The Autism Spectrum Disorder And Savant Syndrome - 2313 Words

Introduction Autism spectrum disorder affects many Americans and until the last 20 years was widely unknown. This disorder is characterized by a deficit in social communication and interaction (Mitchell, 2012). Autism spectrum disorder is also characterized in DSM-V by difficulties following the rules of conversation and understanding things that are not explicitly stated. The purpose of this paper is to see how savant syndrome is related to autism spectrum disorder in cognitive functioning. Savant syndrome is a condition where people with developmental disabilities have one area where they excel (Treffert, 2013). A famous example comes from the movie Rain Man, where Dustin Hoffman plays a man with autism spectrum disorder and savant†¦show more content†¦Body Autism spectrum disorder still after decades is surrounded by misinformation despite the progression of scientific studies on the subject. Mitchell and Locke created an online survey to better evaluate the information surrounding au tism spectrum disorder. Several questions were asked such as where they get information about autism spectrum disorder, where to get help, when it can be diagnosed, etc. It was found that most people get their information about autism spectrum disorder from the media or close friends instead of doctors or clinics. The people with accurate knowledge were people in school or who worked as childcare workers. Media was found to be a key source of information for minorities and this may have cultural implications. There are some minorities that are ashamed to discuss mental disorders and are unlikely to seek medical help. Culture has a huge impact on how people act and this includes how we seek treatment for perceived problems. Gona, Newton, et. al explored this on the Kenyan coast between two countries and across a variety of religious backgrounds. They found that there were several causes preternatural, biomedical exposures, and genetics. Witchcraft, curses, and evil spirits were viewe d as causes of autism spectrum disorder which resulted in the use of healers or spiritual cures. Those who believed it to be of a