Childhood Psychological Disorders: A Study on the Autism Spectrum

Disorder

Ethan Hunt
Introduction to Psychology
October 6, 2020
 The brain is a complex organ. It creates our ability to think, memorize, laugh, run,
feel, and experience emotions. Although the human brain does amazing tasks for
humanity’s benefit, it can also be used as a tool to inhibit people from living their fullest
lives, by means of psychological disorders. Psychological disorders are a wide range of
conditions that affect behavior, mood, and thinking. Psychological disorders can affect
anyone of any age, including children. They can radically change the life of a child and
can prohibit the child from living and functioning properly. One of these devasting
disorders is the autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Definition of ASD
The autism spectrum disorder (ASD), popularly known as autism, is defined as a
neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in childhood and lasts a lifetime. It
affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns. It includes other
disorders including what used to be known as Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental
disorders, which is why it is known as a spectrum. The cause of this condition is unknown,
although research has speculated that genes and the environment contribute greatly to the
disorder. Despite the research done about this condition, here is currently no one standard
treatment for ASD. There are many ways to increase the individual’s ability to grow and learn
new life skills. An early start on learning leads to better results. Treatments for ASD include
behavior and communication therapies, skills training, and medicines to control symptoms.

Symptomology
The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 54
children have autism. Children with autism are different in their behaviors and abilities,
as no two children with autism will have the same symptoms. A symptom may be easy to
find in one child and hard to see in another. Children will experience symptoms of having
trouble with socialization, they may not make eye contact and may want solitude. They
may additionally repeat words or phrases over and over, which is known as echolalia.
They have problems dealing with changes to their daily routines. They may repeat actions
routinely and want them steady to where things stay the same, so they know what to
expect. Among one of most observable symptoms, children may flap their hands, rock
their bodies, and/or spin in circles. The key symptom of autism is that children may have
unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel. Those with autism
line up toys or other objects and play with toys the same way every time. They may
additionally only play with a certain part of a toy, like the wheel of a toy car, for
example.
Some red flags for ASD include not responding to their name by 12 months of
age, not pointing at objects to show interest by 14 months, not playing “pretend” games
by 18 months, avoiding eye contact and wanting solitude, trouble understanding other
people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings, and/or having delayed speech and
language skills.
How is autism diagnosed?
According to the DSM-5, to meet diagnostic criteria for ASD, a child must exhibit
deficits in each of three areas of social communication and interaction [sic, below]
A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple
contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are
illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):
1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social
approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of
interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for
example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities
in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a
total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understand relationships, ranging, for example,
from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in
sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least
two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive;
see text):
1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor
stereotypes, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal
or nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with
transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same
food every day).
3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong
attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or
perseverative interests).
4. Hyper- or hyperreactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the
environment (e.g. apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific
sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with
lights or movement).
C. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully
manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities or may be masked by learned
strategies in later life).
D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other
important areas of current functioning.
E. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual
developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism
 spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum
disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected
for general developmental level.
It is important to note that individuals with a well-established DSM-4 diagnosis of
autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder, should, otherwise
explicitly specified, be given the diagnosis of ASD. Those who have marked deficits in social
communication, but whose symptoms do not otherwise meet criteria for ASD, should be
evaluated for social (pragmatic) communication disorder.

What is etiology (the causes) of this disorder?

Despite much research done with the disorder, researchers have not found a single
cause for autism, but there are many biological, psychological, and social (environmental)
factors that could potentially result in autism.
Researchers agree that ASD is the result of hereditable genetic differences and/or
mutations. They have found that ASD is more common in boys than in girl since it is highly
probable that it is linked to genetic differences associated with the X chromosome.
Abnormalities in the genetic code may result in abnormal mechanisms for brain development,
leading to the type of behaviors that those with autism experience. Research has shown that the
brain of one with autism has increased gray matter and decreased white matter. This can result in
decreased neural sensitivity to dynamic gaze shifts in infancy, preference for nonsocial versus
social processing and hemispheric asymmetries, and disruption of normal development. The
preference for nonsocial asymmetry explains why those with autism prefer to be alone.
Researchers have found that environmental factors contributing to autism include
exposure to lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), insecticides, automotive exhaust,
hydrocarbons, and flame retardants.

Analysis
Typical infants are intrigued by the world and those around them. By the first
birthday, toddlers interact with others by looking people in the eye, copying words and actions,
and using simple gestures. They show interests in social games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake,
but those with ASD have trouble learning these skills. A child with ASD might not be interested
in other people, although some might want friends, but cannot understand how to develop
friendships. Many children with an ASD have a difficult time learning to take turns and share
with other children, which causes the other children not want to play with the child with ASD.
They might have problems with showing or discussing their feelings. They might
also have trouble understanding other’s feelings and are very sensitive to being touched and
might not want to be held or cuddled. Self-stimulatory behaviors like the flapping of arms
repetitively are common among people with this condition.
 Each person with ASD has a different level of communication skills. Some people
can speak well, while others can’t speak at all or only very little. About 40% of children with an
ASD have the inability to speak. About 25%–30% of children with ASD have some words at one
years old and then lose them. Others might speak, but not until later in the childhood stage. Other
delayed speech and language skills include the repeating of words or phrases (echolalia), the
reversing of pronouns (e.g., says “you” instead of “I”), giving unrelated answers to questions, the
inability to respond to pointing or point, the limited use of gestures (e.g., does not wave
goodbye), talking in a flat, robot-like, or sing-song voice, the lack of pretend in play, and the
inability to understand jokes, sarcasm, or teasing.
This disorder affects not only the individual who has it, but the family. A child
with autism may have the tendency for solitude, which results in limited interaction with family
members. This would be disheartening for most families since they are meant to stay together.
They may have a complicated relationship with their siblings since children with autism may
have trouble with the concept of sharing and fair play. Those who are high functioning have
trouble with communication with their parents, and conversely, the parents cannot understand
their non-verbal attempts to communicate. Additionally, children with ASD may have trouble in
school, since symptoms of self-injury, temper tantrums, aggression, hyperactivity, irrational fear,
abnormal eating habits (like chewing on paper, pencils, etc.), and unusual reactions to sounds,
tastes, sights, and feelings contribute greatly to the disorder. Children may have difficulty
understanding concepts that their teachers present them, and as a result, can greatly affect their
grades.

Treatments for autism

Of course, since there is no known cure for ASD, there is not a single treatment
that can remove the disorder, but there are treatments that can help better the child. These
treatments include:
 Behavior programs, which address social skills, attention, sleep, play, anxiety, parent
interaction, challenging behaviors, and overall development.
 Education and learning programs, which emphasizes on learning and reasoning skills and
“whole life” approaches. Schools may use approaches such as the Treatment and
Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped Children (TEACCH) and
the applied behavior analysis (ABA).
 Medications such as antipsychotics, serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, stimulants, and other
hyperactivity medicines.
 Other treatments such as speech and language therapy, music therapy, occupational
therapy, neurofeedback, sleep education and training, vitamins, mineral supplements, and
even massage therapy.
How can a parent help?
A parent can help their child with autism by having patience, correcting abnormal
behaviors to the best of their control, taking them to professional therapists, teaching them life
skills, reassuring them that what irrational fear that most people would not be afraid of is
perfectly safe (even taking them to the location or thing may help), finding a way to
communicate (if the child is non-verbal), and finding a way to love the child, even if he or she
prefers solitude.
Prognosis
The age at intervention can impact long-term outcomes of ASD. Research has
shown that the earlier a child is treated for their condition, the better the prognosis will be. In
recent years, there has been an increase in the percentage of children who can attend school in a
typical classroom and go on to live semi-independently in community settings since researchers
have found different treatments and therapies for those who are autistic. However, the majority
of people with autism remain affected to some degree in their ability to communicate and
socialize with other people. Treating underlying conditions and related disorders can improve the
prognosis. Some individuals may be unable to fully articulate their pain or discomfort, so they
will need assistance from medical professionals with an understanding of ASD. With the right
treatment, the symptoms have the potential to decrease and better the individual with a less-
stressful life.
Conclusion
The brain is a complex organ. It creates our ability to think, memorize, laugh, run,
feel, and experience emotions. Although the human brain does amazing tasks for humanity’s
benefit, it can also be used as a tool to inhibit people from living their fullest lives, and this is the
case with those who experience ASD. Although ASD is a devastating condition as the symptoms
show, proper therapy and treatment can better the prognosis, and have the potential to help
children function better. With proper service, their minds can better.
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