Imagine being unable to verbally communicate your likes, dislikes, interests and desires. Picture what it would be like to be restricted from displaying a warm, joyful smile. Think about what life would be like if one could not show any form of affection, and a gesture as simple as hugging a loved one was the most difficult task in the world. These effortless skills that people take for granted are the complications that a person with autism struggles with on a daily basis.Autism spectrum disorders affect one in every 150 children. Sixty-seven patients are diagnosed with autism every day. It is the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder in the United States, yet a majority of the population is unaware of its distinctive symptoms, social limitations, and overwhelming effects on the lives of the patients and everyone they touch.
April is Autism Awareness Month, to reach out and increase an understanding and appreciation of the disorder. Autism Speaks has launched a campaign which will be promoted through print, broadcast, cable, radio and Internet. In their third year of existence, the organization has become the top private funder of autism research, raising $30 million to uncover causes, prevention, treatments and a cure. Their goal is to “change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.”
April 2nd marked the first World Autism Awareness Day. Organizations around the globe held events in hopes of increasing awareness of the widespread disorder.
Autism Speaks defines autism as “a complex neurological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime.” It is more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. The disorder is prevalent in all racial, ethnic and social groups and four times more likely to affect boys than girls.
The disorder impairs one’s ability to communicate and relate to others. Autistic children commonly develop rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects. Symptoms range from mild to severe, as there are different conditions on the autism disorder spectrum.
According to AutismSpeaks.org, Autism can be fully diagnosed by age three, but today screening tests begin as young as 16 months. There are red flags that indicate children should be screened to ensure they are on the right developmental path. Indicators include no back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or facial expressions by nine months, no words by 16 months, and any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age.
There is no single treatment for the disorder, but a variety of therapies are encouraged, as early intervention is the best hope for the child. Most autistic patients respond best to highly-structured behavioral programs, the most common being speech therapy, floortime therapy, a gluten free/ casein free diet and occupational therapy.
Although they have yet to be scientifically proven, alternative treatments have become popular among parents who are eager to fight against the odds. In facilitated communication therapy, a child’s arms and fingers are supported so he or she can type on a keyboard. The treatment is thought to provoke a child’s ability to type their inner thoughts.
WCU is home to the Southern Pennsylvania Autism Resource Center. Their mission is “to offer empirically validated behavioral treatment programs to aid families in their journey through the developmental disabilities maze, so that both children and families receive state of the art therapeutic services that will help them in all facets of their lives.”
The organization provides center-based and community-based diagnostic, therapeutic and educational services to parent groups and schools. SPARC’s members believe that every autistic person should receive treatments that will bring that person to his or her highest level of independence.
In conjunction with Autism Awareness Month, Lehigh Valley will host the 2008 Walk for Autism on Saturday, April 12 at the Lehigh Parkway in Allentown. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the walk will commence at 10 a.m. Become an advocate for autism awareness by visiting www.walknowforautism.org, and help increase knowledge, compassion, and tolerance for autism spectrum disorders.
There are currently no effective means to prevent autism, no fully effective treatments, and no cure, but there is hope. With organizations like Autism Speaks, SPARC and Walk for Autism, private funding is on the rise and spirits continue to lift as more and more people are made aware of autism.
Ashley Kresky is a fourth-year student majoring in Communication Studies, with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at AK591509@wcupa.edu.