Individual Project Autism Essay

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Autism: Everything a Parent Needs to Know
Heather N. Grech
Individual Project
Abstract
The reason I chose to do my individual project on autism is because I have a special kind of love for children who need that extra attention. Not only because I have family members who are autistic, but in my past I have had jobs where I was able to be around children who were autistic. Specifically, when I worked at Bob Evans Family Restaurant, I had a family that would come in every week to see me. John and Mary would come in with their son Jake who would only allow me to take care of him and his family. I don’t know who would light up more, his face when he would walk in and see me, or my face when I saw him walk in. His presence brought so much love and appreciation to me. Every day that I got to see Jake, I couldn’t help but smile for that entire day. He could turn anyone’s day around, no matter how grumpy you could be. One day I came in later than usual due to an appointment at the doctor’s office. When I walked in and saw Jake having a tantrum at the table because another lady was taking care of him and didn’t get his drink the way he likes it, I went right over to him with my jacket and gloves still on, gave him a hug (which he only allowed his mother and I to do) and began to sing soft kitty. The story behind that is, Jake has a love for the show “Big Bang Theory” and enjoys singing Sheldon’s soft kitty song. It always seemed to calm Jake down when he would have what a doctor would call an “episode”. I ended up moving far away, and I couldn’t see Jake anymore. It tore me up thinking about how much it hurt not just me, but how it affected him. I still call and talk to him every other day. I think that Jake being in my life is a blessing and it shows my passion to work with children who suffer from autism. Which leads me to this paper.
Autism: Everything a Parent Needs to Know
There are a few things parents should know about autism. For instance, what causes this disorder, whether if it is preventable or not, as well as if it can affect a child’s education. These are just a few of the major concerns parents should have in mind. A few other things that parents should be aware of would be if it can be treated, what research can be done, along with if symptoms change over time. Instead of doing all this research, I’ll just tell you here and now.

What is Autism?
Autism is a natural disorder that is characterized by impaired communication, impaired interaction and also by limited and repetitive behavior. These are signs that will begin being in the earlier life of the children typically around one to three years old. This is a disorder that affects information processing in the mind by affecting how the nerves and synapses connect; but how this happens to be not yet understood. This is one of the recognized disorders in the autism spectrum. (Kids Mental Health, 2014)

What Causes Autism?
Scientists aren’t certain about what causes Autism, but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role. Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Studies of people with Autism have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. Other studies suggest that people with Autism have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. These abnormalities suggest that Autism could result from the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and that regulate how brain cells communicate with each other, possibly due to the influence of environmental factors on gene function. While these findings are intriguing, they are preliminary and require further study. The theory that parental practices are responsible for Autism has long been disproved.
Can Autism be prevented?
I have read several articles on autism and whether or not it could be preventable, along with watching a few videos. Autism can be prevented as
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