Background and History of Autism Research Paper

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Psychological Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background and History of Disorder

DSM 5 diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Severity of the condition

Table for DSM 5 ASD Diagnosis

Approaches to Treatment of ASD

Background and History of Disorder

For this research, the mental illness that is generally visible in children has been chosen, which is Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is a mental problem that is seen in growing children which essentially represents a brain dysfunction and has the potential to affect emotion, the learning abilities, and the memory of individuals who are diagnosed with this disorder. This is a mental illness which also tends to exhibit itself gradually as an individual grows up, and as such Autism Spectrum disorder is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. While adults are less commonly diagnosed with this illness, Autism Spectrum disorder is generally first witnessed in children, however, it can sometimes manifest itself in adults too if it is left undetected and untreated during childhood. Intellectual developmental disorder, brain dysfunctions due to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Down syndrome are included in the Autism Spectrum disorder. Autism Spectrum disorders also include Autism and ADHD according to modern medicine and medical diagnosis (http://aadmd.org, 2015).

Medical practitioners and researchers have tried to find out the root of autism which they claim to potentially originate in the very early stages of the development of the brain. Researchers claim that most obvious signs of autism and symptoms of autism seemingly tend to emerge in individuals between the age of 2 and 3 years since it is brain developmental condition which tends to become prominent as an individual continuous to grow up. Medical practitioners and researchers say that appropriate behavioral management measures can help in achieving relatively normal development and reduced undesirable behaviors even as they also concede that there is no absolute cure for autism. Despite the dis-functions, it is generally accepted that individuals affected by autism have a normal life expectancy.

DSM 5 diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) primarily provides a diagnosis for the social communication disorder (SCD) of patients suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Psychologists and psychiatrists have been using these criteria for the diagnosis of the ailment as recommended by DSM-5 since May 2013 as they evaluate individuals for identification of the extent of developmental disorders ("DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria").

The diagnostic criteria for ASD according to DSM-5 are as follows:

a) The following indications are manifestations of persistent difficulties in the use of non-verbal communication for social use.

1) Difficulty in communicating for social purposes like greeting and sharing of information, which is unlike what is appropriate in the social context.

2) The inability to change communication so that it matches the context and the needs of the listener like speaking differently while in a classroom compared to when one is on the playground (Barbaro and Dissanayake 64-86).

3) Inability at following the rules set for conversation and storytelling like rephrasing when misunderstood and inappropriate use of verbal and nonverbal signals in order to regulate interaction.

4) Inability to make inferences and understanding that which is implied.

b) The deficiencies that are mentioned result in limited functions of the patients and affects communication, participation in society, social relationships, important academic achievements and performance in jobs individually or while in combination.

c) Another indication for the diagnosis of ASD is the onset of symptoms which generally takes place in the early periods of development but generally deficits may only become fully manifested when there is demand for social communication which exceeds the limited capacities of such patients (Huerta et al. 1056-1064).

d) Such symptoms cannot be generally attributed to other medical or neurological conditions or to decreased abilities in relation to word structure and grammar.

The severity of this condition can be diagnosed by the use of DSM 5 by judging the impairments to social communication and the restricted repetitive patterns in behavior.

Severity of the condition

Severity of the condition with respect to either restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, or interests or activities can also be judged from the by the manifested of at least two of the following -- either happening at present or by history (Barbaro and Dissanayake 64-86)

1) Stereotyping of or repetitive motor movements and the use of objects or repetitive or restricted speech such as simple motor stereotypies, the lining up toys or the flipping of objects, echolalia, and idiosyncratic phrases can help in diagnosing the severity.

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2) The insistence on the sameness, of having an inflexible adherence to routines or towards ritualized patterns in verbal nonverbal behavior such as extreme distress against small changes, transition difficulties, rigid patterns of thinking patterns or in greeting rituals and the inflexibility or rigidness in the way that the patient needs to undergo the same route or even for eating the food every day (Huerta et al. 1056-1064).

3) The severity of the problem according to DSM 5 can also be diagnosed if the patient has highly restricted or fixated interests which seem to be abnormal in their intensity or in their focus. Examples of such behavior can be a strong attachment to or the preoccupation with any unusual objects, or being excessively circumscribed and having perseverative interests.

4) When a patient is hyper or has hyperactivity with respect to any form of sensory input and has unusual interests in some form of sensory aspects of the environment, the severity can be diagnosed through the application of DSM 5. Some examples that can help in further diagnosis include being indifferent apparently to pain or temperature, reacting adversely to any specific sounds or textures, through the excessive smelling or touching of certain objects, being visually fascinated by lights or any form of movement (Gammer et al. 107-115).

To understand the severity and to diagnose the stage of ASD, it is necessary according to DSM 5 that the symptoms be present during the early developmental period. The clinically significant impairment is caused by the symptoms with respect to social, occupational and/or other areas of importance in current functioning. It also has to be made certain that the disturbances of impairments in the patient are not better described to can be clearly attributed to any form of intellectual disability such as intellectual developmental disorder and/or to global developmental delay. In frequent cases, there is co-occurrence of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder and hence, DSM recommends to make comorbid diagnoses of both the ailments - autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, through the evaluation of social communication which should be below what is expected for general developmental level (McPartland, Reichow, and Volkmar 368-383).

DSM 5, however, notes that the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder should be applied for those patients and individuals who have undergone a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder or for Asperger's disorder or pervasive developmental disorder which are not otherwise specified. DSM 5 also specifies that individuals should be evaluated for social (pragmatic) communication disorder who have a significant or marked deficits with respect to social communication but the symptoms do not meet criteria otherwise for autism spectrum disorder.

Table for DSM 5 ASD Diagnosis

DSM 5 prescribes the following table to diagnose the severity levels of autism spectrum disorder

Severity Level

Social Communication

Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors

Level 3

"Requires very substantial support"

When there are significant and severe deficits in nonverbal and verbal communication in social settings and lack of such skills result in severe impairments in proper functioning. Also results in very limited initiation in terms of social interactions has very little or no response to social overtures of others. An example is the use of very few words by an individual and use of very limited intelligible speech and those who rarely start an interaction. Such individuals can also be diagnosed to have severe ailment when he or she, makes very different approaches in order to meet the needs only and is able to respond only to absolutely direct social approaches.

Diagnosis is exhibited by the acute inflexibility of behavior and encountering extreme difficulty while dealing with change or in the case of other restricted or repetitive behaviors. Symptoms are also exhibited by very significant distress and difficulty for changing focus or any action.

Level 2

Patients requiring substantial support

There are significant and marked shortcomings in the abilities of non-verbal and verbal communication socially and the lack of such communication skills become quite evident even with some form of support system to assist the individuals. Such patients have limited ability for the initiation of any form of social interactions and generally, exhibit abnormal and often reduced responses for social overtures. For example, individuals with markedly odd and different non-verbal communication and limited interaction ability of special interests (McPartland, Reichow, and Volkmar 368-383).

In this level individuals with this ailment also exhibit inflexible behavior and have a certain degree of difficulty while coping with change.....

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