“The most interesting people you’ll find are ones that don’t fit into your average cardboard box. They’ll make what they need, they’ll make their own boxes” (Grandin). Dr. Temple Grandin, an author and speaker of autistic behavior, points out that although these autistic kids have an insufficiency  to communicate with others; Autistic kids acquire the ample trait of intelligence. Autism affects roughly three million american children. The brain development disorder is tragic; however, not life ending.  As more and more people receive the diagnosis of Autism, the rest of the world should be able to recognize the following: what Autism Spectrum Disorder is, potential causes, how it impacts daily life and different treatments.

What is Autism?

The term autism has been around since the 1900s, used to describe people who were unsociable. Over the years, doctors have studied that Autism doesn’t just come in one form, but multiple, all different in some way from the rest.  Around the 1970s is when researchers began to categorize each case and study the differences of these disorders (Autism Spectrum). This is where the Autism Spectrum Disorder phrase comes into play. Autism Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term that is analogous to The Color Spectrum. As stated in the infographic, Autism Spectrum Disorder includes a wide range, or “a spectrum”, of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability (Autism Spectrum). By the same token, the color spectrum shows all the visible colors to the eye, because every color is different. ASD can range from mild to severe as there is a wide degree of variation of how it affects a person.The spectrum is based off of three main Autistic categories:

• Asperger’s Syndrome
• Autistic Disorder
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

In these cases of Autism, they each share prevalent characteristics. People with ASD most commonly struggle with communicating between others, behaving themselves, and socially interacting with others. ASD individuals with these conditions also most likely to undergo repetitive behavior. Krista Baumgartner is the sister of her Autistic older brother, Connor Baumgartner. Connor’s condition has impaired his speech, social behavior, and cognitive behavior.  While interviewing Krista, she stated, “Some of his favorite activities are going out to eat, playing with cars and trucks, and jumping on our trampoline. His activities are rather repetitive as he goes to bed, eats, and takes his medications at the same time everyday.” This, however, does not apply for every single person with an Autistic disorder. This spectrum is very broad and flexible and as stated before, has a wide range. For example, someone with ASD that falls on one end of the spectrum may still be able to live on there own, with a couple of obstacles living in their way. On the other hand, someone that falls on the opposite side of the spectrum may be limited to no ability to communicate or even comprehend communication.  Moreover, just as there is no such thing as ‘two of the exact colors’, no two Autistic individuals are exactly the same.

How Does it Impact Daily Life?

Learning everyday skills and activities of daily living is essential when it comes to independence. Being capable of dressing yourself, self-feeding, toileting and other related functions play a vast role when taking part in a substantial world. On the contrary, ASD may greatly affect these actions of daily living. The way Autistic kids learn these skills vary from disability to disability; these techniques are very different from the way someone without the diagnosis would learn. A group of experts from the Interactive Autism Network wrote, “Most children learn self-care skills by watching and imitating what they have seen with minimal teaching by parents or instructors. They are motivated to do things for themselves, to be like the “big kids,” and to imitate adults. They are aware of the social benefits and know how to imitate. In contrast, many people with autism need systematic, sometimes intensive teaching in the self-care area due to deficits in language and attention skills, interfering behaviors, and/or sensory impairments” (Activities of Daily). In other words, a common trait of ASD is being intrapersonal and isolated. This can make learning a simple task like putting on a sweatshirt all the more challenging. Correspondingly, trying to help someone with ASD can also make it worse by their desire to be self-sufficient. Krista mentions, “Connor’s diagnosis has changed my outlook on life in general, because I think about how hard easy tasks are for him, and it makes me realize how good I have it in life.” Like Krista, many other people who know or are related to Autistic individuals commonly have a better insight on other people, with and without autism. In the long run, the Autistic behavior displayed by kids with ASD is correlated with how they adapt themselves to daily activities. Ordinarily, it is uncommon for one to want to be so isolated and independent; this is how people with the ASD condition function. As they make adaptations and changes to their daily life, they also make a difference in everyone else’s lives, too.

What Are Some Potential Causes?

Due to the unidentified cause of ASD, there is not any particular way in preventing this disorder; however, researchers have come to believe that certain forms of genes passed down from parents allow for the child to become more at risk to establish ASD. In addition to that, it is also not rare for identical twins, as well as younger siblings of kids with this disorder to undergo this condition (Autism Spectrum). Not only has it been studied that certain genes may affect the odds, but also according to the National Institute of Mental Health, “A person born with a genetic vulnerability to ASD only develops the condition if they’re exposed to a specific environmental trigger” (Autism Spectrum). According to the graphic, genetic and environmental factors are the most common and have had the most effective results. It has been studied that being exposed to certain conditions may increase the risk of developing ASD. These conditions include the following: being born prematurely (before 35 weeks of pregnancy) and being exposed to alcohol or other medications in the womb. Lastly, The National Health Institute also informs that, “Boy are 4x more likely to develop ASD than girls” (Autism Spectrum). Although this is not a cause, or something anyone can prevent, the theories and myths of this disorder will continue to spread. Likewise, it is important to understand that there has been no specific proof or evidence linking any particular vaccine, medical condition, food, etc. to ASD.

How To Treat Those With Autism

When it comes to treatments and potential outbreaks of cures to ASD, it is important to realize there is not one completely efficient ‘cure’. To take the medical approach, medications are only commonly used to cure or calm down symptoms. The most effective treatments that have been often used to help are non-medical interventions. Janice Rodden, a public educational blogger and magazine writer, comments, “Behavioral therapy is the mainstay treatment for children with autism. Even when a child’s behavior is “good,” this type of therapy can help to teach her new skills, and improve her language and social abilities.” She points out that no medicine or drug can distinguish this lifelong disorder; consequently, the most adequate method is to engage with them to better their skills and condition. Krista Baumgartner also agrees with this notion. Baumgartner stated, “He has therapists that come almost every day and work with him on talking and puzzles. They also bring him out into public so he learns how to act with other people. They are remarkably helpful.” With this type of training the therapists give to the affected individuals, they can develop skills such as eye contact, tone of voice, humor, sarcasm and how to interpret gestures. On the other hand, the therapy is not only for the ASD affected individuals; It associates with parents, family members, relatives, friends, etc. to help them cope with ASD and demonstrate how to administer therapy at home. Although this may seem like a minor treatment, it plays a major role in helping people with ASD to accomplish more than they could imagine.

Given that the ASD diagnosis is slowly but surely increasing in the U.S., people around the world should be familiar with what it is, what causes this disorder and how it affects our living, and lastly, how to prevent ASD and the current treatments for it. Granted that Autism is a lifelong disorder with no treatments, there are actions to be taken to help with the negative conditions. Some possible protocols to be taken to better speech impairment, social behavior and interactive behavior, is therapy. This takes the disorder that prevents certain individuals from communicating, and it gives them the potential to learn outgoing qualities. As a result of having no set cure to ASD, therapy can positively affect the daily lives of the individuals on the spectrum, and everyone involved in their; it can also give hope to the Autistic for a brighter future. Depending on where one would fall under the spectrum of Autism, someone with ASD may or may not be able to function completely by themselves. It is common to see families go to therapy together to help cope with this condition. All in all, therapy or no therapy, these kids are special in their own ways and will never have trouble with being themselves, and thinking outside the box.

Works Cited

“Activities of Daily Living.” Activities of Daily Living | Interactive Autism Network, 5 Dec. 2013, iancommunity.org/cs/challenging_behavior/activities_of_daily_living.

“Autism Spectrum Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml#part_145438.

“Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2017. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/IIIYFC165357534/SUIC?u=neen99729&xid=35970775. Accessed 12 Oct. 2017.

“Autism Spectrum Disorder Affects People in Different Ways (Infographic).” The Family and Youth Institute, 14 June 2017, www.thefyi.org/autism-spectrum-disorder-affects-people-different-ways-infographic/.

Baumgartner, Krista. “Autism Spectrum Disorder.” 12 Oct. 2017.

Grandin, Temple. “92 Favorite Quotes About Autism and Aspergers.” The Art of Autism – Connecting through the Arts, 23 Aug. 2017, the-art-of-autism.com/favorite-quotes-about-autism-and-aspergers/.

Rodden, Janice. “How to Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder.” ADDitude, 15 Sept. 2017, www.additudemag.com/autism-spectrum-disorder-treatments/.