Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Search for Effective Methods

Abstract

The current attention to children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is no less than astonishing. Media coverage of ASD clearly illustrates that the increasing and interminably enigmatic conditions of autism and ASD hold strong interest for the general public in addition to the professional community. Television specials, newspaper articles, and magazine feature stories on autism are widespread (see, for example, Newsweek, March 24, 2008; Time, May 15, 2006). That the fashionand celebrity-focused magazine Town and Country chose to publish an article on autism (Guernsey, 2006), including prevalence data, diagnostic markers, etiology debates, and information on treatment choices, speaks volumes about the extent to which matters related to ASD have captured public interest. Multiple explanations have been set forth to explain the intense interest in issues and themes connected with ASD. Among these reasons is the increased prevalence of autismrelated disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) has estimated that approximately 1 in 150 children will fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. That prevalence estimate is a dramatic increase over the 4 to 5 per 10,000 estimate of a decade ago (Lotter, 1966). I clearly recall a conversation with an academic dean in the early stages of my higher education career regarding the advisability of my conducting research on learners with autism. The Dean counseled me not to invest substantial research time and effort with students who have autism, arguing that the disability affected so few individuals that I would have difficulty locating sufficient numbers of subjects to conduct research and that the topic of autism was so esoteric that it would be of interest to only a few individuals. Obviously, interest in matters pertaining to ASD has grown exponentially. More important, the impact that autism-related disabilities is having on families, schools, and communities is profound. ASD is currently far more common than Down syndrome, juvenile diabetes, and childhood cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008); thus, it is particularized, and the aggregate impact is profound (Simpson & Myles, 2008).