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Autism is Treatable Essay

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Imagine a beautiful baby girl named Laura. She has a dark head of curls and piercing green eyes. Laura’s parents were very happy with her progress because she had (so far) been developing on time. She said her first word at twelve months and stood up for the first time, three months later. Laura was the perfect baby, that is, until four days after her third birthday. Laura had lost her words. She was no longer taking an interest in being around her parents, her older brother, or even the family dog. Laura would sit for hours staring at the spinning wheels of a car and at the connections on the legos instead of driving the car or putting the legos together to build something. No longer would she look into her parents’ eyes and imitate the …show more content…

As of now, a person would not be able to tell that, at her well-baby check up four days after her third birthday, Laura was diagnosed with autism. There ARE treatments that are proven to help reduce the symptoms of autism. One just has to know where to look and not give up, even when it seems hopeless. Autism is defined as, “A complex neurobehavioral disorder that includes impairments in social interaction and developmental language and communication skills and rigid, repetitive behaviors. The disorder covers a large spectrum of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment. It ranges in severity from a handicap that limits an otherwise normal life to a devastating disability that may require institutional care.” (Melillo, 1) The cognitive symptoms of autism include a lack of empathy, problems developing non-verbal skills such as eye contact, and no interest in sharing with others. Those on the autism spectrum may also have trouble making friends their own age due to the delay of cognitive and physical development. (Autism Symptoms, 1) Autism affects the development of verbal communication by delaying or preventing the person diagnosed from learning to talk. People with autism may also have trouble starting and continuing conversations or a stereotyped and repetitive use of language, as well as a difficulty understanding their listener’s views. (Autism Symptoms, 1) A person diagnosed with autism may also have odd or abnormal sensory perceptions. For

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