Reading
Read the
text below and then answer the questions which follow.
The
following definition is taken from the Autism Society of America: Autism is a
severely incapacitating lifelong developmental disability that typically
appears during the first three years of life.
It occurs in approximately 15 out of every 10,000 births and is four
times more common in boys and girls. It
has been found throughout the world in families of all racial, ethnic and
social backgrounds. No known factors in
the psychological environment of a child have been shown to cause autism.
The
symptoms are caused by physical disorders of the brain. They include:
l
Disturbances
in the rate of appearance of physical, social and language skills.
l
Abnormal
responses to sensations. Any one of a
combination of the senses or responses are affected: sight, hearing, touch,
pain, balance, smell, taste and the way a child holds his body.
l
Speech
and language are absent or delayed while specific thinking capabilities might
be present.
l
Abnormal
ways of relating to people, objects and events.
Autism
occurs by itself or in association with other disorders that affect the
function of the brain, such as viral infections, metabolic disturbances and
epilepsy. It is important to distinguish
autism from retardation to mental disorders since diagnostic confusion may
result in referral to inappropriate and ineffective treatment techniques. The severe form of the syndrome may include
extreme, self-injurious, repetitive, highly unusual and aggressive behaviour. Special education programmes using
behavioural methods have proven to be the most helpful treatment.
Adapted
from the Autism Society of America online
1.
Can
people recover from autism? How is this
shown in the text?
2.
Is
the exact cause of autism known? How is
this implied in the text?
3.
What
main part of the body is affected by autism?
4.
What
are the four main symptoms of autism?
Describe them in your own words.
5.
Is
autism a mental illness? If not, then
what is it? Why should it matter whether
it is or is not a mental illness?
6.
Does
autism occur in varying degrees? How is
this indicated in the text?
What
is the most beneficial
Answer Key
Reading
1.
No,
they cannot. The text calls it a
“lifelong” disability.
2.
It
is not known. The text shows that autism
can happen to anyone from anywhere and that the psychological environment of a
child does not have an effect on it.
3.
The
brain.
4.
Physical,
social and language skills do not develop at the expected pace. The body’s
reactions to extreme stimuli are unusual.
Mental facilities such as speech, language and thinking skills are
manifested irregularly. The autistic
person may appear to exhibit eccentric behaviour.
5.
It
is not a mental illness, it is a physical disorder. Knowing that autism is not a mental illness
will prevent the wrong treatment from being applied.
6.
It
does. The text indicates a severe form
of it.
7.
Special
education programmes employing behavioural methods.
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