2002).

Dealing With People

The families of autistic children can incur a considerable financial burden in looking after their autistic child. It has been estimated that an average family loses around $6000 of income per year. The Public in general have not shown a great deal of sympathy to those with autistic children and there have been reported cases of parent complaining of integrating autistic children with normal children. This has included expulsions in religious communities and teachers removing autistic children from the classroom. These are probably exceptional cases rather than the norm but it does illustrate the fear and stigma that is out there. (Lutz, A. 2012)

Teachers really need to integrate the autistic child with other children as this helps as part of the intervention and rehabilitation of the child. They do need special care and attention but they should not be singled out. This does require the cooperation of children and parents.

An angry parent criticizes parents of autistic children. They do not see the other point of view in that the parents of the autistic children only want what is best for their own children’s education. Not everyone agrees with the politically correct statement of we should all be treated equal. This is an interesting argument in that not all people agree with a charitable stance, particularly when it might impact the wellbeing and quality of their own child’s education.

The aspect of being understanding and sympathetic erodes when faced with the reality of dealing with your own child’s circumstances. It is not always accepted by the parents that their own children need education in empathy and learning with other pupils that may be disadvantaged in some way. Parents forget that this is a valuable learning point because when children become adults they will have to work and interface with disabled people and others less fortunate than themselves. (Lutz, 2012)

Stress in Managing Autistic Children

The concept of stress on family and social care workers is an important consideration when dealing with autistic children. There is now medical evidence that points to stress as a major contributory factor in the cause of various diseases. Some of these conditions can be very serious, particularly for young people. The types of conditions include severe depression, anxiety, and failure of organ systems, high blood pressure (hypertension), cardiovascular disease, gastro intestinal disease, substance abuse and the risk of certain cancers. The prolonged exposure to stress has far reaching medical consequences and may prove damaging to both physical and mental health. Nature provides certain immune mechanisms in order to help us combat stress; nevertheless we need to help the body by adopting the right environmental conditions in order to eliminate stress. The two main considerations are exercise and diet. In addition, meditation of 20-30 minutes per day can be a powerful means of relaxation and lowering blood pressure. (MedicineNet.com, 2011)

It is important for each individual to gain control over the stressors and environment in order to manage the tolerance levels of stress. One important point is that believing an event is controllable does not always result in a positive outcome or a reduction is stress. You need to carefully appraise your situation and determine an appropriate course of action to follow. This means the ability to motivate yourself by taking the right action steps. The concept of reward is important here and you might offer yourself a reward for meeting your required goals.

Additional information for understanding the medical conditions of Autistic children can be obtained from:

? Center for Disease Control and Prevention

800-232-4636

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html

? National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

(800) 352-9424 or (301) 496-5751

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/autism.htm

? Autism Family Support Centre in Orange County

The Center For H.U.G.S.

23792 Rockfield Blvd., Suite 200

Lake Forest, CA 92630

Phone: (949) 770-4847 ext. 13

References

4Autism. (2012, 4 24). Autism Family Advice Centre in Orange County. Retrieved from 4Autism: http://www.4autism.com/

CBC News. (2009). Obama reverses limits on stem cell research. Retrieved 11 18, 2011, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2009/03/09/obama-stem-cells.html

Centre for Disease Control. (2012, 4 23). Facts About ASDs. Retrieved from Centre for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html

Gray, D. E. (2002). Everybody just freezes. Everybody is just embarrassed’: felt and enacted stigma among parents of children with high functioning autism. Sociology of Health & Illness, Vol 24 Iss 6, 734-749.

Lutz, A. (2012, 2 9). Controversy : Autism Backlash. Retrieved from http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/20061217_autism.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/05/30/controversy-autism-backlash.aspx&usg=__xRxBhx4_5joy2l8Yl3ZOD8qL1QQ=&h=326&w=28

MedicineNet.com. (2011, 11 24). Definition of Stress. Retrieved from MedicineNet.com: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20104

National; Institute of Neorological disorder. (2012, 4 24). Autism Fact Sheet. Retrieved from National; Institute of Neorological disorder: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm