Autism Essay, Research Paper

The film on autism spoke about the causes, incidences, risk factors, and treatments for this condition. One of the treatments the film really focused on was facilitated communication. This therapy seemed to be frequently adapted for individuals suffering with autism. Though the cause of autism is unknown, it may include psychological, physiological, and sociological factors. The autistic child is unresponsive to other people, communicates poorly, and may seem to be repulsed by physical contact. Majority of the children in the film all illustrated this kind of behavior. Most of them had some level of difficulty with learning; they were slow learners, had short attention spans, hyperactive, etc. These characteristics interfere with learning. Lessons were repeated over and over, and getting their attention was a priority before starting the training.

This condition occurs in young children before the age of three ands shows impaired speech and language. Parental behavior towards autistic children may seem distant and unaffectionate. Symptoms that were demonstrated in the film were lack of attachment to parents, no interest in human contact, delayed mental and social skills and self-destructive behavior.

Treatment of this disorder is very difficult and prolonged. Parents, teachers, and therapists work together to encourage social adjustment and speech development in the child. Facilitated communication has been widely adopted in homes, institutions, specialized schools, and day-care settings throughout America. It?s a process by which a facilitator supports the hand or arm of the individual while using a keyboard or typing device. This therapy claims that it enables a person with autism to communicate. However, the film stated that this type of communication isn?t always legitimate. In some circumstances, the facilitator can greatly influence what the child is trying to say. Or, a suspicion that the facilitator is often doing the communicating, rather than the person being facilitated. This was shown in the film with a young girl stating that she was abused by her parents, when the facilitator actually influence her to say that.

Some children with autism may function below normal intellectual levels, while others may do well in school but have severe social impairments. Others never get to speak. Success in individual cases seems to be the best with early recognition and intervention.