Autism: Things You Should Know

Autism Spectrum Disorders

World Autism Day

Autism is the world’s third most common development disorder. Some of the latest studies suggest a sharp rise in global incidents of autism.

World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) is an internationally recognized day on the 2nd of April every year.World Autism Awareness Day resolution encourages all Member States to take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout society and to encourage early diagnosis and early intervention. It further expresses deep concern at the prevalence and high rate of autism in children in all regions of the world and the consequent developmental challenges.
Autism is about 4.5 times more likely to affect boys than girls and is found in all racial, ethnic, and social groups. There is no known single cause for autism.

“Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination”

There is a need to change the perception in the society towards children with special needs and instead of pity, the society should work towards providing equal opportunities to the children with special needs and should not discriminate against them. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of people with autism: When they can enjoy equal opportunities, they will be empowered to make an even stronger impact on our shared future.

Autism Spectrum Disorders are characterized by significant impairments in social interaction and communication skills, as well as by the presence of extremely challenging behaviors. Such behaviors include repetitive motor behaviors (hand flapping, body rocking), insistence on sameness, resistance to change and, in some cases, aggression or self-injury. Many individuals with an autism spectrum disorder have significant cognitive impairments, although some have typical or even above average IQs. 30-50% of people with autism also have seizures.

Things You Need to Know About Autism

  • Every Autistic Person Is Unique. Don’t compare an autistic person to a normal person.
  • Ask very detail questions of things they are interested in. They often have very strong interests in a specific topic, from science to transportation to entertainment. They usually have extensive knowledge and may talk about the topic of interest often.
  • Anxiety is common for many people on the autism spectrum. It can cause difficulties in everyday activities, such as going to school or work. Feeling anxious can also make it harder for some children to learn.
  • People with ASD desire to have friends but they need help in interacting with others (apart from their family members) and communicating with them.
  • Trouble forming and maintaining relationships. Most of them desire to have friends but they need help to develop the social and communication skills to successfully interact with peers. School programs and therapists with special training can often support to children in developing these skills.
  • A tendency to be clumsy and uncoordinated. They may have trouble with handwriting, riding a bike, catching a ball or running.
  • Difficulty making eye contact, Because they concentrate on listening in order to response to our words.
  • Trouble working with words. They could struggle to express themselves, follow conversations, and speak with the right volume and inflection.
  • Trouble understanding synonyms and similar meaning words. so use simple language and words while taking to them.