For this month of November my boss gave us the theme for our bulletin boards. It was “Fall into Action, What is Your Cause?” Everyone on the team either picked something that they have a passion for or something that is close to their hearts. I chose something that is under both categories, which is a love for children with Autism.
When I first started college, I wanted to go into the field of special education. Special education is a range of educational and social services provided by the public school system and other educational institutions to individuals with disabilities who are between three and 21 years of age. Even though I didn’t follow the plan, I still have a calling for this field. Majority of people don’t understand what Autism is about. When they don’t understand what something is, they act out to it in different ways by either bullying or shunning the child.
The general definition of Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.
Autism disorders merged into one diagnosis of ASD. Before the May 2013 publication of the DSM-5 diagnostic manual, the disorders were recognized as subtypes, which included autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. Within the United States, there is about one in 68 American children that have been identified on the autism spectrum–a ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years. Studies show that autism runs more common in boys than girls, four out of five cases. What causes these disorders? During a women’s pregnancy, the women can come in contact with certain toxins, such as pesticides and phthalates (found commonly in plastics) and certain drugs. During the pregnancy the women should eat fresh produce and stay away from package foods.
Help me raise awareness to Autism by supporting groups and foundations like Autism Speaks and many others.
