Autism Essay is a clinical syndrome characterized by qualitative impairment of social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, imaginative activity, and a markedly restricted repertoire of activities and interests. Within the first 3-6 months of their lives, parents may note the child does not develop a normal pattern of smiling or cuddling response.
As they grow older, they do not progress through developmental milestones such as learning to say words or speak sentences. Instead, they seem aloof, detached, and withdrawn. Instead of developing a pattern of relating warmly to their parents, they may instead engage in self-stimulating behavior such as rocking or head banging. By age 2 or 3 years, it is usually clear that there is something wrong, and the features of the disorder continue to become more obvious over time as the child fails to develop normal verbal or interpersonal communication skills.
Cause : There is not a exact cause for Autism, but it may be caused by difficulties before, during or after birth. It can also be caused by childhood diseases such as whooping cough and measles. – Often will not show any evidence of speech until even the age of 6. – Focuses on one particular detail about somthing.
For example, an earing that a woman is wearing instead of the woman, a tail light on a car instead of the whole car. – Because it is hard for people with Autism to vent frustration with communitcation, they will take they’re anger out by more harmful practices such as throwing things, biting, physicaly lashing out at someone, and banging their head on the wall. -Autistic people are taught a means of communitcation through pictures. – Facial expression, tone of voice and gestures more often then not have no meaning to people with Autism.
Cure : There is no cure for Autism, but research never stops. One therapeutic approach in the treatment of patients with infantile autism involves the use of dopamine antagonists. The dopaminergic system of the brain affects motor behaviors. Its abnormalities involve excess motor activity and stereotypes similar to those observed in autistic patients. Intellectually subnormal autistic children, particularly those with severe hyperactivity and stereotypes, were found to have excess dopaminergic activity as measured by high levels of homovanillic acid in the CSF .
Thus it seems sensible that the administration of a dopamine antagonists such as haloperidol to autistic patients should result in a decrease motor symptoms such as hyperactivity, fidgetiness, and stereotypes thereby facilitating behavior and learning. Fenfluramine is an atypical phenylethylamine anorexigenic medication with CNS activity that includes reduction of brain serotonin and serotonin’s major metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid . It also increases dopamine turnover as evidenced by an increasing the excretion of its principle metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA). It is hypothesized that autism is somehow related to a dysfunctional serotonergic system that results in the sensory and perceptual abnormalities observed in these patients.The hypothesis is supported by the observation that 1/3 of autistic children are hyperserotonemic, which is thought to be associated with severe behavioral abnormalities and severe intellectual subnormality.- Possible dangerous behaviours and rituals such as head banging, cutting, and biting.- Possibility of a severe negative reaction to the medications.- Often people with autism cannot appreciate the consequences of their actions, so they might do things like run into traffic to cross the street or grasp something that was very hot.Physcial or Mental : Autism is a developmental disorder of the brain.Bibliography: .
