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Essay on Adapted Physical Education for Elementary age students with Autism
Autism is a distinct developmental brain disorder with both physical and behavioral components. It affects the brain areas controlling language, social interaction and abstract thought. About one in every one thousand people is autistic. The symptoms vary greatly, although usually become apparent by two or three years of age and affect males more often than females. People with autism share a common problem of having difficulty expressing what they mean or sometimes cannot speak. Emotional problems and mental retardation can also be present.
Autism is generally believed to be a behavioral syndrome that includes abnormalities of language and thinking skills; repetitive behavior such as rocking; abnormal responses to sensations, people, events and objects; and self- injurious behavior. (Warren, R. P., et. al., 1986).Individuals with autism are usually very sensitive to sensory stimuli and are often overwhelmed by ordinary sounds, sights, smells and touch. The cause of autism is still unclear, although the most widely accepted explanation is a combination of genetic factors and damage affecting the part of the brain that processes and interprets information. Autistic youngsters are often described as being “in a shell” or “living in a world all their own.
While autism is considered a life-long condition, good educational training and programs reduce the severity of its symptoms. Occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and medication are sometimes helpful. In the cases where retardation is accompanied by normal or superior skills (as in arithmetic, music, or memory), these skills can be expanded.
A child with autism usually has difficulties in four general areas:
* Speech, language, and communication
* Relating to people, objects, and events
* Responses to sensory stimuli
* Developmental discrepancies
Although students with autism may differ considerably in their behavior, their learning and cognitive processes tend to be somewhat predictable and notably different from persons with other types of developmental disabilities......
