Children who are labeled as having the Autism Disorder are impaired by some degree by symptoms within each of The Three Aspects of the Disorder: Social Interaction, Communication, and Behavior Patterns). In order for a child to be diagnosed with AD, what people commonly call autism, a child must suffer from six or more of the symptoms within the The Three Aspects of the Disorder, and delayed development must be noticeable for three years in at least one of the three aspects. Two of the symptoms must fall under the social interaction category, and at least one of the symptoms must be connected to a child’s communication abilities. (See ASD Chart for list of symptoms in each of these categories)

 

Realizing that a child does exhibit theses symptoms at a young age can be very helpful, because a parent will be able to understand their child’s disorder as soon as possible and begin developing a plan for intervention. Starting interventions and therapies early is crucial, and intervention that is implemented within a child’s third or fourth year of life is monumental in developing their functional, social, and learning capabilities. However, we must remember, that it is very difficult to recognize autism in newborns, simply because babies are not expected to reach the developmental milestones that are necessary in determining a child’s condition.

 

High-Functioning Autism refers to the subgroup of children on the spectrum that do have the symptoms necessary for a diagnosis of the Autistic Disorder, but have a high level of intelligence. Some children who are diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) by one specialist may be diagnosed with high functioning autism by another specialist. Specialists usually make their own distinction and diagnosis based on their own opinions and analysis of a child’s language capabilities. High-functioning autism is similar to Asperger’s Syndrome but is a separate diagnosis, though many clinicians disagree on the exact distinction between the two. One way of distinguishing the two is that a person diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome must have no delay in language development . High-functioning autism can be accompanied by an early language delay. Those who have high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome usually struggle in social situations, relating to others, and often have a few very specific interests that they focus on while ignoring other aspects of their lives.

 

The 1988 Oscar-winning movie Rain Man told the story of an autistic individual who dazzled those who came in contact with him with his savant skills. He possessed these skills because of his diagnosis of autism. Though he was affected by a number of communicational and behavioral problems common to autism, he was unique in his vast knowledge of aspects of history (such as hundreds of details about baseball players) and incredible math capabilities. Many people automatically think of Rain Man or other savants when they hear the word “autism,” but true savants are rare. Though people on the spectrum frequently excel in specific areas of focus, only 1% of the individuals on the Autism Spectrum are true savants and have these extraordinary qualities.

 

Sources:

 

[Dodd, Susan. Understanding Autism. Australia: Elsevier, 2005. p.7]

[O’brien, Marion, and Daggett, Julie A. Beyond the Autism Diagnosis. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, 2006. pp. 16-17]

 

[Autism Spectrum]