Autism Awareness NOW

This excerpt is taken from Autism Speaks Website explaining what is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This gives a good overview and I thought I would just publish it verbatim. If you are interested in reading more please visit: www.autismspeaks.org

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.

Autism was first identified in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins Hospital. At the same time, a German scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that is now known as Asperger Syndrome (read more). These two disorders are listed in the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as two of the five developmental disorders that fall under the autism spectrum disorders. The others are Rett Syndrome, PDD NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder), and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. All of these disorders are characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social abilities, and also by repetitive behaviors. For more discussion on the range of diagnoses that comprise autism spectrum disorder, click here.

Autism spectrum disorders can usually be reliably diagnosed by age 3, although new research is pushing back the age of diagnosis to as early as 6 months. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or their child's failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then lost skills. Pediatricians may initially dismiss signs of autism, thinking a child will "catch up," and may advise parents to "wait and see." New research shows that when parents suspect something is wrong with their child, they are usually correct. If you have concerns about your child's development, don't wait: speak to your pediatrician about getting your child screened for autism.

If your child is diagnosed with autism, early intervention is critical to gain maximum benefit from existing therapies. Although parents may have concerns about labeling a toddler as "autistic," the earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier interventions can begin. Currently, there are no effective means to prevent autism, no fully effective treatments, and no cure. Research indicates, however, that early intervention in an appropriate educational setting for at least two years during the preschool years can result in significant improvements for many young children with autism spectrum disorders. As soon as autism is diagnosed, early intervention instruction should begin. Effective programs focus on developing communication, social, and cognitive skills.

After 9 years of infertility we welcomed our first baby boy into the world. He was perfect in every way 10 fingers 10 toes lots of beautiful brown hair. He was a marvel to behold and the long awaited gift from God that we prayed so hard for. Little did we know at that time, our fantasy of Parenthood would greatly change over the course of a few years.

As with many parents of Spectrum children, Liam, developed very normally for the first year to 24 months. He actually did not show the typical signs that one looks for when diagnosing Autism. In fact he had an incredibly robust vocabulary for a 12 month old and was ahead of all his developmental milestones. The biggest problem we had was separation anxiety, collick, and he did not like to be in large crouds of people. Over the next few years we saw things that concerned us such as uncontrolable temper tantrums, sensitivity to certain lights, sounds, textures, etc. but did not know how to put the pieces together. I went repeatedly to my pediatrician with my concerns but was told that he has some anxiety and did not take it any further.

At age 4 we tried to put Liam into preschool and he did not adapt well at all. He was abruptly kicked out of his class. It was so frustrating knowing that something was going on with your child but you did not know where to turn. I did notice that some of his behaviors seemed similar to our nephew who had Aspergers Syndrome. My husband's sister's child was had been diagnosed on the spectrum a year or so earlier. When I brought up the idea that maybe Liam might have Aspergers Syndrome to his pediatrician, I was basically written off as a mother who does not know what shes talking about and Liam just had some anxiety issues.

It was not until Kindergarten that all the symptoms and behaviors came into full view and there was no denying the fact he had an Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was coded with Autism by the school system at age 6 and we started working on a program and plan of action. It took another couple of years of fighting with the school system and 3 hospitalizations on the Pediatric Autism Unit of our local mental health hospital to get drug stabilization, behavior modification and a very structured behavior based school program in place. Liam is doing well right now and we seem to have a pretty good handle on his form of Autism. The other component that played a very tough roll in diagnosing him is that Liam has pediatric bi-polar disorder, along with oppositional defiant disorder. Unfortunately most children on the Autism spectrum have co-morbid disorders along with their Autism. Liam's bi-polar mood cycles were so severe that we were afraid we could not handle him at home and thought he might have to be put into a special program outside of the home.
Luckily he responded very well to the cocktail his psychiatrist worked out and we are able to finally have some sense of normalcy at home.

My youngest son Jack's autism presented in a very different way. He had more of the classic symptoms of Autism that you expect to see. His language did not develop well at all and by 12 months we had Jack into the county's infants and toddlers program with lots of early intervention. He also had fine motor skills issues, and sensory integration problems. He would self stim and zone out very easily. At age two he was diagnosed with mild to moderate Autism. Because I was much more aware of what to look for and realized the importance of early intervention Jack has made great strides. At age 4 he is speaking very well, even thought his receptive skills are much better than his expressive language skills. He also is the poster child for Pivotal Response Training a method similar to Applied behavioral Analysis. Many children on the spectrum do very well with PRT or ABA programs. I will add more information on these two programs into the this lens later on.

Today we are still on our journey with Adventures in Autism learning, growing,and making mistakes as we go. It truly is not how I had envisioned parenthood during my decade of infertility but one thing I have learned is that flexibility in your approach and acceptance of your situation is key for any parent, but this is especially true of parents with spectrum kids.

I believe that I have been entrusted with a great charge from God. It is up to us to help our boys grow to be the best they can be. They may have difficulties and issues that other children don't have but our kids also possess great potential to do great things. It is believed that some of our greatest minds were and are on the Autism Spectrum, including Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, and even Bill Gates. So it's quite possible that one day the cure for Cancer will be discovered by a child on the Autism Spectrum today.

* I wanted to add one footnote about pediatric bi-polar disorder. Most children are not diagnosed as pediatric bi-polar. It is a very complex and difficult diagnosis to give. Since many children on the spectrum will exhibit some bi-polar behaviors it does not mean that your child is bi-polar. Liam has very servere and classic symptoms that are reduced or disappear completely with mood stabilizers. So it is very important that if you think your child may be bipolar to have a competent psychiatrist evaluate your child.

If a loved one in your family has been diagnosed with Autism or you are going the the long arduous process of diagnosing someone you think may have Autism, The Autism Society of America is a great place to find resources and help.

This is their website listed below:

http://www.autism-society.org

If you are a newly diagnosed family of someone on the spectrum, Autism Speaks has put together a kit on what to do in those first months. This really is a wonderful resource and I wish I had known about something like this when we were muddling through that difficult time. They have a PDF kit at the link below where you can download all this useful information:

Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit

Here is another link for newly diagnosed families
New to Autism">

Because I want to offer as much information as I can About Autism, Treatments, and Resources, I am also going to profile and review other Lenses about Autism. Jaye3000 has put together a very good Lens on her journey through Autism with her son, and the methods and therapies that have worked for her child. Just like each child presents differently on the Autism spectrum, there are also different approaches that Parents choose for their children. The one thing I have found on my journey is mom's and dad's know their child the best, trust your gut instincts, and move forward however you choose to move forward. Doctor's are not Omnipotent and if you don't like the strategy your doctor is recommending, keep looking, until you find a professional who is on the same page as you. You will know when you have the right fit for your child.

This particular lens profiles the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet and D.A.N. biomedical treatment. She gives a really good overview of the diet and the success parents have had with it and biomedical treatment. I have included her link below

Reverse Autism Lens

Coming soon!

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