Friday, October 21, 2011

Types of Autism - The Different Types of Autism

There are five distinct types of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) that are considered to be related to Autism because of the neuro development portions that have been identified under the Autism Spectrum. They are Autism Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS).

Each of the five disorders are classified as pervasive in nature rather than Specific Development Disorders (SDD) because they are characterized by multiple disabilities in a variety of areas rather than focused on one particular issue. Let's take a brief look at each of the five types of Autism on an individual level. While many of the characteristics may be similar, the differences are distinct enough for them to fall under different categories.

Classic Autism, commonly called Autism, is also sometimes called Kanner's Syndrome after the Psychiatrist Leo Kanner. He studied 11 children at John Hopkins University from 1932 to 1943. He wrote about the common elements found in these children including a lack of emotion, repetitive actions, and problems with their speech formation, their ability to manipulate various objects, learning difficulties, and their levels of intelligence. His studies lead to many others wanting to learn more about the disorder.

Asperger's Syndrome is named after its founder, Hans Asperger. His studies took place in Vienna in 1944. He discovered many individuals had the problems with social skills and repetitive patterns but they did not have trouble with learning or their cognitive abilities. They also portrayed some very exceptional talents or abilities that were considered to be very remarkable. Albert Einstein is a very famous individual who had Asperger's Syndrome.

Dr. Andrease Rett documented what is known As Rett's Syndrome while in Australia in 1965. This is classified as a neuro developmental degenerative disorder. It only affects girls and the degeneration results in them being completely dependent on others for all of their needs. They have some of the symptoms of Autism but they also suffer from muscle lose. Girls with Rett's Syndrome often have very small hands and feet.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) is also called Heller's Syndrome after the teacher Theodore Heller. He first described the disorder in 1908. The characteristics include the child having a normal pattern of development but then has a regression of skill as they get older.

Any type of neuro disability that doesn't fall into the above categories is classified as PDDNOS. While individuals in this particular category experience very mild symptoms they suffer greatly in the area of social interactions. The proper diagnosis is necessary so that the proper therapies and techniques can be properly introduced.

If you found this information on Types Of Autism useful, you'll also want to read about Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caleb_Liu



No comments:

Post a Comment