Raising Autistic Children

Raising an autistic child presents parents with many challenges. One of these challenges involves the dentist’s office. What if someone said that a child was not allowed in a dentist office because they had autism; they would be crushed, and probably very upset. Most children with autism are not allowed into dental offices due to the dentist not being able to handle the child or the child not being used to things (tools) going into their mouths. Autism is a spectrum disorder founded in 2013, it is a developmental disorder characterized by persistent problems in social communication and interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities (“Introduction to Autism”). Autistic children should have the

“Autism is a complex disorder that affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills” (Parks 6). Autism is not always shown, there are some people who have autism and do not have the characteristics of autism being there. Autism is what every parent of an autistic child says it is. It also is what doctors and scientists say it is; there are contradictions, controversies and perhaps above all else, moving and emotional stories to be told about autism and its impact on individuals and the people who love them. “The word autism originates from the Greek word autos meaning “self”. It was first introduced in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, who used autism to describe adult schizophrenic patients who were socially withdrawn and kept to “themselves.” “In 1943 child psychiatrist Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins Hospital published a paper in which he used the term “early infantile autism” to describe a group of developmentally impaired children he had studied for several years” (Parker 21). Autism can be thought of in many ways not just as “a person who has a disability” autism is not just necessarily a disability there are many different types of autism; let’s say a kid has a reading and or learning disability, they do not have autism they just have a disability. “Based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism is growing at a startling rate of 10-17 percent per year. At this rate, the ASA estimates that the prevalence of autism could reach 4 million Americans in the decade” (Parker 28). Autism sinister’s attack on children that start out appearing healthy, even precocious, is one of the most devastating trials anyone can endure. Everyone talks negative about autism almost as if it were cancer or a death sentence. “Since