Autism Affects - Essay

Autism affects about 1 in 150 children in the U.S. It is a developmental disorder that can have affects on how a child functions, including speech, social interactions and behaviors. Some symptoms of autism include communication problems, trouble interacting with other and making friends, and a necessity for repetitive routines. Many autistic children find it difficult to interact socially when there are many other people around. Some find it difficult to process all the information that is coming at them all at once. Much like a computer trying to run too many programs, an autistic child may be able to process the information but it may be slowed with too much information at once. If I were a parent of an autistic child my first concern would be how severe the autism is and my second concern would be how the autism affects my child. I would find out how severe the autism is by taking my child to a doctor who could help me better understand what is going on. There is no medical test to diagnose autism, rather a doctor generally diagnoses an autistic child by observing the child’s behavior and by using screening tests to measure the number of characteristics associated with autism (ASA). After diagnosing the severity of the autism I would then, with the help of the medical community, determine the best course of action to help my child live his/her life to the fullest. There is no cure for autism, but children often show great improvement with intensive behavioral treatment during the first few years of their life. Medication my also help improve any behavioral problems my child may have (NCBDDD 2007). I had a friend in high school that had a mild form of autism. She was a great friend, but she could never hang out with all her friends at the same time. I remember one year her parents threw three birthday parties for her because they wanted her to be able to celebrate her birthday with all of her friends rather than only a few that she can handle. Her name was