April is Autism Awareness Month
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) include:
Did you know that today 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with an ASD?
A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes resulting in 67 children being diagnosed per day.
There will be more children diagnosed with an ASD this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. It affects over 1.5 million people in America and is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
In SUSD 1 out of every 145 students has a diagnosis of ASD.
Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means that it affects every individual differently. Some people with an ASD will be mildly affected, some moderately and others, severely affected.
There is no known cause or cure at this time.
ASDs can affect sensitivity to sound, smell, sight, touch and taste. The effect can be hyper sensitivity (too much) or hypo sensitivity (not enough). Furthermore, because of the complexity of ASDs, each individual’s senses may or may not be affected and there can be a combination of hyper/hypo sensitivity within the affected senses (i.e. hyper sensitive to sound, hypo sensitive to touch/pain and no issues with smell, sight or taste).
Key areas of development that are impacted are communication and the ability to know how to build social relationships.
The good news is that individuals with ASDs can learn, progress and develop. How much they do differs from individual to individual.
One of the easiest ways to help a person with an ASD learn, progress and develop is to provide them with support from peers. The SUSD offers social programs that help provide social encounters for individuals on the Spectrum and their peers. The social interactions students experience in school are a stepping stone toward independent adult life. These experiences help students learn to navigate the world…get a job, drive, go to college, live away from home. Many times, amazing strengths and skills can be present in individuals with ASDs. They can really excel in the areas of math, music, art, architecture and memory which make them prime candidates for many rewarding jobs. But because of their deficit in socialization, these gifts can be overlooked and lead to being misunderstood and ostracized. The social programs are geared toward expanding understanding and awareness in the school community, guiding peers to recognize and focus on the strengths, and increasing exposure to social interactions that build skills that can lead to a better chance later in life for the individuals with ASDs.
There are many remarkable people with ASDs who have made notable contributions to society because of their ability to look at things with a unique perspective. Temple Grandin is a prime example. She holds a PhD and is a professor at Colorado State University. In addition, she is an inventor, author, and public speaker. She attributes much of her progress and success to having supportive mentors.
To learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorders, visit the Autism Society of America’s web page at www.autism-society.org