Did you know that autism is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes and Aids combined and that almost 67 million people worldwide are affected by it?
What is autism?
Autism is a term used to describe a number of developmental disabilities called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While the symptoms of autism vary from mild to severe, those affected find communication and social interaction difficult and are often plagued by repetitive behaviours.
There are five disabilities that fall within the ASD category namely:
- Autism
- Asperger’s syndrome
- Pervasive developmental disorder − not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
- Rett syndrome
- Childhood disintegrative disorder.
Accurate national autism statistics in South Africa are hard to come by but it’s estimated that one out of 88 children in South Africa is currently diagnosed with autism.
Interesting facts about autism
- Autism is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes and Aids combined.
- There is no test, scan or image to detect autism. Diagnosis is based on behavioural observation and screening.
- The average age of diagnosis is four years or as early as 18 months. Each child’s case is unique and different.
- More boys than girls are diagnosed with autism.
- Girls with autistic symptoms and Rett syndrome develop normally up to six to 18 months after which they unexpectedly start losing their language and motor skills.
- Certain coexisting conditions such as fragile X-syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities and ADD are common in autistic children.
- About 25% of individuals with autism can’t talk.
- Many children with autism are extra sensitive to sound, touch and other sensory stimulation such as being cuddled or hugged. They do, however, experience emotions and feelings of empathy and love; often much more strongly than we or they can cope with.
- Children with autism may also have a reduced sensitivity to pain and need to be watched carefully to prevent injuring themselves.
- More than 50% of children with autism are bullied at some point in their lives and the bullying only stops when peers intervene.
- Children with autism are eight times more likely to ‘elope’ from a safe environment such as their home, wander off and get lost. This is especially true of the seven to eight-year-old age group.
- Drowning is the leading cause of death among children with autism.
- Dog therapy has been shown to have a calming effect on an autistic child and to help improve the child’s quality of life, independence and safety.
- A schedule or set routine and special diet adapted to each child’s needs are very important.
- The risk of a second child in a family also being born with autism is approximately 5% except in the case of an identical twin when the risk rises to 90%.
- Certain drugs, chemicals, heavy metal exposure, antibiotics, extensive television viewing, flame retardant and infections during pregnancy have been suggested as possible triggers of autism.
- The 1998 study claiming that the MMR vaccine caused autism has been discredited and debunked and to date no known scientific link between vaccines and autism has been uncovered. Some health and wellness practitioners beg to differ.
- Half of the children identified with autism have average or above-average intelligence.
(To truly understand autism, read Look me in the eye: my life with Asperger’s and Be different: my adventures with Asperger’s and my advice for fellow Aspergians, misfits, families and teachers, by John Elder Robison, and The reason I jump: the inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with autism, by Naoki Higashida. Both authors are autistic and Higashida is unable to speak.)
Sources
Autism – mitigating a global epidemic. Retrieved from: http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/6915/5045
Facts about autism spectrum disorders. Retrieved from: http://www.autismacademy.co.za/index.php/facts-about-autism-spectrum-disorders
Forty-six random facts about autism. 2012. Retrieved from: http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/09/21_autism.html
Magro, K. Sixty-eight things to know about autism. Retrieved from: http://kerrymagro.com/68-things-to-know-about-autism-for-autism-awareness-month
Written by LifeAssist