Getting to Know Autism

Autism 

Until very recently autism was considered a psychological disorder and children with autism and their parents were looked down upon.  It seems that public opinion about autism has made a complete turnaround. In fact, you would have to be living under a rock to have never heard of autism.

But do you know the facts about autism?
Woman Wearing Pink Top

What: Definition

Autism is not a psychological disorder like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has a wide range of symptoms.  The term neurodevelopmental disorders is used selective focus photography of baby holding wooden cubebecause it is a neurological disorder that originates in the brain.  Autism is developmental because it is most often recognized and diagnosed when a child is young.

Who: Those Affected

How many children are diagnosed with ASD?turned on flat screen monitor

  • 1 in 150 kids were diagnosed as having ASD in 2000
  • 1 in 59 kids were diagnosed in 2014
  • Children from all walks of life (cultural, socioeconomic, etc.) are diagnosed with ASD
  • More boys than girls are diagnosed with ASD with a 4-to-1 ratio

How: Symptoms

Although each child with ASD is unique and has his own set of strengths and challenges, every child with ASD shares similar characteristics.

These symptoms can also be separated into two groups: social communication challenges and restrictive or repetitive patterns of behavior.

Here are some examples:

Social Communication Challenges

  • About one third of children with ASD are minimally verbal
  • Often make little to no eye contact
  • Have trouble understanding their own and other people’s feelings
  • Don’t like physical contact, or will accept it only when they want it
  • Echolalia (meaningless repetitions of other people’s spoken words)

Restrictive or Repetitive Patterns of Behavior

  • Repeat actions over and over again (rock back and forth, spinning, etc.)
  • Prefers to stick to a certain, repeated way of doing things (route to school, what to wear, eat, etc.)
  • Responds unusually to the way things smell, taste, sound, or feel
  • Perseverates  (obsess) about objects or topics (e.g. won’t stop playing with dolls or talking about dinosaurs)

For more information on ASD visit Autism Speaks, Autism Science Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the facts presented in this blog come from those sites.

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