According to the latest information released by the US
Center for Disease Control, approximately 1 in 88 children are found to be on
the autistic spectrum. Autism is 4-5 times more common in boys than girls. So
what is autism?
It's a complex disorder involving brain development. Autism
tends to emerge between 2-3 years of age and it presents in varying degrees
with difficulties involving social interaction, speech, and repetitive
behaviors. Many autistic children also have sensory processing issues.
A great online resource for autism is http://www.autismspeaks.org. They have a
lot of up-to-date information along with a comprehensive list of symptoms.
The latest information from the Autism Speaks website
indicates autism many have its roots in early brain development, but currently
there is no one cause for autism. From Autism Speaks, the cause appears to be a
combination of a gene at risk for autism and environmental factors that
influence early brain development. Other environmental factors during and
before birth include advanced parental age at conception, maternal illness
during pregnancy, and difficulties during birth including periods of oxygen deprivation
to the baby's brain.
My son is now 6 and his official diagnosis is Expressive
Language Disorder. He's been seen by 2 psychologists at 2 different times (when
he was 3 and 6) who have both come to the same conclusions – Expressive Language
Disorder, but it hasn't been easy for me as a parent. I began being worried for
him at 15 months when he wasn't talking. At 18 months he still couldn't say a
word. I took him to the regional
center and he was evaluated. He's
had therapies since 20 months. He's gone to speech, child development, group, and
occupational therapy. He has sensory processing issues that affect his fine
motor and sense of balance. Currently, he's in the first grade and while he
still sees a speech therapist for misarticulations, he's mainstreamed 95% time
of the time in a general education classroom. His sensory processing issues get
in the way at times. He uses a chewy in the classroom and has a weighted vest.
He's highly active and he goes to a social skills class. I've heard it all – he's got ADHD,
Asbergers, high-functioning autism and one thing I've learned as a parent – you
are your child's best advocate. I've had to become a speech therapist, an
occupational therapist, and an autism expert. For my son, he's succeeded
because of the early intervention, but he also has a great support network. He
still has to work hard and there's no denying his speech misarticulations and
his sensory processing issues that mainly affect his vestibular and
proprioception senses, but he takes hip-hop dance lessons, gymnastics, goes to
religious education, and is a tiger cub scout– all mainstream.
When he was first seen, I received a lot of information from
http://www.spdfoundation.net for
sensory processing. If you have
any questions, searching out reliable online resources is a great start. Also, hearing other parents stories
offered inspiration and hope.
Patience, Understanding, and Caring are traits that will
help everyone when dealing with autism. It doesn't just affect the child, but
the family.
If you have any resources to recommend or would like to
share a story or an experience, you're very welcome.
