April is National Autism Awareness Month and we want to promote autism awareness and shine a light on the challenges children with autism, and their parents, cope with daily. In a new analysis by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) an estimated 2.41 percent of children in the United States have autism spectrum disorder. ASD affects about 1 in 41 children. Although that is a large increase since the 1970s and 1980s, a new study indicates that the rate of new cases of autism has leveled off in recent years. To bring more awareness we will start DAY# 1 in our series with: What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and What are the Symptoms?
Autism is a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively, called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Spectrum refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment or disability, that children with ASD can have. Autistic children are not all the same. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled.
Disorders Within the Spectrum are:
1. Autistic disorder (classic autism)
2. Asperger’s disorder (Asperger syndrome)
3. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Rett’s disorder (Rett syndrome)
4. Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD).
Symptoms Within the Spectrum - Symptoms of ASD vary from one child to the next, but generally fall in three areas:
1. Social impairment.
2. Communication difficulties.
3. Repetitive and stereotyped behaviors.
Children with ASD don't follow typical patterns children follow when developing social and communication skills. The parents are usually the first ones to recognize unusual behaviors in their child. Some babies with ASD may seem different early in their development, even before their first birthday. They may become overly focused on certain objects, rarely make eye contact, and fail to engage in typical back-and-forth play and babbling with their parents. Speech and language delays can be an early indicator. Other children may develop normally until their second or third year, but then become withdrawn, silent, or indifferent to social signals. Loss or reversal of normal development that has already been gained is called regression and occurs in some children. If you have any concerns, talk to your pediatrician. Early intervention is very important.
Our series continues tomorrow on Day 2: Providing Structure and Safety for Children with ASD.
Copyright, 7 Day Series, Day 1: A Parent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sharon Rose, Parents Want to Know 101, April 9, 2018. All rights reserved.
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