autism essay

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Dec 6, 2023

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Middle Childhood Development Interview Deborah Rutikanga Grand Canyon University PSY-355: Child and Adolescent Psychology Professor Barron April 23, 2023

2 Middle and Late childhood with Autism Middle childhood typically refers to the period between ages 6 to 12, whereas late childhood refers to the period between ages 12 to 18 (Santrock, 2019, p.213. During middle childhood, children develop a greater sense of independence and self-awareness, as well as improvements in their social and cognitive abilities. They may also experience changes in their physical and emotional development. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior. It is typically diagnosed in early childhood, although symptoms may become more apparent during middle and late childhood. Autism can range from mild to severe and can significantly impact a child's development and daily functioning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 54 children in the United States has been diagnosed with autism. Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls, with a ratio of 4 to 1. The prevalence of autism has increased in recent years, but this may be due in part to improved awareness and diagnosis. The purpose of discussing middle and late childhood and autism is to understand the challenges that children with special needs face during these critical periods of development. Children with autism may experience difficulties in areas such as communication, social skills, and behavior, which can impact their ability to make friends, succeed in school, and lead independent lives as adults. A possible thesis statement for this topic could be: “The challenges faced by children with autism during middle and late childhood highlight the need for increased support and resources to promote their social, cognitive, and emotional development.” Autism

3 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an individual's ability to communicate, interact socially, and engage in repetitive behaviors or interests. The symptoms of ASD can range from mild to severe and can present differently in everyone. Some common symptoms of ASD include Difficulty with social interactions: individuals with ASD may struggle with understanding social cues, making eye contact, interpreting facial expressions, and engaging in reciprocal communication. Repetitive behaviors: individuals with ASD may engage in repetitive behaviors such as hand flapping, rocking, or spinning, as well as having strict routines or rituals. Sensory sensitivities: individuals with ASD may be hypersensitive or hyposensitive to sensory input, which can result in over or under- responsiveness to certain stimuli. Communication challenges: individuals with ASD may struggle with spoken language, such as having difficulty with verbal expression, understanding humor, or taking idiomatic expressions literally. The exact causes of ASD are not yet fully understood, although research suggests that both genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the development of the disorder. Early intervention and specialized therapies, such as speech therapy and behavioral therapy, have been shown to be effective in improving outcomes for individuals with ASD . Interview Olga is a parent interviewed about her son Anakin who is 11 years old and going to 6th grade. Anakin attendants an SDC, which is a particular day class. It's a special education class with a qualified teacher. Some characteristics that stood out about Anakin were "when he was a child, he was very antisocial and sensitive to touch. He would scream as if you were hurting him; he was also sensitive to loud noises especially hearing children cry" his mother said. Anakin would line up his toys in a certain way; he didn't like it if you moved anything in his room

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4 without letting him know; he had trouble sleeping until he was four. Some of his interests are art, painting, robotics, and anything that is hands-on and can see the final product. Math is something he's good at. He was first diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old. The doctor o gave the mother a paper to check off, and she checked off half of the list, and that's when they sensed that Anakin was autistic. The most challenging part about raising a child with autism is in public places because he gets uncomfortable around new areas and new people, which causes him to act out and have other parents staring and not understand why his acting the way he is. His anxiety has also been problematic since he can't vocalize his feelings since you can't understand him, but you want to help but don't know how. Some additional questions I would have asked the mother would have been, after finding out Anakin had autism did it change your worldview? What positives have you experienced with Anakin's diagnosis, and what milestones did Anakin miss? Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development For Piaget’s theory Anakin falls under the Preoperational stage as of right now. The preoperational stage is when a child becomes more “symbolic in their thinking and have vivid imagination. However, they still struggle with logic and abstract concepts” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Anakin falls under this stage because his mother Olga was saying how his interested in robotics, Legos, and art means his able to sit and have an imagination of how he wants something to come out. His mother also said he liked anything that he can see the result to. His able to imagine something and make it happen. Building a Lego set requires having some logic to figure out how each piece connects and requires imagination to be able to builds something. Children with autism typically exhibit delayed or atypical development in various domains, including communication, social interaction, and behavior. While there is no specific

5 “stage” of development that children with autism fall under, they may have difficulty with the same milestones and concepts that typically developing children face in each of the stages. Processes of Development Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting individuals' cognitive, biological, psychological, and social functioning. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of a child with autism should consider multiple factors that may impact the child's development and functioning. Some Cognitive Factors that influenced Anakin were his trouble planning and staying focused in school. Biological factors are genetic mutations and alterations in brain development that may affect neural connectivity and information processing in individuals with autism. Anakin suffered from anxiety which falls under the psychological Factors. He was very anti-social, which caused him not to make any friends, and anytime he was around new people or in a new environment, he would start to get anxious. An example of a social factor would be his relationship with his mom. The impact of autism on the family can also be significant. Families may experience stress, financial burden, and emotional strain in caring for a child with autism. Siblings may experience a range of emotions, from resentment to protectiveness, as they navigate their relationship with their autistic sibling. Resources Some resources that helped Olga was going on Facebook and connecting with other moms who were going through the same thing. A community of people who understood what you were going through helped her immensely. She also said that the doctor didn’t give her much information about the diagnosis and that she had to go home and research independently. Faith

6 played a significant role for her. “Coming together with my family also played a big role. Divorce is high with parents who have children with disability,” she said. Many resources are available to support families with children with autism, including community organizations, educational and medical services, parent support groups, respite care programs, and potentially faith-based support. Families must seek out and utilize these resources to help support their child’s development and well-being. Conclusion Olga’s personal experience as a parent of a child with autism sheds light on the difficulties posed by the diagnosis and its long-lasting effects. Understanding the components that lead to achieving major milestones and providing empirical support for Piaget's theory of cognitive development were both achieved by analyzing Anika’s responses. As a parent of a child with Autism. Olga also discussed her viewpoint and the tools she utilized to help her deal with the changes that having a child with a disability brought about in her life.

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7 References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder . https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html Geschwind, D. H., & Levitt, P. (2007). Autism spectrum disorders: Developmental disconnection syndromes. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 17(1), 103-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2007.01.009 National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Autism Spectrum Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml Santrock, J. W. (2019). Child development (14th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

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