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Prognosis for people with Autistic Disorder
This is a life long disorder. There is no cure for it, after the diagnosis is made, steps must be taken to help the child learn how to handle the problems that they will encounter.
It occurs in as many as 1 or 2 per 1,000 children. It is found fourtimes more often in boys and it occurs around the world in all races and social backgrounds. It is not culturally bound (Turkington, 1999).
Autistic children with IQ scores of 70 and above have the best prognosis for living and working independently as adults. Only 1 out of every six autistic children becomes a well-adjusted adult, and another 1 in six children will achieve a fair degree of adjustment (Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2001). The other 4 out of six children will have great difficulty in communicating with others and most will never be able to live independently of their parents or gaurdians.
The individuals with the higher IQs will become more easily tolerated by society over time as they learn compensatory strategies and are trained through behavior modification programs and metacognitive strategies (Cash, 1999).
Unfortunately, even the highest functioning autistic person shows deviance that is readily apparent to society. Individuals with good outcomes are typically described as loners who are friendless and who are quite deviant in their social interaction (Volkmar, 1987).
Some may develop more or less normal object relationships, but others still continue to use people in the same way that they use implements, relating only to that part of the human being which is an essential object for attainment of their particular needs (Riddle, 1987).
It seems that there is only a limited amount that can be done for children with autism. Hopefully someday, in the near future, the cause of autism will be discovered, and then we can continue the search for a cure.
History
Diagnosis
Etiology
Treatment
Society and Autism
References
Send E-Mail to: Julie.Whiting@houghton.edu
Copyright © 2001 Julie Whiting and Cheryl Ploetz. All Rights Reserved