Smarten Up! Monday: Autism Awareness
Posted: April 4, 2011 Filed under: Smarten Up! Monday | Tags: autism, autism awareness 3 Comments »April is Autism awareness month.
We’ve all heard of Autism and its various forms, but unless you’ve experienced someone who has autism, you probably don’t know much about it.
There is so much information out there about Autism, but you can start by reading about it here.
Here are some quick facts:
Austism affects 1 in 110 children.
Autism affects 1 in 70 boys.
1 to 1.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder.
The cost of autism over the lifespan is 3.2 million dollars per person.
If you’d like to donate to the Autism Society please do so here.
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This is such a devastating diagnoses! Working for the few years I did in the school systems, I had the opportunity to do therapy with a lot of autistic children. It is probably more tolling on the families and especialy the parents. On a brighter side, there are a lot of great programs set up for these guys to help them succeed in life and work through there weaknesses.
I agree with karyn response, I too worked closely with 3-5 year old children for 3 1/2 years, they can be very different on the spectrum, working with them 1 to 1 is allot of work but very rewarding, To see them make a break in communication was very exciting, they are special children, there is allot of help offered for them in the early childhood years, It is a difficult time for the parents as they come to the point of confirming the diagnosis, but getting help at a young age is so important for all the family. Not sure why so many have it , there are allot of opinions on why, but not a for sure answer.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often can be reliably detected by age 3. In some cases even earlier than that. Recent studies suggest that kids may eventually be accurately diagnosed by the age of 1 year or even younger. One thing for certain is that if your child shows any of the early warning signs of autism then they should be evaluated by a professional who specializes in autism disorders. Visit my site to learn more about autism signs and symptoms