Research+Product+2

**Outline:**
** Prewriting: Outline Template ** Essential Question: Does the world need to take autism more seriously? ** PARAGRAPH 1 ** I. Transition Topic Sentence #1: Autism is a fast-growing disorder that demands more national attention and more government acknowledgement A. Reason #1: Each year, more children are being diagnosed with autism 1. Example #1: Children diagnosed with autism has risen from 4 in 10,000 to 1 in 150 reported in 2007 (Parks 21). 2. Example #2: 4 million children will be diagnosed with autism in the next decade (Fredericks 32) B. Reason #2: At the age of 21, people with autism lose insurance coverage and are thrown into the world. 1. Example #1: "Once they lose the education entitlement and become adults, it's like they fall off the face of the earth" as far as government services are concerned, says Lee Grossman, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America” (Kantrowitz). 2. Example #2: “Beginning in 2010, the swelling number of children diagnosed with autism will begin aging out of school. So far, the state hasn't allocated any money to pay for more group homes or supervised apartments” (“Challenges for Adults with Autism”) C. Reason #3: Most of the general public is uninformed about autism and assume that all autistic people are gifted in some way. 1. Example #1: This assumption is false: only 10% of people with autism are known as “savants” or gifted. The majority of savants have Asperger’s syndrome. 2. Example #2: When learning about autism, common symptoms are usually presented in a way that makes it seem like all those diagnosed with autism exhibit all the symptoms. “Autistic people are as different from one another as they could be. The only elements that ALL autistic people seem to have in common are unusual difficulty with social communication” (Rudy).

** PARAGRAPH 2 ** II. Transition Topic Sentence #2: Autism is a disorder that is underfunded, and lacking modern research and diagnostic procedures. A. Reason #1: Currently, there is no medical test used to diagnose autism. 1. Example #1: Diagnosing autism is largely placed in the hands of the parents, however over half of autistic children are not diagnosed before they enter kindergarten due to parents not recognizing the warning signs. In many states, insurance companies will not provide coverage until a child is officially diagnosed with autism. 2. Example #2: “It has been reported that very often parents who have raised concerns about their child’s development and who were later diagnosed as suffering from autism, were reassured by their doctors that all is well and their fear is unfounded” (Jeyaram). B. Reason #2: Due to the massive amount of people diagnosed with autism, therapy and care costs are taking a huge toll on our economy. 1. Example #1: Next to Alzheimer’s and mental retardation, autism is the third most expensive with national care costs reaching over $35 billion per year. 2. Example #2: Compared with other prominent childhood diseases/disorders such as AIDS, Leukemia, muscular dystrophy and juvenile diabetes, autism is sorely lacking in private funding with only $15 million per year. C. Reason #3: ABA therapy costs can reach to be over $100,000 a year, but when used at an early age, the cost of therapy more than makes up for itself. 1. Example #1: "If it wasn't for his early years of ABA, I don't think he'd be brushing his teeth, showering, getting his own snack," she said, "which for the future, as an adult, is going to have a huge financial impact” (Donvan). 2. Example #2: “ Intensive behavioral intervention can offer the hope of unprecedented gains for both children and taxpayers: estimated savings per child to age 22 are about $200,000; to age 55, $1,000,000” (“What is ABA?”).

** PARAGRAPH 3 (Against my thesis) ** III. Transition Topic Sentence #1: On the other hand, it can be argued that autism is over-diagnosed due the limited knowledge we have of the disorder. A. Reason #1: Diagnosing autism solely by the use of the autism spectrum allows too many people to be diagnosed: even those that are higher functioning. 1. Example #1: “Going from five cases of autism to twenty-five cases over night does nothing for those original five in terms of better understanding their situation” 2. Example #2: ‘ Each successive edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--the bible of mental health--has revised the criteria for identifying autism in ways that tend to include more people” B. Reason #2: The over-diagnosis of autism could be spurred on by our need to categorize everything and everyone that is “different”. 1. Example #1: “Children who once would have been termed quirky or awkward are now put into a category of having a medical disorder” 2. Example #2: Newly added disorders to the DSM in 1994 (Asperger’s syndrome and PDD-NOS) are responsible for 50% to 75% of the increase in autism diagnosis. *Argument for my thesis: Asperger’s is considered to be an autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, while much of the increase is in Asperger’s syndrome, this disorder is still considered as autism.* Thesis Statement: Due to the growing amount of children diagnosed with autism, the government as well as the world, needs to view autism more seriously in terms of funding and national awareness.