Autism
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Autism
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disability that takes time to develop before resulting to severe social interaction, communication and restricted behavioral challenges (Lord et al. 2018). In most cases, those people with ASD have no set physical appearance differences that separate them from other normal people. The differences come in when we look at the communication, behaviors, learning and interactions of the people with ASD and those of normal people. It should be noted that the thinking, learning and abilities of problem solving of people with ASD vary and may be so good to be viewed as a gift of even prove to be a big challenge to them. In this case, Sam has his mother who is said to be struggling with being Sam’s guardian. It might be serious to the extent of making them require assistance with their everyday activities. As a matter of fact, Sam, in the series Atypical, can be said to be gifted judging from his abilities in class. Sam is a bright and excellent student.
Autism spectrum disorder is usually diagnosed basing on various conditions which are looked into in separate occasions. It is difficult to diagnose ASD because it does not entail any medical tests such as blood tests. Rather, the doctor observes the behaviors of the child and his/her development in order to make a diagnosis (Underwood et al. 2019). These conditions include autistic disorder, the Asperger syndrome and the pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). All these conditions together are what is referred to as Autism spectrum disorder. People with ASD can usually be identified by looking at their social, emotional and communication skills, this is because the disorder has some effects on these aspects of their day to day lives. As a result, these people tend to have a repetition of given manners and at times may never want any changes in their everyday lives. Furthermore, these people have shown dissimilar ways of their reaction to things, how they learn and even how they pay attention. Most of the signs of ASD start when an individual is at a young age and often last for an individual’s entire life (Bal et al 2019). The early assistance needed by ASD patients may not be available for them because the earliest diagnosis by an experienced professional can only be done by the age of 2. But in most cases, the final diagnosis is not given until the child is much older.
Some of the behaviors displayed by people with ASD include having difficulties relating to others. At times these people may have little or no interest in others at all. For instance, Sam, despite being intelligent and doing well in his studies, he finds it difficult to understand and get to the same page with the people living in the current world. To elaborate on this, in the series, Sam who is said to have a very notable interest in Antarctica tries to compare human beings with the life forms found in Antarctica. This is a distinctive strategy that has proven effective on several instances. The problem comes in when this approach does not make him comprehend the very composite human beings’ behaviors. For instance, the strategy cannot help Sam understand how to realize that a girl likes him.
Another symptom that can be identified with Sam is the fact that Sam’s outward appearance does not show his inner feelings about what is going on around him. To point out, when Sam had a conversation with his therapist, which occurs in form of a narration according to this TV series, he states that people think that he does not recognize when they are teasing him, he is usually hurt because he knows this experience and it is a painful one because he is usually aware that others are laughing at him. He further claims that he knows that they go ahead to ask questions in a way that is provoking. But rather than showing that he is hurting, Sam just shuts down. He admits that he does not figure out what he does to evoke the mocking. He furthermore does not understand why the other people think he is an easy target. In fact, someone who has childhood experiences of bullying will easily be hit by Sam’s description of bullying and ASD.
In addition to that, when in one of his usual therapy sessions, Sam provides a super and perfect definition of empathy issues that are experienced by people with ASD. To be precise, Sam talks of what goes ahead when are has offended someone. He explains that he does not realize at the given moment that his response, comment or deed has hurt someone else. However, later on when he finally realizes that he actually hurt someone or got them disappointed, he feels horrible and finds himself having a difficult time forgiving himself and getting over it. It is true that professionals have proven that people with ASD find it difficult to understand other people’s points of view and this makes the other normal people to be of the idea that individuals with ASD are not concerned about hurting or annoying other people. It should be understood that it may take a little more time for people with ASD to realize how an individual’s opinion can contribute to their own point of view. As a result, ASD victims end up committing simple social mistakes that in most cases end up upsetting the people they love and care about and as they learn to move on after such instances occur, the normal people around them should be of understanding and be willing to dedicate their time to helping these patients through these learning experiences.
In a different instance, Sam proves that his aversions of soft touch are different from that of others, for instance, at the moment when he is about to have sex for the first time, his revulsion of soft touch makes him to push away his partner who screams at him asking what is wrong with Sam and that if something is wrong with his brain. Besides being a poor reaction to the fact that she was pushed, it is understandable, moreover, the attraction that she had seen in Sam as fancy is not turned to understanding and admitting his disorder.
Another symptom of ASD that can be seen in Sam is the fact that he has feelings for his therapist who is actually 8 years older than him but he is not strong enough to open up about it to her. Sam does not know how to approach his therapist who he has a crush on. Instead he goes to his father for advice. This overwhelms his father who has been struggling to link up with his son. He even volunteers to drive Sam to his crush only to pull him away when he realizes that it is his therapist. He advises Sam to look for someone of his own age. This to Sam means that he needs to find what he refers to as a “practice girlfriend”. This is a common problem identified in people with ASD. You find that in most cases most of them find it difficult talking about their own feelings and even having an understanding of the feelings of others. In the case of Sam, his family and friend come in to help him with understanding the social aspects of dating.
While the specific causes of ASD is yet to be known, several researches and studies have shown that there I no exact cause of ASD but has several risk factors brought up. These factors include: genetic mutations (Grove et al. 2019). It was found that a gene called Usp9x which results in the brain developing fewer synapses. That’s due to the fact that Usp9x protects another protein called ankyrin-G, whose function is to evolve and stabilize synapses. The developing brain has to build plenty of synapses between neurons in order for the cells to communicate and learn as the brain evolves. But when Usp9x is mutated, its stabilization is hindered making the synapse-enhancing ankyrin-G. This makes the would-be enhancer protein degrades and destabilizes, leading to lesser synapses in the brain. A person with this mutation is likely to have delays in development, learning difficulties, increased anxiety and hyperactivity.
Other perceived causes of ASD include the presence of a close family member with autism. To add on this, someone born to older parents is also at risk of having autism. A baby born with relatively low weight at birth is also likely to develop ASD. When an individual has a delicate X syndrome in addition to other genetic disorders, he or she is also likely to suffer from ASD. Another cause of ASD is when someone gets exposed to heavy metals and other toxins in the environment. Furthermore, an imbalance in metabolic could also lead to development of ASD by an individual. Finally, severe exposure to valproic acid and past with infections of viruses could also lead to development of ASD by an individual. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) affirm that genetics and the environment can be used to determine if a person can develop autism (Chaidez et al. 2018).
Individuals with ASD live partially different lives with other normal people especially depending on the effects of the disorder on the individual. For instance, in the TV series Atypical, we are given a clue of how the lives of individuals with this disorder are. For instance, the family situation in Sam’s case is entailed of a mother who is fully involved in her child’s autism. Sam’s father is said to be struggling to get along with his son and this has been proven on several instances. It is in fact stated that he once left the family upon the realization of Sam’s situation. Sam’s sister feels unattended to and thinks all the attention is directed to Sam. Moreover, when she wins a scholarship to a distant prestigious school, she thinks and puts in consideration Sam and the family despite her strong desire to join the school. All this are signs of savantism which if further portrayed in Sam’s drawings in his drawing book that are highly structured.
It is also believed that people with autism usually lack the sexual and dating interest. This is not actually portrayed in the series Atypical, but it is evident that Sam has a tough time in his sexual experience and dating interest. For instance, he develops a crush on his therapist who is way older than him. Furthermore, his hatred for soft touch makes him destroy his relationship with his sexual partner when they Sam was just about to lose his virginity. In another instance, Sam locks his girlfriend in the closet because he finds her behavior of touching his things as disgusting. As a result, it can be said that people with ASD find it hard to keep their social interactions and relationships together, but that cannot be used to conclude that these people lack the interest in sex and dating.
People with autism spectrum disorder can find it difficult to focus, pay attention, and go through transitions, organization, memory, time management, emotional control and frustration. These are top-level abilities that help us do lots of everyday tasks such as cooperating with others at work and prioritizing things we are supposed to do. For instance, Sam uses rat-a-tat sounds in his communication. Moreover, despite excelling in class, he has difficult times interacting with students like in the instance where he asks his peers about dating and they end up teasing him, an experience he admits to be painful (Tonnsen and Hann, 2016).
Another effect of autism spectrum disorder on an individual is that it impairs their view and perception of things. For example, in the series Atypical, Sam tries on a leather jacket in an attempt to look cool but while in class, he ends up feeling very uncomfortable that he gets it off and throws it in the trash can. The discomfort can be understood to be caused by the leather which is stiff and its buckles that are so loud. As a matter of fact, every cheerful moment is accompanied by a corresponding heartbreaking one. Further illustration can be drawn from Sam telling his father that the igloo is really a good one. Remember his father made him the igloo in an attempt to link up with his son.
There is currently no specific cure for ASD. However, research and studies show that intervention treatment services at an early age can improve a child’s development (Eissa et al. 2019). Furthermore, early intervention services will enable and enhance children from birth to 3 years old to learn and develop essential skills. Services such as therapy intended to aid the child with talking, walking, and enhancing their interaction with others is crucial and proven to be effective. Therefore, it is significant to talk to your child’s doctor as early as possible if you suspect that your child has ASD or other developmental issues. it does not matter if the child has been diagnosed with an ASD or not, he or she may be entitled to early intervention treatment care. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) external icon clearly states that children of below the age of 3years (36 months) and especially those who are at a higher risk of experiencing developmental delays may be of worth for the services. These services are being offered in form of an early intervention system in your state. Through this system, you can ask for an evaluation. In addition to that, treatment for a given number of symptoms including speech therapy for language delays, in most cases does not need to wait until a formal ASD diagnosis is completed and received.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is believed to be the best treatment for ASD. This is a remarkable treatment approach for people with ASD. ABA has turned out to be widely recognized all over among healthcare professionals and service providers. Moreover, it is used in many schools and treatment clinics. ABA stirs up positive behaviors and disheartens negative behaviors with the aim of improving a variety of skills and abilities in the child. As a result, the child’s progress is observed, traced and measured. There are several types of ABA including: Discrete Trial Training (DTT) which is a design of teaching that entails a series of trials aimed at teaching each step of an intended behavior or response. Lessons are divided into simple parts that are easy to understand and learn, positive reinforcement is used to reward right responses and behaviors while the incorrect answers are ignored. In addition to that, there is Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI); this is just a sub-type of ABA for very young children with ASD, in most cases children younger than 5. EIBI uses a highly structured teaching approach to build positive behaviors like social communication and reduce unwanted behaviors like tantrums, aggression, and self-injury. EIBI takes place in a one-on-one adult-to-child environment under the supervision of a trained professional. Other forms of ABA include Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) which is for children with ASD between the ages of 12-48 months and assists parents and therapists use play and joint activities to enable children to advance their social, language, and cognitive skills. Pivotal Response Training (PRT) looks to improve a child’s motivation to learn, monitor their own behavior, and initiate communication with others and finally Verbal Behavior Intervention (VBI) which emphasizes on teaching verbal skills.
References
Bal, V. H., Kim, S. H., Fok, M., & Lord, C. (2019). Autism spectrum disorder symptoms from ages 2 to 19 years: Implications for diagnosing adolescents and young adults. Autism Research, 12(1), 89-99.
Eissa, N., Al-Houqani, M., Sadeq, A., Ojha, S. K., Sasse, A., & Sadek, B. (2018). Current enlightenment about etiology and pharmacological treatment of autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in neuroscience, 12, 304.
Grove, J., Ripke, S., Als, T. D., Mattheisen, M., Walters, R. K., Won, H., … & Awashti, S. (2019). Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder. Nature genetics, 51(3), 431-444.
Lord, C., Elsabbagh, M., Baird, G., & Veenstra-Vanderweele, J. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder. The Lancet, 392(10146), 508-520.
Tonnsen, B. L., & Hahn, E. R. (2016). Middle school students’ attitudes toward a peer with autism spectrum disorder: Effects of social acceptance and physical inclusion. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 31(4), 262-274.
Underwood, J. F., Kendall, K. M., Berrett, J., Lewis, C., Anney, R., Van den Bree, M. B., & Hall, J. (2019). Autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in adults: phenotype and genotype findings from a clinically derived cohort. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 215(5), 647-653.
