So, what exactly is autism?  Autism falls under the Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) umbrella. Autism spectrum disorders are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. People with these disorders handle information in their brain differently than other people.

The three types of Autism Spectrum Disorders are:

• Autistic Disorder (also called “classic” autism) – This is what most people think of when hearing the word autism. People with autistic disorder usually have significant language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorder also have intellectual disability.
• Asperger Syndrome- People with Asperger syndrome usually have some milder symptoms of autistic disorder. They might have social challenges and unusual behaviors and interests. However, they typically do not have problems with language or intellectual disability.
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified(PDD-NOS; also called “atypical autism”) People who meet some of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome, but not all, may be diagnosed with PDD-NOS. People with PDD-NOS usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those with autistic disorder. The symptoms might cause only social and communication challenges.

Red Flags of Autism Spectrum Disorders -There is no medical test for autism. However there are some signs to look for to determine if your child needs to be evaluated. Autism begins before the child is three years old. Sometimes they have delays early on and other times they develop normally until around 18-24 months of age when they stop gaining new skills and often lose some skills that they once had. Some red flags to be on the look out for are:

• Lack of appropriate eye contact
• Lack of warm, joyful expressions
• Get upset by minor changes
• Lack of sharing interest or enjoyment
• Not responding to their name by 12 months
• Have delayed speech and language skills
• Not pointing at objects to show interest by 14 months
• Unusual prosody (little variation in pitch, odd intonation, irregular rhythm, unusual voice quality)
• Not play “pretend” games by 18 months
• Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel
• Repetitive movements with objects Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles

If your child shows two or more of these signs, you should talk to your child’s pediatrician about getting an evaluation as soon as possible.

What causes autism? Unfortunately no one really knows. Genetic and enviromantal factors might have something to do with it, but as of this posting there is no evidence of what really causes it. One thing is for sure, it has NOTHING to do with parenting skills.

Is there a cure? There is no known cure for autism spectrum disorders.

What about treatment?  Early intervention can really help development. This includes speech therapy, occupational therapy, and applied behavioral analysis. The earlier you can get therapy and a diagnosis the better. Along with therapy, a gluten free/casein free diet can help certain children. Some ADD/ADHD medications can help autistic children focus. Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) can help with communication. I’ll be going into more details about these during the month.

How many children have autism? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention An alarming 1 in 110 children in the U.S have an autism spectrum disorder. 1 in 110! The number is even greater for boys. 1 in 70 boys in the U.S. have been diagnosed with  an autism spectrum disorder.  This represents a staggering 57 percent increase from 2002 to 2006, and a 600 percent increase in just the past 20 years.

Tomorrow I will tell you our story.

Some information and statistics in this post has been gathered from The Centers for Disease Control, FirstSigns, and Autism Speaks.

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