Autism is still very strange to ordinary people, and what I know is that a certain genius painter reported on TV is an autistic person; a certain memory master is an autistic person; and even some articles have exposed that some celebrities are also autistic people, Einstein, Newton, Franklin, etc., and even Shakespeare and Hans Christian Andersen in the literary world.
The first reaction gives us the feeling that autism is a high IQ disease, and getting autism is equivalent to being a genius in a certain field. However, this is not the case, autism is far more complicated than imagined, and it is not a symbol of high intelligence, but a disease that cannot be eliminated, which is terrible.
So what is autism?
Autism refers to a generalized developmental disorder that combines special pathologies in cognitive function, language function, and interpersonal social communication, resulting in significant difficulties in adapting to social life.
Autism, also known as autism, is a more serious developmental disorder, and children with autism are also called "children from the stars".
Other key characteristics of children with autism are: (1) retarded speech development or no speech; (2) speech that does not have the function of communicating even when speech is developed; (3) stereotyped repetitive play activities; (4) rejection of any change in the environment, requiring a high degree of "consistency" in the environment ;(5) good mechanical memory; and (6) lack of imagination.
The main manifestations are:
First, the lack of social behavior and attachment. Children with autism who prefer to be alone generally do not have the ability to establish intimate attachment relationships with their parents, are unable to play with other children, and may neglect or avoid social activities initiated by others.
Second, the lack of communication and interaction.
About 50 percent of children with autism are unable to develop functional speech and, even if they do, are unable to communicate with others. In fact, the language they acquire is not only intrinsically different from that of normal children, but also of a linguistic nature different from that of children with other categories of language disorders.
Most children with autism are languageless, and they can neither use receptive nor expressive language, i.e., neither understand the language of others nor express their intentions in words.
Third, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.
The behavior of children with autism is mostly compulsive, ritualistic, repetitive, addictive and stereotypical. This behavioral trait manifests itself not only in coarse movements and fine movements, but also in highly complex speech.
Abnormal reactions to the physical environment, intellectual functioning, destructive behavior. Children with autism respond abnormally to the environment, either unresponsive to environmental stimuli or oversensitive.
Emotional abnormalities.
Emotional expression in individuals with autism tends to be eccentric, either exaggerated or too smooth. Some children with autism are extremely emotionally unstable, and they may be devastated without being visibly provoked. Sometimes, in the blink of an eye, it goes from crying to dancing with joy, and the mood changes extremely quickly.
Intellectual function. Low IQ accounts for about 50% of the currently diagnosed autism, and the other 50% have average or even extremely high intelligence.
Severe intellectual disabilities are due to severe brain abnormalities, which almost certainly limit emotional and social abilities, but their mechanical memory abilities tend to be amazing.
Acts of vandalism. Perhaps the most striking type of sabotage is self-harm, i.e., deliberately causing harm to one's own body. The most common self-injurious behaviors are hitting the head and biting the hand, as well as slapping one's face or shoulders, pulling one's hair, picking one's eyes, or scratching oneself.
Autism is a diffuse central nervous system developmental disorder caused by a variety of environmental factors under the influence of certain genetic factors, which is affected for life.
True autism (organic autism) is a loss or severe loss of brain function due to genetic mutations. Their appearance is no different from ordinary people, but their innate lack of logical thinking ability such as summary, induction, analysis, and judgment, and their lifelong intelligence is low.
Autism is not as high-IQ as we see in TV dramas, it is a particularly serious disease. Although it is concomitant for life, some mild ones can return to normal life through behavioral intervention.
Classical behavioral analysis includes applied behavioral analysis (ABA) is a process in which people use the principle of behavioral change to intervene in behavior based on understanding behavior, interpreting behavior, describing behavior, and predicting behavior, so that behavior has certain social significance and conforms to social norms. Based on classical behaviorist theory, it emphasizes the role of reinforcement, shaping, fading, and task decomposition in teaching interventions.
References: In Search of the Truth About Autism
Oxford General Reader: Autism