Social Difficult for Patients with Autism

Introduction

Autism is referred to as a "complex neurobehavioral condition" that leads to impairments in areas that include social interactions and developmental languages, as well as communication skills. Research studies have highlighted that patients who have autism tend to experience difficulties in areas of social interaction and communication, which becomes hard for them to engage with others within their respective social environments. These patients often have what can be described as repetitive and restricted interests and behaviors, which are highly predictive taking into account the impact that this condition tends to have on the patients. Additionally, patients with autism tend to show signs of being sensitive to different sounds, tastes, touch, or smell. That tends to have a crucial impact on their ability to interact or engage with others that do not suffer from the condition. 

Most often, autism is characterized by intellectual disability in which patients find themselves in a position where it becomes hard for them to maintain some form of intelligent control due to developmental challenges. While considering that autism is a lifelong developmental disability, most of the patients find themselves in need of a lifetime of specific support. That means that these patients tend to require support services that would allow them to build on social relationships while seeking to ensure that they try to improve on their abilities to maintain such relationships. However, one of the critical questions that has been raised when dealing with these patients has been on the main reason why these patients experience social difficulty. That forms the basis of this study, which seeks to evaluate some of the key factors contributing to the difficulty that autism patients experience in their bid to building avenues for social interaction.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to examine the main reasons why patients who have autism tend to experience social difficulties, which often affect their abilities to engage or interact effectively. The study seeks to examine the main factors that lead patients with autism towards maintaining social isolation while avoiding social interactions, which can be seen from the fact that most of these patients often opt to sit by themselves. The issue does not only occur in children but can also be seen in adults that have been diagnosed with autism, who often experience challenges in building on their social interactions. The problem is that most of these patients experience significant difficulties in trying to maintain the expected levels of contact that would advance their abilities to interact with others. 

The study will seek to examine how factors that include developmental challenges in language and communication skills serve as contributors to the social interaction challenges that patients with autism experience. Patients with autism often find themselves in situations where it becomes hard or challenging for them to achieve overall effectiveness concerning their language and communication skills. The primary expectation is that this would help in providing a clear understanding of what would be expected in building what can be considered as a structured framework through which to define social interactions. Generally, the study seeks to create a clear framework through which to justify on the best possible outcomes in ensuring that patients with autism build on their social skills while improving on the way they interact with others in their social environments.

Research Questions

The study seeks to examine autism from the perspective of the social difficulties that patients often experience as a result of the condition. From that perspective, the research questions that seek to govern this study are:

What are some of the key factors contributing to social interaction difficulties for patients diagnosed with autism?

Do the contributing factors to social isolation and social interaction difficulties differ in adults and children diagnosed with autism?

How do developmental challenges in language and communication skills contribute to the difficulties among patients with autism regarding their overall abilities to build and maintain social relationships?

What are some of the possible approaches that patients with autism are likely to take in their bid to advancing their abilities to build on their social interactions?

From the research questions, what is clear is that the study seeks to identify key factors contributing to the situation at hand, which is challenges in advancing social interactions among patients with autism. Additionally, it is also clear that the study understands how developmental difficulties in language and communication skills can be viewed as challenges that often contribute to the need for social isolation for patients diagnosed with autism. The overall expectation for the study is that it will help towards building a clear framework through which to justify the factors that have been identified. Additionally, the study builds on a clear understanding of how the existing differences in the factors identified can be used in finding critical solutions to the social difficulties that patients experience as a result of their diagnosis with autism. 

Problem Statement

Social interaction skills often vary from one patient to another depending on the overall abilities to build on the average social skills to not only help in building but also aid in maintaining such social relationships. However, developmental disabilities often tend to have serious implications resulting in a situation where it becomes hard or challenging for patients to develop the skills needed to allow them to create or maintain healthy social relationships. Patients with autism often find themselves experiencing a wide array of difficulties in building on their social interactions, as they often experience a wide variety of issues touching on lack of compelling language and communication skills. The need for having to examine the specific factors contributing to the social difficulties is driven by the fact that this would help towards finding practical solutions to some of the critical challenges that the patients experience. 

In most cases, social difficulties among patients with autism set the stage for anxiety among the patients as it becomes challenging for them to cope with demand that is placed on them to embark on social interactions. Persons with autism are much more likely to suffer from social anxiety, which is considered as a type of concern that arises when one is within a social environment. Although these patients are regarded as having poor social skills, other issues that include their limited use and understanding of non-verbal communication, as well as, difficulties in maintain emotional responsiveness act as contributing factors. The outcome is that most of these patients often find themselves in a situation where it becomes hard for them to form or sustain friendships. 

Hypotheses

The formation of beliefs is essential as it seeks to create an avenue through which to examine the effectiveness of the study in meeting its expected research outcomes. In this research, it is evident that the study seeks to explore issues touching on social difficulties that can relate to persons with autism, as a critical developmental disability. Two main hypotheses, which are will govern the research study:

H1 – Persons with disabilities experience social difficulties as a result of their limited use and understanding of what would be expected of them in building communication, eye contact, and gestures.

In this hypothesis, what is evident is that patients with autism tend to have limited use and understanding of critical aspects that govern non-verbal communication. The fact that autism affects the ability for the patients to learn serves as a definite factor leading to the learning challenges that they are likely to encounter in areas of improving on their non-verbal communication skills. That means that the patients often encounter problems in trying to express themselves non-verbally; thus, exposing to a wide array of problems that contribute to social difficulties.

H2 – Language and communication challenges create a significant issue for persons with autism, as it becomes hard for them to learn how to develop and maintain a social relationship.

The hypothesis seeks to reflect on language and communication challenges, which are vital in determining social difficulties that patients with autism encounter as a result of their conditions. The hypothesis indicates that the likelihood that the patients would experience problems in creating and maintain social relationships is significantly high considering that the patients find it hard in their bid to expressing themselves effectively.

Sampling and Measurement

Sample Population

Based on the nature of the study, which is to reflect on critical factors contributing to social difficulties in both adults and children who have autism, the sample population selected for the study will be comprised of both adults and children. Specifically, the research will focus on a sample of persons aged between 12 and 24 years, which would serve the expected range concerning ensuring that the sample population is reached as part of the study. The selection of the sample will occur through random sampling while ensuring that each of the respondents selected for the survey meets specific criteria, which would match the expectations of the study. Apart from the age of the respondent, the researcher will also consider whether the respondent has been diagnosed with autism.

Specifically, the study will seek to engage participants that have been diagnosed with autism since birth meaning that they have never been able to learn effectively on what is expected of them to create and maintain social relationships. The participants will be evaluated before their engagement in the study to determine their social abilities. That will seek to define whether the patients can advance their capabilities to maintain or build on social interactions. That is an important aspect to consider, as it will help towards determining the level of difficulties that the participants are experiencing concerning their inabilities to build on expected social relationships. Additionally, this will also serve as one of the ways through which to determine the effectiveness of the study in identifying the set out factors contributing to social difficulties.

Sampling Procedures

The first step in the sampling process is the selection of the sample population that would be considered as part of the research study. Specifically, the study will seek to use a sample of between 20 and 30 participants, who will be selected randomly to help in building the overall validity of the study. The selection of the participants will be vital towards ensuring that the survey remains as being valid and reliable. The participants will go through an evaluation phase, which will seek to ensure that each of the participants matches the criteria that have been set out for engagement in the study. 

The second step in the sampling process is the meeting of the participants individually with the aim of explaining the essence of the study, as well as, providing them with a clear understanding of what is expected of them during the study. The participants will be expected to be accompanied by a guardian considering that they suffer from developmental disabilities, which affect their overall rate of comprehension. The guardians will be expected to sign an informed consent form, which would serve as an acceptance of their engagement in the study.

The third step will involve the actual engagement of the participants in the study, which will focus on them answering specific questions as provided within the research method selected. The participants will be expected to answer a set of questions that would seek to evaluate their overall capacities to build on their social engagement and interaction. The questions will be guided by the research questions, as have been identified earlier.

Research Method

The researcher seeks to gather data while working towards advancing on validity and reliability, which would mean that the most useful research method to select for the study would be surveying method. The selection of the survey method is considered as being useful as the researcher seeks to gather as much information as possible from the participants. Additionally, this would also be a useful research method, as the participants suffer from developmental disabilities meaning that their overall levels of comprehension would be affected; thus, meaning that they would require support from a third party. That means that the amount of time that would be taken to complete this study would be somewhat significant for the participants, which makes the survey method as being the most useful research method to use considering the condition of the participants. 

Research Instrument

The main research instrument that the researcher will use as part of the study is a questionnaire, which will have guided questions that the participants will be expected to answer within a given period. Each of the participants selected for the study will be given a copy of the questionnaire, which will be expected to respond to effectively. The effectiveness of using a questionnaire reflects on the fact that it would be much easier for the persons offering support to the patients to be in a position that would allow for efficiency in aiding the participants. That would mean that the participants would find it much more comfortable in their bid to answering the questions that are within the questionnaire while considering what expected of them during the study.

Literature Review

Autism is unique for every patient, as there is no record of two patients having identical symptoms. Autism is called a spectrum because of the variability in severity of patient symptoms (Sze & Wood, 2007). Though it most often affects children, it is not so rare to find Autism Spectrum Syndrome (ASD) in adults. Autistic adults experience more or less similar symptoms ranging from troubled communication to socialization difficulty. There is currently no standard criteria for the diagnosis of the condition in adults. The criteria used in children applies to adults only to a certain degree. Clinicians and other medical practitioners majorly rely on person-to-person observation of the mature invalids. Autism in adulthood is not as severe as it may sound. Patients who are diagnosed with it in their adult life have a clear understanding of what the condition entails. They are people who had proper socialization as children. Hence, they do not struggle so much wondering what is missing in their lives. 

A popular belief that Autism patients have no emotions is wrong. Their challenge is that they have impaired ability in how they view things around them. Their perspective of their environment is different from the rest of us. Their body language and use of inappropriate remarks to express themselves is quite telling, and people judge this as being insensitive and rude. Autistics respond in much a similar way to how ordinary people behave except for how to react to situations or incidences that are emotionally overwhelming (Sze & Wood, 2007).

Communication pauses a significant challenge to invalids of Autism. Autistic patients tend to have a problem with the spoken language. One in three cases of people with the condition are nonverbal (Riby & Hancock, 2008). The others either experience trouble with the use of tonal voice and not being able to express themselves clearly. Some tend to be repetitive in their statements while others stammer. Gesticulations and eye contact are also a problem for them. Any stranger to the condition will find it hard making conversations with them as they may come out as rude. They have a habit of pausing for long in the middle of a conversation, seeming arrogant to anyone who has never experienced them before.

In addition to communication problems, they also go through social challenges. Patients with Autism have been at odds recognizing emotion. Since they are socially segregated, they cannot understand what they feel. They also do not know how to read other people's emotions. They have either of the two reactions when overwhelmed with emotion, they either become rowdy and uncontrollable, or they withdraw from people with silence (Riby & Hancock, 2008). Because they cannot express what they feel, people shun them. Patients seek emotional solace from others since they do not have a mechanism within them to counter extreme emotion. In severe social situations, they become overwhelmed with emotion, not knowing what to feel about what is happening around them. They also have no sense of personal space and how to converse in turns.

Invalids also have repetitive and restrictive behaviors. They tend to have obsessive demeanor. Some of them have an obsessive cleanliness disorder. They have a ritualistic way of arranging things (Bedford, Elsabbagh, Gliga, Pickles, Senju, Charman, & Johnson, 2012). They also touch things in a specific order. Others have repetitive body movements. They run back and forth, twitch their eyes a certain way or even shake their heads regularly. They could also have monotonous motions with objects, like flipping items. A range of these activities tends to occupy most of their social times. Patients get distracted easily by certain things like blinking lights and insects marauding around the house (Kanne, Christ, & Reiersen, 2009). Their range of interests is also very extreme and narrow. When they do not like something, no amount of coercion will convince them otherwise. Therefore, they are very resistant to change no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. They like routine.

The third challenge facing people with Autism is either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. Because of their restrictive behavior, any minor change to sound, smell or taste, affects them. Those with hyposensitivity react nervously and loud when their environment changes in any way. It sounds that may be insignificant to others, smells that are unrecognizable or even a change of color causes them a lot of emotional distress (Bedford, Elsabbagh, Gliga, Pickles, Senju, Charman, & Johnson, 2012). On the other hand, there are those who have little or no sense. They indulge in activities that hurt them, but they do not realize the dangers. Some bang their heads while others spin for hours becoming drowsy. Such Autistic cases require stringent care and careful observation (Jobe & White, 2007). The sensitivity challenge makes it hard for them to interact with others in the social environment. Their parents isolate them from the community to either keep them safe or avert public pity or gossip.

Although recent research indicates many Autistic patients have normal to above average intelligence, a majority of them cannot learn like healthy children. Because they have neurological disorders like attention deficit syndrome and epilepsy, socialization with other people, including teachers is very strained (Kanne, Christ, & Reiersen, 2009). In class, they may seem like they are slow learners and the other students would victimize them. For this reason, many of them are either home-schooled that they do not attend to any form of education whatsoever. Their level of irritability and aggression could scare away others leaving them lonely and outlying (Jobe & White, 2007). While education is a fundamental human right, these patients do not enjoy it since they do not have individual schools designed for them, and thus they are socially withdrawn. Seclusion on this front leaves them vulnerable to poverty and early deaths. They live abandoned lives especially if they are adults.

As earlier stated, observation is the primary way through which a proper diagnosis is made. Therapists take time to observe their subjects in different environments. They follow the patients as they conduct their daily activities and make notes on how they react to different situations. The medical practitioners could also introduce incidences to bring out the reaction of a sufferer (Lasgaard, Nielsen, Eriksen, & Goossens, 2010). It is only after careful observation that they can devise remedies for the condition. Remedies differ depending on the severity and the nature of the case status.

Research shows that people with Autism react better to visual innuendo than they respond to verbal communication. The essence of these tests is to encourage eye contact amongst the subjects. Medics devise prognoses majorly based on this discovery. However, this applies only to those who are sensitive to light and color changes. Clinicians use these cues to communicate with their patients, monitoring how they respond to specific light changes and pictures (Lasgaard, Nielsen, Eriksen, & Goossens, 2010). Once they note the reactions to these visual aids, they then modify them to be more appealing to the invalids. If the convalescent responds harshly to the new advancements, the doctors revert to the initial treatment. Through this research, the proper prognosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder is in the offing. However, it is essential to do away with these aids as they are merely tools to teach Autistic victims to respond effectively. Prolonged use of the props is discouraged because it makes the patient dependent on the aids, without which they cannot communicate or socialize.

Encouraging conversations with them also helps. Because they have communication problems, steering clear of talking to them worsens their condition. Since they find it hard to begin a conversation, start one for them and engage them as much as possible, noting their emotional distress. Doctors advise against cutting them short when they are talking — allowing them to finish talking boosts their morale (Lockwood, Bird, Bridge, & Viding, 2013). It is essential to know when to end a conversation, do not push it beyond what they can bear.

Most often, the persons diagnosed with autism tend to find themselves in a situation where it becomes hard or challenging for them to create social relationships that can last for a given period. However, by working towards encouraging these persons, it becomes much easier for them to build on their confidence, which allows them to understand the importance of having to create social relationships (Lockwood, Bird, Bridge, & Viding, 2013). The long-term expectation is that this will portend a significant shift in what is expected of the persons diagnosed with autism, which is likely to change the way they view their social abilities.

References

Bedford, R., Elsabbagh, M., Gliga, T., Pickles, A., Senju, A., Charman, T., & Johnson, M. H. (2012). Precursors to social and communication difficulties in infants at-risk for autism: gaze following and attentional engagement.  Journal of autism and developmental disorders ,  42 (10), 2208-2218.

Jobe, L. E., & White, S. W. (2007). Loneliness, social relationships, and a broader autism phenotype in college students.  Personality and individual differences ,  42 (8), 1479-1489.

Kanne, S. M., Christ, S. E., & Reiersen, A. M. (2009). Psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial difficulties in young adults with autistic traits.  Journal of autism and developmental disorders ,  39 (6), 827-833.

Lasgaard, M., Nielsen, A., Eriksen, M. E., & Goossens, L. (2010). Loneliness and social support in adolescent boys with autism spectrum disorders.  Journal of autism and developmental disorders ,  40 (2), 218-226.

Lockwood, P. L., Bird, G., Bridge, M., & Viding, E. (2013). Dissecting empathy: high levels of psychopathic and autistic traits are characterized by difficulties in different social information processing domains.  Frontiers in human neuroscience ,  7 , 760.

Riby, D. M., & Hancock, P. J. (2008). Viewing it differently: Social scene perception in Williams syndrome and autism.  Neuropsychologia ,  46 (11), 2855-2860.

Sze, K. M., & Wood, J. J. (2007). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of comorbid anxiety disorders and social difficulties in children with high-functioning autism: A case report. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy ,  37 (3), 133-143.