April
is Autism Awareness Month. Get out the
word, "Children with autism spectrum disorder are not being diagnosed as
early as they could be. Learn the signs of autism and get help if you’re
concerned." Did you know that research shows that early intervention helps? It can make a huge difference in the lives of
a child with autism. About 1 in 68
children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to
estimates from CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM)
Network.
According
to the American Academy of Pediatrics the following are the symptoms of Autism:
No 2 children
with ASD have exactly the same symptoms. There are standard criteria for the
diagnosis of ASD. The following are examples of how a child with an ASD may
act:Social differences
- Doesn't keep eye contact or makes very little eye contact
- Doesn't respond to a parent's smile or other facial expressions
- Doesn't look at objects or events a parent is looking at or pointing to
- Doesn't point to objects or events to get a parent to look at them
- Doesn't bring objects of personal interest to show to a parent
- Doesn't often have appropriate facial expressions
- Unable to perceive what others might be thinking or feeling by looking at their facial expressions
- Doesn't show concern (empathy) for others
- Unable to make friends or uninterested in making friends
Communication differences
- Doesn't point at things to indicate needs or share things with others
- Doesn't say single words by 16 months
- Repeats exactly what others say without understanding the meaning (often called parroting or echoing)
- Doesn't respond to name being called but does respond to other sounds (like a car horn or a cat's meow)
- Refers to self as "you" and others as "I," and may mix up pronouns
- Often doesn't seem to want to communicate
- Doesn't start or can't continue a conversation
- Doesn't use toys or other objects to represent people or real life in pretend play
- May have a good rote memory, especially for numbers, letters, songs, TV jingles, or a specific topic
- May lose language or other social milestones, usually between the ages of 15 and 24 months (often called regression)
Behavioral differences (repetitive and obsessive behaviors)
- Rocks, spins, sways, twirls fingers, walks on toes for a long time, or flaps hands (stereotypic behavior)
- Likes routines, order, and rituals; has difficulty with change
- Obsessed with a few or unusual activities, doing them repeatedly during the day
- Plays with parts of toys instead of the whole toy (for example, spinning the wheels of a toy truck)
- Doesn't seem to feel pain
- May be very sensitive or not sensitive at all to smells, sounds, lights, textures, and touch
- Unusual use of vision or gaze—looks at objects from unusual angles
In an effort to bring further awareness to autism, Relias Learning has made two parent training courses available for free to the public. The courses are accessible on the Relias Academy site: http://academy.reliaslearning.com/Free-Courses-for-Autism-Awareness-Month.aspx?utm_source=press-release&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=autism-awareness-month To learn more about Relias Learning, visit www.reliaslearning.com.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention Autism Fact Sheet has great information on autism: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/developmental-disabilities/Pages/Autism-Spectrum-Disorders.aspx
Training on autism spectrum disorders http://www.autismtrainingsolutions.com/resources
A breakdown of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
from the perspective of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) http://www.autismtrainingsolutions.com/resources/research/autism-education-abcs-ieps-bcbas-perspective
A free webinar: The
Impact of Autism on Families
To learn more about
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), its prevalence, who can be affected, and
impacts of diagnosis, view this educational video. http://www.autismtrainingsolutions.com/resources/videos/autism-spectrum-disorders
Autism Society http://www.autism-society.org/
Of Washington http://www.autismsocietyofwa.org/
Of Oregon http://www.autismsocietyofwa.org/
Autism Speaks
Washington https://www.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide/state/WA
Oregon https://www.autismspeaks.org/site-wide/oregon
Arc
Washington http://arcwa.org/
Multnomah/Clackamas County http://thearcmult.org/
Where to go for help?
University of Washington Autism Clinic: http://depts.washington.edu/uwautism/index.php
Oregon Health Sciences University Autism Clinic http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/child-development-and-rehabilitation-center/clinics-and-programs/cdrc-portland-programs/autism/
