WHAT IS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a life-long neurological variation. Individuals with ASD learn and think in unique ways, leading to a great variety in how ASD affects a particular individual and how much support they need.

* ASD is usually diagnosed in early childhood and about 1 in 36 children have been identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.

* ASDs are reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

*ASDs are more than 4 times more common among boys than among girls.

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

According to the CDC, a person with an ASD might:

- Not respond to their name by 12 months

- Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months

- Not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll) by 18 months

- Avoid eye contact and want to be alone

- Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings

- Have delayed speech and language skills

- Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia)

- Give unrelated answers to questions

- Get upset by minor changes

- Have obsessive interests

- Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles

- Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel

Research shows that appropriate intervention leads to positive life outcomes for people with ASD.

Researchers do not know the exact cause of Autism but are investigating a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics, and medical problems.