Today is World Autism Awareness Day.
The day was established by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 2007 and is celebrated annually on April 2 around the world.
Flickr.com
If you type the word “autism” into the Russian-language versions of search engines, the first thing you will come across are the terrible words “disease,” “disabled,” “treat,” and “insidious.” We suggest forming the right opinion and using the definition given on one of the most advanced sites about autism, Autism Speaks:
«Autism (or autism spectrum disorder) refers to a wide range of conditions characterized by problems with social skills, repetitive behavior, speech and nonverbal communication
».
Autism is a spectrum disorder, so each person with ASD has their own unique characteristics, challenges, and level of socialization. Some need daily assistance in every step, including medical assistance, some need support only in some matters, and there are those who live completely independently and at the same time have autism.
We recommend reading up-to-date information about autism and becoming familiar with this phenomenon on the Autism Speaks
,
Autism-Society
and
on the website of the Russian “Exit” fund outfund.ru
. And today we will talk about 14 incredible women with ASD who are changing this world.
Forms of the disease
Autism is a collective concept of several serious mental disorders that have distinctive characteristics. The severe type is autism spectrum disorders, which include Rett, Kanner and Asperger syndromes. The first form is often transmitted genetically through the female line and is progressive, lasts about 12 months and is treated conservatively.
Kanner syndrome develops in 2-3 people out of 10 thousand. Men often get sick. Manifests itself as a complex of signs of autistic behavior. This form is characterized by damage to areas of the brain with progressive mental retardation. Asperger's disease has similar symptoms, but is more mild in nature.
Depending on the stage of development, mild and severe forms of the disease are distinguished. With a mild form, an autistic person can find a job and do simple, similar work.
Temple Grandin
Wikipedia
World-renowned animal behavior expert Temple Grandin never lets autism define her:
«Autism is a very important part of who I am. I like the logical way I think and I wouldn't want to change that,” she says in her interview with Makers. “But my main characteristic is that I am a scientist, an animal behaviorist
».
Grandin revolutionized both animal agriculture and the way humanity treats people with autism. She gives lectures on millions of Internet platforms such as TED, where she talks about her vision of the world.
Autism in adults: life difficulties
- They have difficulty learning nonverbal social interaction skills. For example, ordinary children can understand and repeat gestures and facial expressions at a young age, while autistic children cannot learn non-verbal language. They do not look a person in the eyes or look at a person as if they were an inanimate object. It is difficult for them to share joy, grief and other feelings with their interlocutor, which is why they seem cold and insensitive to outsiders.
- They are distinguished by limited sets of interests.
- They persistently follow specific, impractical rituals (for example, when traveling in a car, they are always asked to pass through the same fountain, even if it is not on the way).
- Autistic people are characterized by stereotypic movements (twirling a finger, twirling a palm, slamming a palm on a table, making aimless strange body movements).
- They have delayed cognitive development and may lack self-care skills.
Life difficulties of people with autism
Autistic people with average and above average intelligence are characterized by such qualities as egocentrism (self-centeredness) with little or no desire to communicate with peers. Thus, they can easily fall out of the team and become outcasts. They can choose to communicate with one or two people about whom they have a high opinion.
Due to underdeveloped speech skills, the inability to perceive conflicts and respond to mistreatment with dignity, people with autism often become victims of bullies and abusers - both in adolescence and in adulthood .
Autistic people are distinguished by social naivety, truthfulness, and feel a sense of awkwardness when making comments. Therefore, many people brazenly “take advantage” of such people for their own benefit.
Because people with Blaler's disease have difficulty learning social norms, they may inadvertently offend others, further alienating team members.
Patients do not recognize “sign language”, do not know how to read “between the lines”, therefore they do not understand others well or take it literally, for example, having heard the phrase “Call any time”, they can call at 3 am. For the same reason, humor is not understood or difficult to understand.
Autistic people do not feel bodily boundaries and can hang over their interlocutor, causing him irritation.
In their hobbies, people with autism can be very talented and possess valuable knowledge. Due to the inability to communicate, present themselves correctly, and due to the inability to present valuable information, they find themselves unrecognized, “burying their talent in the ground.”
Many autistic people with good intelligence strive to have romantic relationships, but are faced with a lack of social knowledge. They can see that everyone around them is talking about love, but they don’t understand that they themselves should feel what this feeling looks like? They have nothing to compare it with, since most have no attachment to other people.
They don't understand the gestures that accompany romance. They are not interested in kissing, since they do not see any benefit in it. They perceive hugs as an incomprehensible attempt to limit movement. They may experience sexual feelings, but because autistic people have few friends, they have no one to discuss their desires with and nowhere to get information.
Therefore, often in a courtship situation they take their knowledge from movies. Autistic men like to act like pompous macho men or theatrical heartthrobs, and after watching enough porn films, they can act like rapists. Autistic girls take their knowledge from soap operas, not realizing that such behavior does not correspond to modern life. As a result, they become victims of violence.
How to help autistic adults?
If an autistic person has a severe form of the disease , loved ones should provide care and medical care for the patient throughout his life. You also need to choose a program that the patient will study.
Autistic people with a milder degree of the disease need correctional classes in which, with the help of intelligence, they can learn social norms - for example, say hello when meeting, nod their heads in agreement, learn to express their feelings, ask the interlocutor about his feelings, and not be afraid of strangers. And since many autistic people can work, they are taught communication skills in the workplace.
Treatment uses behavioral psychotherapy, homeopathy and diets.
Olga VOSTOCHNAYA, psychologist
Susan Boyle
Wikimedia Commons
In April 2009, Susan Boyle, a middle-aged church volunteer from a small town in Scotland, auditioned for Britain's Got Talent with her favorite song, I Dreamed a Dream - and through more than 200 million video views, she brought the world's attention to her remarkable vocals and modest personality.
Although she didn't win, she released seven albums, including 2009's I Dreamed A Dream, which became the UK's biggest-selling debut of all time and soared to the top of the Billboard charts. The rise to fame came as a surprise to Boyle, who was born in 1961 and was often bullied as a child. It wasn't until she was 51 that she was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which is a form of autism.
Daryl Hannah
Flickr.com
Daryl Hannah is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Splash, Kill Bill, Wall Street and Blade Runner.
In 2013, Hannah revealed that she has Asperger's syndrome. The actress was diagnosed as a child and recalls how doctors prescribed her a variety of medications. Instead, she focused on her passions, such as acting, ballet and environmentalism.
Don Prince-Hughes
@illest.autist
After being bullied at school, Dawn Prince-Hughes ran away from home at 15 and found herself homeless. To make ends meet, she worked as a private dancer. After receiving one of her first paychecks, she took a bus to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and it was there that she found the mammals with which she most identified: gorillas.
At this point, she began her career as an anthropologist—eventually earning an MA and PhD in interdisciplinary anthropology—and then went on to work at the Jane Goodall Institute and publish numerous books, including Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through autism". She claims that her work with gorillas helped her develop coping mechanisms for Asperger's syndrome.
Valerie Paradise
Screenshot from the video Self-Advocacy: Panel of Adults with ASD, youtube.com
Valerie Paradise is an activist. She has worked at various autism research institutes across the country and currently serves on the board of directors of Autism Speaks, a company dedicated to finding solutions for people living with autism spectrum disorders. Paradise speaks nationally and internationally about autism, highlighting the talents of people with autism.
How to examine a patient?
Diagnosing autism is very difficult. It is almost impossible to collect anamnesis from the patient or test him. Typically, the diagnosis is made based on interviews with the autistic person's parents or guardians. In order to identify signs of the disease, long-term observation of the patient in a clinical setting is necessary. The doctor makes a differential diagnosis between autism and mental retardation. Atypical autism must be distinguished from schizophrenia. The patient needs consultation with a neurologist, psychologist, specialist in autism spectrum disorders, and otolaryngologist.
Heather Kuzmic
@brooklynbells, Heather Kuzmich on the right
Heather Kuzmic was born in Chicago in 1986. She gained fame as a contestant on America's Next Top Model in 2007, where she finished fourth. During her time on the reality series, Kuzmich spoke about Asperger's syndrome, which she was diagnosed with at the age of 15.
After the show, Kuzmic signed with Elite Model Management and appeared in People, The New York Times, and was even the cover star of Spectrum magazine, a publication for those with autism.
Lucy Blackman
With the release of Lucy's Story: Autism and Other Adventures in 2001, she became the first non-verbal author to be published in Australia. Born in Melbourne in 1978, Blackman grew up almost speechless, but as a teenager she found solace and inspiration through printed communication.
She graduated with honors in literary studies from the University, where she expressed herself through print and essays. She still hardly speaks, but her voice is heard by everyone.
9. Philippa Margaret Brown aha Ladyhawke
Philippa Margaret Brown, better known as Ladyhawke, a nod to Michelle Pfeiffer's character in the 1985 film of the same name, is an indie rock musician who has released three solo albums.
What types of schizophrenia are the most dangerous?
In addition to those listed above, there are hidden forms of schizophrenia. They are completely free of any symptoms or manifestations. But at any moment a person can lose complete control over the manifestation of his personality. This is dangerous due to sudden attacks of aggression with an acute desire to harm oneself and others.
Severe schizophrenia is a type of mental pathology that requires constant administration of antipsychotic drugs. Without pharmacological suppression of hyperactivity of mental processes, patients are usually violent, aggressive and quite dangerous to themselves and the people around them. With the constant use of antipsychotics and psychotropic drugs, side effects inevitably occur, which significantly weaken brain and cardiovascular activity. This reduces patients' lifespan by almost 40%.
The latent form of schizophrenia is diagnosed only during the exacerbation phase. In this case, clinical symptoms can be disguised as dysthymia, neurosis, or reactive psychosis. Only an experienced psychiatrist can determine this type of schizophrenia through long-term practical observation of the behavior of a sick person.
Various psychological texts that show non-typical thinking help to identify the hidden form of schizophrenia. For example, a sick person cannot correctly form an associative series. During the testing process, there is a lack of usual logic. There may be lengthy, incoherent arguments in response to a simple question that requires a monosyllabic answer.
For any types and forms of schizophrenia, constant monitoring by a psychiatrist is necessary. It is important to promptly prevent the development of attacks, since in this phase personality degradation and a sharp decrease in mental abilities occur. Therefore, you must strictly follow all the doctor’s recommendations and carefully monitor the condition of the patient with schizophrenia. At the first signs of deterioration in your mental state, you should seek medical help.
Almost all types of schizophrenia require special social supervision. Most patients are considered incompetent. Guardians are appointed for them and receive the right to dispose of their property. They are also responsible for monitoring the condition of patients and their timely treatment.
