EMBRACING THE DIFFERENCE

Alyssa D., Rachel N., Katelyn P., Melissa M.

Goal

To reach out and try to get people to better understand people with autism

What is autism?

Autism is a mental condition, it presents in early childhood and it is characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people . There are five types of autism: autistic disorder, PDD-NOS, Asperger Syndrorme, Childhood Disintegrate Disorder, and Rett Syndrome.

PDD-NOS

PDD-NOS-this is used to describe individuals who do not fully meet the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger Syndrome

Pervasive Developmental Disorder is the full name for PPD-NOS

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder-is a condition in which children develop normally through ages 3 or 4, then over a few months children lose language ,motor, social, and other skills that they already learned. -the cause is unknown, but has been linked to

brain and nervous system problems.

Asperger Syndrome

Although children's intelligence appear normal, the children lack nonverbal communication skills, fail to demonstrate empathy with peers, and were physically clumsy. -Children with AS want to know everything

about their topic or interest and their conversations.

Rett Syndrome

Rett Syndrome- this is a disorder of the nervous system that leads to development reversals, especially in the areas of expressive language and hand use -Rett Syndrome –occurs almost exclusively in

girls and may be misdiagnosed of autism or cerebral palsy

Effects of Autism

60 people are diagnosed daily with autism

1% of the U.S. population is affected. Measuring brain activity in infants as

young as 6 months can help predict the future development of autistic symptoms

U.S CDC suggest that autism related disorders are more common than previously though.

Treatments

Medications Occupational therapy Physical therapy Speech therapy

Communication is the Key to Success

The best way to communicate with autistic children is to make them feel comfortable.

Autistic kids react different to what’s going on around them, normal sounds may really bother them

A kid with autism aalso has trouble linking words to their meanings. Sometimes they can’t come up with the right words to express their feelings.

Continued

The majority of teens with autism lack contact with friends outside of school

They aren’t called or invited to social activities

Max’s Story

If you met Max today (at age 19) you would never suspect he had been autistic. He is a college student at a top university who gets all A's and B's, belongs to a fraternity, and is outgoing, friendly, and popular socially. In Max's case, it took two years of treatment until he was testing at age level and another four or five years until they felt he no longer had any vestiges of autism.

http://www.impossiblecure.com/autism.php

Autistic people of all ages

The main point of this PowerPoint is to show you why autistic kids, teens, and adults are the way they are. We hope that after this presentation you are more aware and are now more accepting of them. Everyone deserves a chance just like you.