WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

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WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY. World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) aims to put a spotlight on the hurdles that people with autism and others living with autism face every day. As a growing global health issue owing to its increasing exposure in the press and common knowledge, autism is an issue that is only gaining more understanding and WAAD activities are planned every year to further increase and develop world knowledge of children and adults who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). World Autism Awareness Day therefore aims to shines a light on the unique talents of those with autism, while putting a focus on the warm embrace and welcome that these skills deserve through various events around the globe..

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD). The core symptoms of autism are social communication challenges and restricted and or repetitive behaviors. Autism may appear in early childhood but be go unrecognized for a period of time due to the fact that though they are autistic they are highly functional. It may interfere with daily living, persons with Autism can live a perfectly normal life while others may require varying levels of attention..

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER CONT.... Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges associated with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. There is not just one form of autism but many subtypes, most influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. The ways in which people with autism learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged. Some persons with ASD may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently. Several factors may influence the development of autism, and it is often accompanied by sensory sensitivities and medical issues such as gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, seizures or sleep disorders, as well as mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and attention issues such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)..

MEDICAL CONDITIONS ASSOCIATTED WITH AUTISM. A range of physical and mental-health conditions frequently accompany autism. They include, but are not limited to, the following: Gastrointestinal (GI) problems Epilepsy Feeding issues Disrupted sleep Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Anxiety Depression Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) Schizophrenia Bipolar Disorder Down syndrome (DS).

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES. Children and adults with autism have difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication . For example, they may not understand or appropriately use: Spoken language (around a third of people with autism are nonverbal) Gestures Difficulty making eye contact with others especially if they are not close to the person Facial expressions or expressions in general are not meant to be taken literally are they are unable to process their emotions properly. Tone of voice i.e. they may come off as uncaring or disrespectful without exactly meaning to..

SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS CHALLENGES CONT.... Have difficulty recognizing emotions and intentions in others whereby they not realize when a person is sad or agitated/angry Difficulty recognizing one’s own emotions as well as expression of these emotions, in this situation they may not be able to show love or care as well as others. Difficulty seeking emotional comfort from others Feeling overwhelmed in social situations in this situation they may appear to be anti-social Gauging personal space (appropriate distance between people) here they may not be able to register when a person is uncomfortable with being so close to others.

SENSORY ISSUES FOR AUTISTIC PERSONS. Autistic people can experience both hypersensitivity (over-responsiveness) and hyposensitivity (under-responsiveness) to a wide range of stimuli. Most of them though have a combination of both. Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out. Sensory avoidance can look like pulling away from physical touch, covering the ears to avoid loud or unpredictable sounds, or avoiding certain kinds of clothing. Hyposensitivity is also common. This can look like a constant need for movement; difficulty recognizing sensations like hunger, illness or pain; or attraction to loud noises, bright lights and vibrant colors. People who are hyposensitive may engage in sensory seeking to get more sensory input from the environment. For example, people with autism may stimulate their senses by making loud noises, touching people or objects, or rocking back and forth..

ACCOMODATIONS FOR HYPERSENSITIVITY AND HYPOSENSITIVITY.

RESTRICTED AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS. Repetitive body movements (e.g. rocking, flapping, spinning, running back and forth) Repetitive motions with objects (e.g. spinning wheels, shaking sticks, flipping levers) Staring at lights or spinning objects Ritualistic behaviors (e.g. lining up objects, repeatedly touching objects in a set order) Narrow or extreme interests in specific topics Need for unvarying routine/resistance to change (e.g. same daily schedule, meal menu, clothes, route to school) this can be categorized as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)..

CAUSES OF AUTISM. Though autism has no cause studies show that autism develops from a combination of genetic and non-genetic, or environmental, influences. These influences appear to increase the risk that a child will develop autism. It’s important to keep in mind that increased risk is not the same as cause . For example, some gene changes associated with autism can also be found in people who don’t have the disorder. Similarly, not everyone exposed to an environmental risk factor for autism will develop the disorder. In fact, most will not. Autism’s genetic risk factors. Research shows that autism tends to run in families. Changes in certain genes increase the risk that a child will develop autism. If a parent carries one or more of these gene changes, they may get passed to a child (even if the parent does not have autism). Other times, these genetic changes arise spontaneously in an early embryo or the sperm and/or egg that combine to create the embryo. Again, the majority of these gene changes do not cause autism by themselves. They simply increase risk for the disorder..

CAUSES OF AUTISM CONT.... Autism’s environmental risk factors. Research also shows that certain environmental influences may further increase – or reduce – autism risk in people who are genetically predisposed to the disorder. Importantly, the increase or decrease in risk appears to be small for any one of these risk factors: Increased risk of autism comes as a result of Advanced parent age (either parent), Pregnancy and birth complications (e.g. extreme prematurity [before 26 weeks], low birth weight, multiple pregnancies [twins, triplets, etc.]) as well as Pregnancies spaced less than one year apart. Decreased risk of autism can be made possible through the use of Prenatal vitamins containing folic acid, before and at conception an through pregnancy..