Experiencing Autism: The Challenges, Isolation, and Need for Change in Utah - Free Essay

Introduction

While some states require insurance companies to cover Autism, Utah is different as the insurance companies do not provide a cover for them. Autism affects people in different ways as it affects their communication, behavior, and social skills. Insurance companies in Utah deny to treat people with autism, and it negatively affects the people who cannot afford the resources for treating it. They say that there is nothing that they can do, and this thing devastates some parents. The occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral, psychological, Applied Behavioral Analysis, and medical services people suffering from autism need may not be readily available. The people who get Applied Behavioral Analysis can function like their peers and achieve their full potential and even be calm. Furthermore, it can result in a reduced state budget for children with disabilities. Do not judge parents with autistic children until you walk through their shoes because it has changed how they do things.

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Search Process

After watching the documentary, I used the school library and Google Scholar to find the articles I used. I read the abstract of the different articles I found and selected four, which were most appropriate in my topic of discussion. The four articles discussed the different challenges experienced by society and parents of children with autism. The process generally was not tiresome because after researching the topic in Google Scholar, I got a list of several applicable articles.

Research Paper

As highlighted in the documentary, autistic parents and children usually experience isolation in society and even from insurance companies. According to Guminska et al. (2015), autism comes with several difficulties that impact social role levels in consequences and result in social isolation. If a high level of awareness and appropriate actions are taken, then it can assist in better social functioning and reduce destructive behavior the video suggested that Applied Behavioral Analysis is good. Although currently, social exclusion is turning out to be a less crucial problem, even with social awareness, there is still no full acceptance of individuals with autism (Guminska et al., 2015). Therefore, both the article and the video confirm that there is a social exclusion for autistic people.

Chu et al. (2018) argue that raising a child with autism is usually overwhelming for families and parents. Having a child with autism affects parents differently, as it even results in increased stress (Chu et al., 2018). Previous research shows that parent-giving well-being is normally focused on a child's disability severity and the behavior of a child. For instance, in the video, one of the parents is devasted by the way his child breaks windows, and she has to replace them by herself. Unfortunately, that was not even the first time. Furthermore, it is usually hard for autistic parents as the ones going to public facilities have to wait for long before they can get medical services. However, the ones going to private facilities for therapy experience financial difficulties. Even the video confirms that only a few parents can afford the therapies as the insurance companies do not provide cover for such patients.

The more people understand autism and how it impacts families and patients, the easier it is for them to determine the resources and support needed by every case (Kaluzna-Czaplinska et al., 2018). In the video, one parent said that he would never judge kids walking around the city. Kaluzna-Czaplinska (2018) argues that these patients are usually excluded since it has an effect on financial systems, and health care, and offers a problem on research planning. Moreover, they are excluded because from the video, and it is evident that the students usually attend school for the disabled, an indication that they are excluded from their peers. Also, autistic adults are usually excluded from getting employment opportunities (Howlin, 2013). For instance, in the documentary, one man said he has resolved to do art and enjoys it.

Questions and Future Ideas

• Is it right for the insurance companies in Utah to exclude coverage for people with autism?
• What are some of the best ways of controlling people with autism, especially adults? The reason is that one adult said he wanted to do things on his own, but the parents did not allow it.
• In the future, research should be done on the stigma experienced by people diagnosed with autism in school and employment opportunities.

Self-Reflection

The autism content is essential to me since, daily, I encounter children with the disease and the way their parents struggle to give them their best. People around me need to learn the struggles these parents go through, especially in Utah, where insurance companies do not cover their medical services. Professionally and personally, this content will be essential since when people read through it, they will learn that the parents go through a lot of stress emotionally and financially in living with people with disabilities. Through the content, the insurance companies will understand that it is important to provide medical coverage for even children with autism. They should not be excluded.

References

Chu, S. Y., Mohd Normal, S. N. S. A. B., McConnell, G. E., Tan, J. S., & Joginder Singh, S. K. D. (2018). Challenges faced by parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder in Malaysia. Speech, Language and Hearing, 1-11. doi: 10.1080/2050571X.2018.1548678

Howlin, P. (2013). Social disadvantage and exclusion: adults with autism lag far behind in employment prospects. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(9), 897-899. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.06.010.

Guminska, N., Zajac, M., & Piórkowski, P. (2015). People with autism in society–the challenge of the 21st century. Case of Poland. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 576-583. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.586

Kaluzna-Czaplinska, J., Zurawicz, E., & Józwik-Pruska, J. (2018). Focus on the social aspect of autism. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 48(5), 1861-1867. doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3407-7