What is autism?
Just in case you don't know a child with autism or aren't sure what autism is exactly, here is some information I got from www.rethinkautism.com
No two children with ASD are alike. Some may never develop language, and can have other problems, such as mental retardation or seizure disorder. A child on the mild end of the spectrum may be able to function in a regular classroom and with intervention may overcome many of the challenges associated with the disability to the point where he is no longer identified as having an ASD.
Children on the autism spectrum may avoid eye contact, ignore others, speak little, or lose language or social skills they once had. They may exhibit self-stimulatory behavior for example flapping their hands repetitively or they may focus on one activity with little interest in anything else, for example fixating on the wheels of a toy car for hours.
This year, one out of every 88 babies born in the United States will be diagnosed with autism.* (This fact is from a couple years ago. It's actually closer to 1 in 50 now .) It’s more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls.
There is no medical test for ASD. A diagnosis is made by observing the presence or absence of specific age-related behaviors and skills. (For instance, does a 3 year-old child communicate using short phrases like “want more juice” or is she uncommunicative? Does she like playing with friends or does she prefer to play alone?) ASD is usually recognizable by the time a child is 3, and can sometimes be detected in a child as young as 12 months. See Early Signs for a full list of possible early indicators of ASD.
Parents are often the first to notice something is “different” about their child and may worry their child is not reaching developmental milestones. Maybe their infant doesn’t cry when they leave the room, or is overly anxious around strangers. Some babies seem to develop typically at first, then, around 12 to 36 months, suddenly lose the ability to speak or point, or otherwise show drastic changes in behavior.
It’s crucial that parents speak to their pediatrician right away if they suspect developmental delays. The earlier a child is diagnosed with an ASD, the greater the chance that he or she can be helped through treatment.
There is no known single cause for ASD, but significant strides have been made in its understanding and treatment in recent years. Intensive early intervention can significantly reduce the impact of autism, and can dramatically help children to learn, grow, and enjoy happy, fulfilling lives.
**I also want to add that in addition to early intervention (like speech, ABA therapy, etc), things like removing certain foods (usually at least gluten and dairy), adding in vitamins, probiotics, fish oil and other supplements, and being careful about toxic exposure can allow kids to make more strides as well. These things are usually mentioned as much, but I know many families that these types of changes have made dramatic improvements in their child. While we haven't seen big improvements in EK from doing all this, I continue to do it with her. After just a couple changes supplement-wise the past few weeks, I've noticed she is much happier. Who knows what kind of pain she has endured and isn't able to communicate that to me? I constantly pray and ask God for wisdom and discernment!
No two children with ASD are alike. Some may never develop language, and can have other problems, such as mental retardation or seizure disorder. A child on the mild end of the spectrum may be able to function in a regular classroom and with intervention may overcome many of the challenges associated with the disability to the point where he is no longer identified as having an ASD.
Children on the autism spectrum may avoid eye contact, ignore others, speak little, or lose language or social skills they once had. They may exhibit self-stimulatory behavior for example flapping their hands repetitively or they may focus on one activity with little interest in anything else, for example fixating on the wheels of a toy car for hours.
This year, one out of every 88 babies born in the United States will be diagnosed with autism.* (This fact is from a couple years ago. It's actually closer to 1 in 50 now .) It’s more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls.
There is no medical test for ASD. A diagnosis is made by observing the presence or absence of specific age-related behaviors and skills. (For instance, does a 3 year-old child communicate using short phrases like “want more juice” or is she uncommunicative? Does she like playing with friends or does she prefer to play alone?) ASD is usually recognizable by the time a child is 3, and can sometimes be detected in a child as young as 12 months. See Early Signs for a full list of possible early indicators of ASD.
Parents are often the first to notice something is “different” about their child and may worry their child is not reaching developmental milestones. Maybe their infant doesn’t cry when they leave the room, or is overly anxious around strangers. Some babies seem to develop typically at first, then, around 12 to 36 months, suddenly lose the ability to speak or point, or otherwise show drastic changes in behavior.
It’s crucial that parents speak to their pediatrician right away if they suspect developmental delays. The earlier a child is diagnosed with an ASD, the greater the chance that he or she can be helped through treatment.
There is no known single cause for ASD, but significant strides have been made in its understanding and treatment in recent years. Intensive early intervention can significantly reduce the impact of autism, and can dramatically help children to learn, grow, and enjoy happy, fulfilling lives.
**I also want to add that in addition to early intervention (like speech, ABA therapy, etc), things like removing certain foods (usually at least gluten and dairy), adding in vitamins, probiotics, fish oil and other supplements, and being careful about toxic exposure can allow kids to make more strides as well. These things are usually mentioned as much, but I know many families that these types of changes have made dramatic improvements in their child. While we haven't seen big improvements in EK from doing all this, I continue to do it with her. After just a couple changes supplement-wise the past few weeks, I've noticed she is much happier. Who knows what kind of pain she has endured and isn't able to communicate that to me? I constantly pray and ask God for wisdom and discernment!
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