Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Paper

Introduction
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of disabilities characterized by social, intellectual, and communication impairments. ASD is more prevalent among boys than girls, and it affects 1 out of every 68 children in the United States. 1 Although the exact etiology of this disorder is unknown, it can be attributed to two main categories: the environment and genetics. The symptoms associated with ASD are broad and should be carefully assessed by a variety of health care providers in order to provide each child with a proper diagnosis. As of right now, there is no cure for ASD. Furthering research, education and implementing new clinical trials is necessary in order to obtain a high quality of life in patients with ASD as well …show more content…
Collectively, the three major areas ASD children struggle with developmentally are social interactions, communication issues, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors.3

Social Impairments
Children with ASD suffer from a wide range of social impairments. A typical child can carry on a conversation, make eye contact, and recognize subtle nonverbal cues at a relatively early age. For ASD children, these social norms instilled upon us at an early age are foreign. Although every ASD child is different, they share many of the same social impairments. Some of these include eye contact, interpreting facial expressions, maintaining appropriate body posture, understanding emotional cues and signals, lacking interesting in sharing joy with others, understanding other people’s point of view, and finally not being comforted by touch. (Social impairments) One of the greatest and most apparent struggles that these children commonly have is making and maintaining eye contact. In a study of two year old toddlers, researchers evaluated eye gaze and the uncommon mouth fixation of children with ASD. In the first few weeks of life, infants are capable of tracking and looking into the eyes of others. However, toddlers with ASD hold …show more content…
These actions range from extreme and easy to identify to small and nearly unnoticeable. Some of these extreme actions include flapping of the arms and legs, excessive and inappropriate clapping, and rocking of the body back and forth. Another stereotyped behavior of ASD children is becoming overly focused on parts and pieces instead of the whole picture. For example, a child may be fixated on one button of a shirt instead of the shirt itself. ASD children also acquire strong associations with symbols, numbers, or letters. They often become obsessed with certain topics and develop overly focused interests.3 Lastly, children with ASD have a strong need for sameness and a daily routine. Disturbances to this routine can cause extreme distress for both the child and their family. One study was conducted to examine the stressors associated with raising and parenting a child with ASD. The participants were asked to rank their stress and how it affected their sleeping, or participation in activities that took place outside of their home. (fam stress). The researchers concluded that parents with ASD children are under a great deal of stress, and the everyday struggles that their ASD children face, they face as

Show More