Disability And Society: A study on Autism

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges

with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by
unique strengths and differences. We now know that there is not one type of autism but many
types, caused by different combinations of genetic and environmental influences.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disability; signs typically appear
during early childhood and affect a persons ability to communicate, and interact with others.
ASD is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a spectrum condition that affects
individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause of autism, but
increased awareness and early diagnosis/intervention and access to appropriate services/supports
lead to significantly improved outcomes. Some of the behaviors associated with autism include
delayed learning of language; difficulty making eye contact or holding a conversation; difficulty
with executive functioning, which relates to reasoning and planning; narrow, intense interests;
poor motor skills and sensory sensitivities.

Again, a person on the spectrum might follow many of these behaviors or just a few, or many
others besides. The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is applied based on analysis of all
behaviors and their severity.

OBJECTIVES

Objective of this study paper is to:

1. understand, analyze and throw light on the issues to be addressed in the Indian society
about the awareness that needs to be generated about ASD. Apart from this primary
objective;
2. researcher will try to provide the world perspective about this particular disorder through
this paper.
RELAVANCE OF THE TOPIC

Autism is a very rare disorder that has been shamed by people in the society. Not a lot of people
know about this. There is no known single cause for autism spectrum disorder, but it is generally
accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show
differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neuro-
typical children. Researchers do not know the exact cause of autism but are investigating a
number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and medical problems

Through this paper, the researcher will understand how Autism is understood in the Indian
society.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A few articles were referred to for this research. Some of them include:

Basu, Saumyendra N., Ravi Kollu, and Sharmila Banerjee-Basu. "AutDB: a gene
reference resource for autism research." Nucleic acids research 37.suppl 1 (2009): D832-
D836.

Horner, R.H., Carr, E.G., Strain, P.S. et al. J Autism Dev Disord (2002) 32: 423.
doi:10.1023/A:1020593922901

This list is Not Exhaustive and will expand with the project.

This project will be researched purely by searching news reports and books via the Internet.
Online books and journal catalogues will be used to research relevant cases. A few important
textbooks too will be utilized for this project. The project will be based on the data gathered
through primary as wells as secondary sources of data.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following Research questions will be analysed in the project:

1. How is Autism understood in the Indian Society?

2. What are the laws related to Autism?
3. What are the strategies developed by the United Nations to help Autism Awareness?

HYPOTHESIS

There is no diagnosis for Autism in early stages.

TENTATIVE CHAPTERISATION

Chapter I Introduction of the problem

It provides a background of the problem investigated and explains the significance of problem
and relevance of study

Chapter II Review of Literature

It gives an account of various studies conducted earlier in their respective areas of interest and
categorize them accordingly.

Chapter III Methodology

It describes in detail all the steps followed for the completion of the study and explains the
research design along with the hypothesis.

Chapter IV, V Analysis

It explains the research questions and gives a detailed presentation of facts.

Chapter VI Summary and Recommendations

It summarizes the major observations. Bibliography is included.