Autism Spectrum Disorder

What is it?
Autism spectrum disorder is a name for a group of developmental disorders which
include difficulty communicating or interacting with others, repetitive behaviors,
limited interests and or activities; and it hurts the individual's ability to function
socially, at school or at work, and other aspects of life.
Signs and Symptoms
● Repetitive behaviors or having unusual behaviors
● Overly focused interests
● Lasting interest in certain specific topics, like numbers, details, or facts
● Not being able to respond with a slight change in schedule or being placed in a
new or over-stimulating environment such as the school lunchroom or concert.
● Repeating words or phrases you hear
● Unusual tone of voice that can sound sing-song or flat and like a robot
● They could be sensitive to light, clothing, sound, and temperature
How do you develop ASD
While the source doesn’t say much about whether you get it at birth or later it does say
that you can not be reliably diagnosed until you are two years old, but in some cases
you can start to see symptoms at one year old. They also believe it is something that
can come regressively which means the child could seem to be developing normally
until they start losing different abilities and they regress into autism.
What is the cause of this disorder?
There are no known specific cause, but scientists believe it has something to do with
genetics and the environment.
How does this interfere with normal life?
People with ASD have trouble communicating and getting their words out it’s almost
like talking to a singular person for them is like talking to 50 for us. ASD also has
effects to where some effected will keep talking whether the person they are talking to
is interested or not they will keep going on and on. It can also interfere because those
diagnosed with ASD get easily angered by the slightest change in routine or being in a
over-stimulating environment. This makes it hard for them to have normal jobs for
example in a fast food chain because of the craziness that can often be found when
stepping into a fast food restaurant.
Life with ASD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfzqBCC30as
Treatments
Mainly treatments include creating a plan with an expert on ASD, meeting with a
pediatrician, or just any healthcare providers. There is also medication that they can
take which can calm down some of the symptoms such as irritability, aggression,
hyperactivity, attention problems, anxiety, and depression.
Medical or Professional Treatments In Sioux Falls
Treatments in Sioux Falls include Great Plains Psychological services and they provide
counseling and mental health services to individuals that need it. Also there is USD’s
Center for Disabilities which is a learning center for mental disabled children. They
can go there to participate in the programs they have there to help assist with everyday
challenges.
Stats
● ASD is estimated to 3 million individuals in the U.S. alone
● Approximately 100 individuals are diagnosed with ASD each day
● Boys are four times more likely than girls to have ASD
● More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes &
cancer combined
● Autism costs the nation over $238 billion per year
2 Resources in Sioux Falls
Lifescape is a good resource for ASD because they have free screenings to possibly
diagnose a child with Autism and a lot of treatment options if necessary. Also there is
Time 2 Shine which is a therapy center for people with autism.
Bibliography
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/10/11/are-children-born-autism-or-does-it-deve
lop-later

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Autism-
Spectrum-Disorder-Fact-Sheet

https://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/latest-autism-statistics-2/