Autism: The Two Different Spectrums

Autism is a disorder that is on the rise today. Many children can appear to develop like a normal child, and later withdraw from society into their "own world." There is a 10-20% chance that children who have autism will show improvement in social skills by the time they are 6 years of age. The will also be able to attend regular educational classrooms, but may have modified curriculum within the school they are attending.

There are two different spectrums to autism. One spectrum is "low functioning" autistic children and the other is "high functioning." Children with these two types of autism will experience varying degrees of difficulty. It depends on the spectrum in which they are diagnosed. For these reasons that is why autism is called a "spectrum disorder". Children who have autism often have problems with learning disabilities.

Children who are "low functioning" have a problem with communicating. Most children who are "low functioning" cannot speak. They display other behaviors such as hand flapping, rocking, and toe walking. They have a problem with looking others in the eye. They are basically in their own little world. These children who are "low functioning" are unable to attend regular education classes and require help and therapy so that they may communicate better. Some children with this spectrum of autism have been known to come slowly out of their own little world and have learned to interact with society somewhat. Most children in this spectrum, however, will most likely remain this way.

The other spectrum of autism is "high functioning." My son is in this spectrum, also known as Asperger Syndrome. Children with Asperger are intellectually able to join regular education. Most children with this spectrum have good communication skills and language skills. However their speech can often appear unusual ranging from overly formal to pedantic for their age group. They also usually become obsessive with a hobby or interest. I know for my son he is totally into electronics and how they work. If something is broken he will take it completely apart and look at it to find out what is wrong. He then somehow fixes the problem and it's working again. He constantly asks questions about how things work and is not satisfied until he finds out how. He still lacks a good bit in social skills and will not make friends easily with children his own age.

Autism is a disability that will be with a child forever. It is something that is not cured by medication or something that a child will grow out of. However, families can learn to live with their child that is autistic. Through therapy and hard work, most children can lead a happy, "normal" life by society standards.