Shine a Light on Autism

Autism affects 1 in every 110 children and 1 in every 70 boys. WOW.

You may have heard the radio ads that say 1 in 150 children are affected... sadly, that number has already changed. Those numbers are rising too fast.

April is Autism awareness month and Autism Speaks is kicking off the month with their "Light it Up Blue" campaign. On the evening of April 1, many big buildings (e.g. the Empire State Building in NYC, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada) will be lit up in blue to help raise autism awareness and to acknowledge World Autism Awareness Day which is Friday, April 2. They are trying to "light the world blue, too – city by city, town by town" to help raise Autism awareness in every community. They are encouraging everyone to wear blue on Friday too. See the "Light it Up Blue" link above for more information!


Now, let's get serious here... Autism isn't just "one of those things that happens to other people." I would venture to say that almost everyone reading this knows someone who has a child with Autism. That means it can be pretty "close to home." Seeing as I'm studying to be a Clinical Psychologist (with my focus on children), this is an important issue that I can't help but encounter multiple times a week. And sadly, many times children are not brought in for an evaluation as early as they could have been. So some children end up having missed out on months or even years of important intervention they could have been receiving to help improve their skills. It is easy to think that a child is "just a little behind" with her such-and-such skills, and "hasn't quite caught up with his peers" in another area... when in some cases there could actually be something far bigger going on. The sooner a child is diagnosed and can start receiving treatment, the better the outcome could be for that child.

With all the buzz going around about Autism, it is hard to know what is accurate and what is not or what signs to look for and what is not a big deal. If any of you have any questions or concerns about a child you know, I'll be glad to help you find some answers! I know it is hard to know where to go or who to ask and it's often kind of scary to take that step. But there are no "stupid" questions. If you are seeing some "red flags," wouldn't you rather ask questions and/or take your child to get an evaluation now instead of finding out later that there was something you could have been doing to help all along? At least you could rest your mind if you have been worried that something is just "not right." It's crazy how many times "mother's intuition" is accurate even when others don't see a problem.

The following in blue was cut & pasted directly from www.autismspeaks.org.
PLEASE read if you have young children!

Research now suggests that children as young as 1 year old can show signs of autism. The most important thing you can do as a parent or caregiver is to learn the early signs of autism and understand the typical developmental milestones your child should be reaching at different ages. Please look over the following list. If you have any concerns about your child's development, don't wait. Speak to your doctor about screening your child for autism. While validated screening for autism starts only as young as 16 months, the best bet for younger children is to have their development screened at every well visit with a highly validated developmental screening tool. If your child does have autism, early intervention may be his or her best hope.

Watch for the Red Flags of Autism

(The following red flags may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development, and is in need of an immediate evaluation.) In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” often referred to as “red flags,” that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

• No babbling by 12 months

• No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

• No words by 16 months

• No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

• Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

*This information has been provided by First Signs, Inc. ©2001-2005. Reprinted with permission. For more information about recognizing the early signs of developmental and behavioral disorders, please visit http://www.firstsigns.org or the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/actearly.