About Autism
What is autism
Autism is a neurological disorder that affects brain functioning and sensory processing causing significant verbal, social, and behavioral differences. Autism generally presents before age three, with symptoms that include repetitive activities, difficulty with change or transition, sensory challenges, delayed speech, and aggressive or self-injurious behaviors. Autism is characterized by the affected individuals’ self-involvement, self-stimulation, self-focus, and self-concentration or absorption. Individuals with autism live in an almost solipsistic world of their own and exist disconnected from others and “typical” reality.
There is no known cure for autism. Currently treatment options are palliative and interventions focused on managing the condition. Behavioral supports, as early as possible, including occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, coupled with special education, dominate the current education/therapeutic paradigm. Diets, sensory integration approaches, medications, and a plethora of alternative modalities have worked to create improvement in various cases. A multidisciplinary team approach appears to work best, with coordination of services as the primary management strategy.
Prevalence
Childhood autism in 21st century American society is dramatically on the increase. The Journal of the American Medical Association has termed autism an “epidemic” and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires states to track levels of autism. Articles and studies abound assessing its prevalence, and statistics concerning the exponential increase over the last several decades have professionals stumped and concerned. The disease frequency of autism now surpasses that of all types of childhood cancer combined.
Severe Autism
Autism is difficult to accurately diagnose because of its high rate of co-morbidity. The autism spectrum has become a “catchall” for a plethora of different syndromes and different levels of functioning. However, before there was a “spectrum” associated with autism, there was what is currently referred to as classic, severe or Kanner-type autism, which can be differentiated by the severity of specific symptoms and levels of functioning.
Symptoms of severe autism can include: limited verbal expression, limited receptive language, severe sensory disintegration, abnormal and anti-social behaviors such as feces smearing, self-injurious and/or violent behaviors, pervasive sleep and eating difficulties, obsessive and ritualistic cognitive foci, repetitive (often self-stimulating) physical movements, and elopement, as well as an inability to grasp abstract concepts or “theory of mind.” The affected individual struggles with integrating and relating to what is considered normal stimulation; they can be adversely affected by something as simple as a baby crying or car horn honking, and often respond violently or retreat into a world of their own.
Why home and group home models are not the best environment
For individuals with autism the world has the potential to “shock” them at every turn. Just going from home, to car, to school contains noise and sudden movements that can trigger a “shock” reaction. It is essential to an appropriate environment that all these potential “shock factors” be limited, keeping the world as consistent, predictable, safe, and in accordance with each individual’s sensory needs as possible.
Life in a typical household or group home setting greatly challenges the ability to meet the needs of an individual with autism. Noise, transitions, and unpredictability are an ongoing part of life in these situations. Individuals with autism are better served in a setting that limits stimulation and transitions, an environment that can provide a high degree of structure and predictability. This type of setting can greatly reduce the stress level of this population and foster a positive learning and living environment. Home or the four-person group home (which attempts to replicate typical home life as much as possible), is not supportive of the needs of autism, and severe autism in particular.
