During my current employment and project partnership palcement I have observed 4 children which have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
by
bianca_camilleri (student)
Assignment 1: Personal Interest Report
Autism spectrum disorder is a core diagnosis broken into three areas Autism disorder, Aspergers disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), which all share core symptoms. appear in infancy and early childhood, causing delays in many basic areas of development such as learning to talk, play, and interact with others. Studies have shown that the signs and symptoms of autism vary widely, as do its effects. Some autistic children have only mild impairments, while others have more obstacles to overcome. However, every child on the autism spectrum has problems, at least to some degree, in the following three areas: Communicating verbally and non-verbally, relating to others and the world around them and thinking and behaving flexibly.
During my current employment and project partnership palcement I have observed 4 children which have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, all of them boys. Research shows that about 1 in 110 children have an ASD and that it is more prevalent in boys than girls (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2012). Each of these children display very different problems on the spectrum however in social situations they tend to come together as language and social status is not a worry. I have become intrigued by their individuality and the need to study each very closely.
An Autism Spectrum Disorder is diagnosed through an assessment which includes observing and meeting with the individual, their family and the external services working with them. Information is collated regarding the individual’s strengths and difficulties, particularly in the areas of social interaction and communication as well as restricted and repetitive interests, activities and behaviours. There is no singular behaviour that indicates an ASD however there are three main areas of difficulty which are considered when determining a diagnosis of an Autistic disorder. These are impaired social interaction, impaired communication and restricted, repetitive or stereotyped patterns of behaviour. If all the criteria are not met, they may consider Asperger’s disorder or PDD-NOS (atypical autism) (Notbohm, E 2006). These diagnosis’ can somewhat differ as through observations of children with Autism I have noted the significant differences in social capacity, as well as ability to comprehend language.
