INTRODUCTION

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social

interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs
all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in
the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this
occurs is not well understood. It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism
spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger’s syndrome, which lacks delays in
cognitive development and language, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not
Otherwise Specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when
the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.

The New Latin word autismus (English translation autism) was coined by
the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910 as he was defining symptoms
of schizophrenia. He derived it from the Greek word autós (αὐτός, meaning self), and
used it to mean morbid self-admiration, referring to "autistic withdrawal of the patient to
his fantasies, against which any influence from outside becomes an intolerable
disturbance".

Experts estimate that two to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism.
Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. Therefore, it can be
summarized that between 1 in 500 (2/1,000) to 1 in 166 children (6/1,000) have autism.
There is not a full population count of all individuals with autism in the United States.
However, using the occurrence data stated above, we can estimate that if 4 million
children are born in the United States every year, approximately 24,000 of these
children will eventually be diagnosed with autism.

Some children with autism appear normal before age 1 or 2 and then suddenly
"regress" and lose language or social skills they had previously gained. This is called
the regressive type of autism. People with autism may:
Be overly sensitive in sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste (for example, they may
refuse to wear "itchy" clothes and become distressed if they are forced to wear the
clothes), Have unusual distress when routines are changed, Perform repeated body
movements, Show unusual attachments to objects. The symptoms may vary from
moderate to severe. Communication problems may include: Cannot start or maintain
a social conversation, Communicates with gestures instead of words, Develops
language slowly or not at all, Does not adjust gaze to look at objects that others are
looking at, Does not refer to self correctly (for example, says "you want water" when
the child means "I want water"), Does not point to direct others' attention to objects
(occurs in the first 14 months of life), Repeats words or memorized passages, such
as commercials, and Uses nonsense rhyming.

Many medications are used to treat ASD symptoms that interfere with integrating
a child into home or school when behavioral treatment fails. More than half of US
children diagnosed with ASD are prescribed psychoactive drugs or anticonvulsants, with
the most common drug classes being antidepressants, stimulants,
and antipsychotics. Aside from antipsychotics, there is scant reliable research about the
effectiveness or safety of drug treatments for adolescents and adults with ASD. A
person with ASD may respond atypically to medications, the medications can
have adverse effects, and no known medication relieves autism's core symptoms of
social and communication impairments. Experiments in mice have reversed or reduced
some symptoms related to autism by replacing or modulating gene function after birth,
suggesting the possibility of targeting therapies to specific rare mutations known to
cause autism.

THE CLIENT
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Name: Patient X

Address: Pandi, Bulacan

Age: 6 years old

Medical Diagnosis: Autism

PRESENT HEALTH HISTORY

Patient X, is the youngest of the 3 sons of Mrs. and Mr. Y, her older brother is
also diagnosed with autism. History reveals that they are “menopause babies” because
their Mrs. Y age is 50 years old. Patient X has speech delay, is hyperactive and cannot
sit in place in time and throw things to everyone from time to time before entering the
Institution. He has no social interaction and relationship with their environment. He is
not taking any medications and does not have a visit to a psychiatric doctor since then.

Title: Mariah Carey - Through The

Rain When you get caught in the rain
Artist: Mariah Carey With nowhere to run
When you’re distraught and in pain
 Without anyone
We keep prayin’ to saved
But nobody comes
And you feel so far away
That you just can’t
Find your way home
You can get there alone
It’s okay
What you say
I can make it through the rain
I can stand up once again
On my own and I know
That I’m strong enough to mend
And every time I feel afraid
I hold tighter to my faith
And I live one more day
And I make it through the rain
And if you keep falling down
Don’t you dare give in
You will arise safe and sound
So keep pressing on
Step fastly
And you’ll find what you need
To prepare
You can make it through the rain
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
What you say
I can make it through the rain
I can stand up once again
On my own and I know
That I’m strong enough to mend
And every time I feel afraid
I hold tighter to my faith
And I live one more day
And I make it through the rain
And when the wind moves
And shadows grow close
Don’t be afraid
There’s nothing you can’t face
And sure they tell you
You’ll never pull through
Don’t hesitate
Stay calm and sane
I can make it through the rain
I can stand up once again
On my own and I know
That I’m strong enough to mend
And every time I feel afraid
I hold tighter to my faith
And I live one more day
And I make it through the rain
I can make it through the rain
Can stand up once again
And I live one more day
And I’ll make it through the rain
Ooh, yes, you can
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing 5th edition by Shiela L. Videbeck

http://health.yahoo.net/channel/autism.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

http://www.scribd.com/search?cat=redesign&q=autism+case+study&x=0&y=0

http://www.lyrics007.com/Mariah%20Carey%20Lyrics/Through%20The%20Rain
%20Lyrics.html

Centro Escolar University

Malolos City, Bulacan

 *College of Nursing*

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in NCM 104 (Clinical RLE)

St. Hannibal Mary, Sta. Maria, Bulacan

Submitted by:

FRANCO, Reina L.

BSN – 3A, group 3

Submitted to:

Mrs. Christine Reyes

February 04, 2011