CA Analysis #3

A.)  Define and explain the main psychobiological or behavior topic.

In order to define and explain the main characteristics with autism, we should look at how many autistic people including children, would have problems that could come in many different aspects of their lives than people without autism. However, there are some basic types of symptoms and problemsthat many autistic people have encountered in their daily lives when scientists try to study them in their research.Perhaps thisis the better way of explaining it.Many people with autism have very poor social skills in relating to others. Theydo not normally smile at their parents or friends. They do not like to play with other people. They often appear to live in their own world, unaware of people and events around them. They never seem to understand the feelings of others. Many autistic people also have serious problems in focusing, speaking and understanding people's languages and tasks. They may have a lot of difficulties finishing their homework or repeating something what they have heard on TV or in conversation. Many autistic people also have some unusual movements such as getting to their daily routines when they get up and brush their teeth in the morning or repeating the same motions over and over again. For example, they may rock back and forth and wave their fingers.  Therefore, the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization (as cited in Baron-Coben, 2005) have clearly defined a better picture of an autism here: "Autism is diagnosed when a child or adult has abnormalities in a triad of behavioral domains: social development, communication, and repetitive behaviors and obsessive interests."  

B.)  Clearly explain two problems associated with the way scientists study the topic.

One problem associated with the way many scientists study the topic in the scientific community is that autism is still so poorly defined, and that it really is a spectrum of some related disorders,  rather thana single condition. To diagnose autism, scientists should look at more ways to prevent more behavioral issues for autism including repetitive behavior, social interactions, visual discrimination, and performance on abstract tasks. It is not clearly defined at some points to those who isbelieved to have autism, or at what level. With this in mind, results of studies could vary depending on how subjects are selected for research.

The lack of clear definitionand information also makes the finding extremely difficult to show what the causes for autism are. After all, if one researcher would study a thousand kids with autism, the other researcher would most likely find many factors that are common to some, but not others. For instance, most of the children might have the same behavior problems, while the others were not exposed. Still, people have always wanted to know what causes autism.

Another aspect of the problem related to this is that there is no established theory in medical treatment. Some autistic people might not respond well to medical treatments. One researcher would think that if a particular theory was correct, almost every people would respond well to its medical treatments. But not every people could respond very well to every medical treatment. A few autistic people do not respond at all to any measures. Some autistic people require medication to control their hyperactivity and other behavioral problems. With medication, some autistic people are able to participate more effectively in school and at work. Autistic individuals have different responses to medical treatments. Some eventually can learn regular school subjects and hold jobs as adults. Others could also participate in workshops for the handicapped. But many autistic people can develop few skills and must remain in special schools or institutions for life.  

Most of the autistic people whom I have known have shown improvements resulting from a variety of medical treatments. I think there are many autistic peoplewho can with medical treatment completely or almost completely overcome obstacles of autism that it is worthy trying.

3) Explain how one of these major concepts is connected to your own personal observations or experiences.

        I have a neighbor who is seventeen years old. She has autism on the high end of the autistic spectrum. This means that she could experience the world very differently thanteenagers without autism. She is not a typical normal child because she is wired differently. She has been living under a doctor's care and receiving treatment for her autism since she was a small child. She takes medications for her autism and she receives special occupational counseling every week.

I have known her for over ten years and I feel that she has greatly benefited from the medications and counseling. She likes her differences because they give her abilities that most people do not have. When she is in a group of people, often the conversations that interest others do not interest her and she is able to turn the conversation to her interest without seeming rude by requesting to switch topics for a while. She learns best by relating information to her interests because this enables her to keep track of many details. Therefore, social skills do not come naturally to her, so she tries to keep learning. She usually likes to be around adults more than children, because the adults are more interesting. She prefers facts over opinions and feelings. Therefore, change can be hard for her, as it is with most people with autism. Some warning or explanations before a new activity helps her a lot. Transitions are easier if she is given the schedule ahead of time. It helps her to have the daily activity written down so that she can see it. Time is also a strange concept for her. When she is bored, time seems to go by twice as slow as a snail. But when she is doing something she likes, it goes twice as fast as a cheetah. I need to try to understand that she cannot experience time the same way as most people do.

I also need to remember that she cannot automatically understand what is going on in terms of verbal and non-verbal communication. People do not always say what they mean, and they use images or a lot of words to say something. This is not how she communicates. She appreciates it when people take notice when something does not make sense to her and they will try to reword it so that she will know what they mean. She may not understand what seems very clear to them. Or she may seem rude, although she does not mean to, in the way she speaks because she tends to be very direct. Clearly worded requests are needed to explain some concepts. Comments like "change your attitude" does not help her. But if I tell her what behavior is bothering her, then she could understand. Relating to other people is hard work for her. Like other people with autism, she likes to have friends, but she also likes to be by herself. It is important that she is allowed to have some alone time, especially to have breaks during the times when she is otherwise with groups of people. She tries hard to think of other people's feelings and make eye contact, but this does not come naturally to her. As long as she is in the mood for it, she can try to fit in around people she likes. But this also wearsher out. Sometimes she gets frustrated because she has to work hard to fit in and conform to other people. She prefers to be by herself, and that she has been given a nice family and a good intelligence. She hopes that what she does in the future with her special gifts will benefit everyone someday.