10 Things You Didn’t Know about Autism
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April is Autism Awareness Month, a good opportunity to reflect on the notable progress made by researchers, as well as the critical importance of building on this success and advancing the science much further.
Autism Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1 in 88 children, including 1 in 54 boys, in the United States has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The federal government presented data that a prevalence of autism among school-aged children, as reported by parents, is 1 in 50. Furthermore, a study from South Korea used a more rigorous methodology, and found a prevalence of 1 in 38 students.
Things you didn’t know about Autism:
1 in 88 children have autism and it affects boys more than girls. Each year we learn more about diagnosing and treating children with autism. Here are 10 important findings about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that you were probably unaware of:
1. Early intervention for ASD can not only improve behaviors, it can improve brain function
2. Being nonverbal at age 4 does NOT mean children with autism will never speak. Research shows that most will, in fact, learn to use words, and nearly half will learn to speak fluently
3. Though autism tends to be life long, some children with ASD make so much progress that they no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for autism. High quality early-intervention may be key
4. Younger siblings of children with ASD may have developmental delays and symptoms that do not meet the criteria for ASD diagnosis, but still require early intervention
5. It’s common for children with autism to wander but it is not a result of bad parenting
6. Folic acid takenprior to and after pregnancy may reduce the risk of autism
7. One of the best ways to promote social skills in grade-schoolers with autism is to teach their classmates how to befriend a person with developmental disabilities
8. Researchers can detect pre-symptom markers of autism as early as 6 months -- a discovery that may lead to earlier intervention to improve outcomes
9. Arbaclofen, one of the first medicines in treating autism’s core symptoms, shows promise in early clinical trials.
10. Investors and product developers respond to a call to develop products and services to address the unmet needs of the autism community