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Understanding Autism

Understanding Autism

Brooke Loeffler
Chil 165
Prof. Hammond
July 26, 2007
Five years ago a friend of mine, Cyndy had a child who was at that time two years old.   All of our children were within a year of each other and we would often spend time together.   The children would all play together and run around except for her son, Andrew who would instead climb on his mother, not communicate nor socialize and would only watch a few select movies repeatedly all day.   Andrew did not speak but instead made grunting noises to get his mother’s attention.   In addition he did not make eye contact with anyone, including his mother.   In fact, the only way that his mother could get his attention was to speak very loudly toward him.   Many of us were concerned that Andrew was not following the typical developmental stages that our own children were.   We would gently discuss our concerns with her but at that time she was not ready to see that there may be a problem.   When Andrew turned three, Cyndy decided to go forward and take Andrew to his pediatrician for some advice.   Unfortunately his pediatrician was of little help.   He felt that there was nothing wrong with Andrew.   Cyndy was not convinced and pursued what she believed which was that something was different with her child.   From there, Cyndy began her journey as her son’s number one advocate and soon thereafter, Andrew was diagnosed with Autism-(NOS-not otherwise specified). This story is becoming more and more common in families.   According to the Autism Society of America, there are more than 1.5 million people currently have a form of autism today.   As these numbers continue to rise, more families and teachers are becoming educated about this developmental disability.   In this paper we will look at what autism is and how it affects a child’s overall development.   We will also discuss the impact it has on families as well as how families can advocate for their children while dealing with the stresses of having a...