Is autism one disability or many?

Answer 1

Hello Steve,

Thank you for your query.
Mother of a child with autism here. I am also an ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) therapist.

A picture is worth a thousand words.
Do visit:- http://www.displaysforschools.com/autism.gif

To answer your question, first of all, what the other poster named Jade645 mentioned on this thread is what ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) stands for. A person on the spectrum will have deficits in varying degrees and intensities in *all* those key areas she explained.

On top of that, *most* [i.e. not all] individuals diagnosed with autism suffer from additional physical diseases as well mental illnesses.
For examples, many of them have eczema, asthma, food allergies, epilepsy, gastro-intenstinal problems, sleep disorder, sensory integration dysfunction, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and mental retardation.

The above list of diseases/ illnesses/ conditions I typed here are NOT a part of autism in itself, rather they are common in autistic individuals.

I hope I have answered your question.
However, there are *many* questions at Y!A on autism. You may like to 'advance search' Y!A for 'best answers' on topics related to autism.

Once again, thank you for your interest in autism.
Regards.

Answer 2

Autism itself is one disabililty. The spectrum of the disability is from mild to severe. With mild autism the person may be able to live and work independently as an adult. With severe, the person often needs to be in a group home with 24 hour assistance and can not work in the community. There is also every level in between the two.

Answer 3

It depends how you look at autism. It is a really one disability that consists of a cluster of different skill deficits. To have a diagnosis of autism you need to show clear deficits in the area of language development, social interaction, play/ leisure skills and show stereotypic behavior. All of these must be present to receive a diagnosis of autism. You can have some of these symptoms/ deficits and get a pervasive developmental disorder diagnosis (PDD). Overall autism is considered a pervasive developmental disorder where many areas of development are effected. So to be diagnosed with autism is generally one disability but is characterized by deficits in many different areas so in some respect can be considered multiple disabilities.

Answer 4

It is catagorized as one disability with a broad spectrum of disorders...and a lot of "may haves". All disorders are included as, treated and catagorized "Autism" as a whole even though the disorders may vary. Some people may have speech-related problems, yet some talk, some may have problems with food textures, yet others can eat anything, some may have problems with noise while others may not, some may have mental retardation yet others are near geniuses.

Answer 5

Autism is often accompanied by other neurological symptoms. A common one is Sensory Processing Disorder, which causes problems with senses, coordination, and proprioception. There may be others such as dyspraxia, mild dyslexia, and speech.

Gastrointestinal and digestive disorders are common in people with autism.

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http://www.childrensdisabilities.info/allergies/developmentaldisordersprotein7.html

Answer 6

WOW............... what a great question!
I think that Autism is a neurological disorder that effect many parts of the brain. Because the disorder effects different parts of the brain, people who with the disorder will display many kinds of characteristics.
CPoe

Answer 7

Many - it's a spectrum.

Think of the electromagnetic spectrum for a suitable analogy.

At one end of the spectrum, persons with severe difficulties are easy to spot (like a bright white light);

On the other end of the spectrum, persons with a moderate difficulty are hard to spot (like infra-red lighting),

For more information about Autism, visit the website of the National Autistic Society (UK). I have provided the link below:

Answer 8

it is 1 with many differnt levels and problems. there is alot to it and each person is so differnt. It is like we are the janitor with lots of keys and they are the door with lots of locks. we must find the key for each lock in order to get at how to help each person. My son has it and it has been a roller coaster of hard times and fun times

Answer 9

I don't think anyone knows. My wife's family has an autistic child. To me, it seemed that he was responding to stimuli that I could not see or hear. I'm a scifi fan, but it almost seemed to me as though he was an emotional telepathic. He would cry without stimuli and he would laugh without stimuli. He's 31 now, and only slightly better than he was a a child

Answer 10

its a spectrum disorder and can land on any value.......................................................
also, add and sometimes mental retardation are in the mix.