Speech On Autism

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Earlier this week, I did a speech for my college speech class on autism, and I mentioned in my speech that I was autistic. I don't mean to boast, but I'm quite proud of myself for doing so. It was a sort of empowering experience.

Anyway, here's a video on my speech. Since the sound quality sucks, I'll put in a transcript of my speech below the video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5xOR9ejNvs[/youtube]

Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability, with a 1,148% growth rate. Because of the prevalence of this particular disability, it would be of immeasurable value for people to know of the facts surrounding autism. As somebody who was diagnosed with a form of autism, I can speak from first-hand experience of the effects autism has on a person.

Three points about autism I will talk about are: how autism manifests itself within each affected individual, the statistics regarding autism, and the causes and symptoms of autism.

Before you learn about the causes and statistics of autism, you must first have a basic understanding of what autism is. Autism is a complex disorder that affects each person differently. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. ASDs are "spectrum disorders," meaning that it affects each person in different ways, and can range from very mild to very severe. People with ASDs share some similar symptoms, such as problems with social interaction.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of autism is as follows: an average of 1 in 110 children in the United States have an ASD. On average, ASDs are 4 to 5 times more likely to occur in boys than in girls. If 4 million children are born in the United States every year, approximately 36,500 children will eventually be diagnosed with an ASD.

There is a multitude of causes and symptoms of ASDs. ASDs begin before the age of 3 and last throughout a person's life, although symptoms may improve over time. Children typically display hints of future problems within the first several years of their life. There may be different factors that make a child more likely to have an ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors. Children who have a sibling or parent with an ASD are at a higher risk of also having an ASD.

In conclusion, since autism is a spectrum disorder, it affects each person differently. No two people with autism are alike. Autism takes up a significant portion of developmental disabilities. Signs of autism occur during a child's toddler years and it is a lifelong disability. With greater understanding comes greater acceptance toward people with neurological differences. It will also help anybody who many have a future child be diagnosed with autism. Knowing is only half the battle.

Let me know what you think, please.

A well constructed speech confidently delivered, excellent!

I would be too scared to do that at my secondary school, but maybe in college, depending on what kinds of classes I take.

Nice! Very brave of you.

I'm very proud of what you did. It must have took you a lot of nerves and courage to deliver the speech on that topic. Well done!

Thank you for your comments, everybody. It did take some nerve to get up and admit to the class that I have autism, but what helped to alleviate my nervousness was the fact that some other people made speeches about issues close to themselves. My professor told us about how former students of his made speeches on the fact that they were recovering anorexics or even former heroin users.

jmnixon, I probably wouldn't have had the guts to do this speech when I was in high school. My speech class had a comforting environment which made it easier for me to do my speech.

congratulations , very well done, a clear, factual analysis on Autism.