
the autistic child in the school and the
school-nurse teacher responsibility
autistic children demonstrate a more persistent pattern of retreating
from reality than is apparent in those children categorized as normal.
some psychologists have established the cause of symptoms in the autistic
child as extreme anxiety which forces withdrawal from social contact.
such anxiety is reported to have its initial occurrance during the age
range of one to five years.  a sense of security which is considered es-
sential for a child is gained through overt manifestations of love, care and
approval of those adults most closely associated with him.  when this
need is not satisfied, the child's attempts at self-realization and esteem
are deterred or thwarted, and a state of anxiety may result.  the severity
of the anxiety may be the forerunner of a schizophrenic disorder.  such
a condition can develop in a child, an adolescent or an adult.  schizo-
phrenia, a serious mental illness, is considered to be a major cause for
admitting patients to mental institutions.
another school of thought has placed infantile autism in the category
of a disturbance resulting from abnormalities of development during the
intrauterine period.  such a congenital condition is not categorized as
mental retardation.
yet another concept of autism conceives of the problem as the absence
of an innate ability or capacity for developing meaningful contacts with
other people.  a detachment of varying degrees persists where human
contacts are concerned.
