Raising Awareness During Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness month and since 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 among boys) are diagnosed on the spectrum, it is an issue that touches many parents today. Sadly, most doctors paint a very bleak picture when telling parents that their child falls on the spectrum.  Filling the parent's heads will all the thinks that their child will not be able to do.  Having been at a school that had to self contained autistic units (most of the children were sever), I will tell you that each year that I was there I saw progress in each and every one of the children in those classrooms.  Don't let the doctors tell you that your child will not be able to do many things.  I believe in the power of faith and self-fulfilling prophecies.  If you think they can do it, they stand a much better chance of achieving the goal than if you think that they can't do it. 

The family of Holly Robinson Peeta, an actress of 21 Jump Street and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper fame, has written two books that are worth a read if you are part of a family that has an autistic child.  Holly has a teenage son who is on the spectrum.  He was diagnosed at the age of three.  Her husband wrote a book called Not My Boy which provides us with a father's perspective.  Holly and her daughter Ryan Elizabeth wrote a children's book called My Brother Charlie to help children understand this disorder.  She is a great advocate for her son and all the children who are on the autistic spectrum.  If you have a child with autism, the most important thing that you can do for them is advocate for them in the schools, with the medical community and with your friends. 

Safety 101: Are Doctors Over Diagnosing Certain Diseases or Are They Really on that Much of an Increase?

The Center for Disease Control recently realeased a report that Autism rates have sky rocketed to a rate of 1 in every 88 children.  Is this increase due to a change in our environment, better diagnosing of this disease or over diagnosing?  Since there is no known cause for Autism, the answer to the question as to whether it is something in the environment is we don't know.  Hopefully researchers will have some answers soon.   Having seen reports on some of the tools used to diagnose Autism, I will venture to say that we may be experiencing an overdiagnosis of the milder forms of this particular disease.  The check lists for determining if your child is on the spectrum contains questions that can apply to many children at one time or another.  What child hasn't experienced social awkwardness, avoided eye contact or had focusing issues to name just a few of the questions.  For diseases like Autism which have no definitive medical test to determine whether a child has the disease or disorder or not, overdiagnosis is always a possibility.  Since for the most part the diagnosis is based on checklist from parents and teachers, be carefully to fill them out accurately.  I suggest that you sit down with another person who knows your child well and talk out each question to ensure the validity of your checklist.

Having made a case for over diagnosis, here are some of the things to look for if you think that your child may fall on the Autistic spectrum,  After all early diagnosis will ensure that your child will grow up to be all that they can be.  Is your six month old not looking you in the eye?  Is your twelve month old not reacting to their name?  Is your eighteen month old not playing pretend games?  If this describes your baby, don't panic but don't sit there in denial either.  Talk to your doctor about your observation and seek professional advice who are knowledgeable in this field to see if your concerns are warranted.