Autism Spectrum Disorder Case Study

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition which effects brain development and currently over 3,000,000 individuals in the United States live with this disorder. 1 in 68 children are afflicted with this illness and we see these children struggle daily with their developmental difficulties. Through our education and previous research, we have developed tools necessary to understand, empathize, and educate those individuals. We understand their battle and we create approaches to assist in their development. We empathize for the child when we witness their inability to properly communicate and make accommodations to address their needs. Not only do we provide an education to meet their standards, we educate ourselves to fully understand

The negative affect on the siblings sometimes resulted in the sense of loneliness, depression, and anxiety and were prevalent in families whose child had an extreme degree of autism compared to those children with normal development (Bagenholm & Gillberg, 1991; Fisman et al, 1996; Gold, 1993). However, other studies have discovered that certain stressors have a factor in the social and emotional well being in siblings of a child with autism. Any disability can have an emotional toll on the family members due to the fact that so much time is invested in aiding and assisting the child with the disability. There are heavy financial constraints which can result in burdens on the family, emotional constraints in regard to the level of care being given, and social constraints due to fear the child with autism may behave inappropriately in public, therefore leading to a more isolated life. There is evidence that a child with autism in the family can stress the marital relationship and decrease marital satisfaction (Blair et al, 1996; Rodrigue, Morgan, & Geffen, 1990), however, some believed their marriage was strengthened because of the challenges they experienced (Blair et al, 1996). Nonetheless, when the marital structure is under stress, more negative sibling relationships were reported then when there is less marital stress (Rivers and Stoneman, 2004). While there are pressures on family members of a child with ASD, studies have shown typically satisfied relationships of the siblings, and even expressed the feeling of responsibility to nurture and protect their sibling with autism. The