Teach Me Tuesdays - Autism

What better to write about than the very learning disorder that my students have been diagnosed with! Autism is quite the hot topic these days, and for good reason. No one knows what causes Autism! Can you believe that?? With technology growing at a scary-fast pace, there are still things that we just do not know and cannot figure out. That's crazy. So is it genetics, or is it environmentally triggered? Ah, the age-old "Nature vs. Nurture" debtate...

Before I tell you about some facts and myths about Autism, it is important to know that all cases of children with autism are different. Just like every single person, snowflake, and fingerprint are different, every case is different. You cannot make a single blanket statement when talking about children with autism.

FACTS:
* Autism is significantly more prevalent in boys than girls.

* Autism includes a wide range of disorders (Aspergers, Rett Syndrome, PDD-NOS, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder)

* Autism is characterized by impaired social skills and communication, as well as restricted, repetitive actions.

* Early signs include: child not making eye contact, trouble reading social clues, or sensitivity to changes in lights, sounds, or their environment.

* According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects as many as 1 in every 110 children in the United States. That's a lot.

* Autism is more prevalent than any other childhood disease, but does not receive near as much funding as some less prevalent diseases.

* Autism is life-long. However, the earlier it is detected, the easier it will be to adjust and start an intervention program.

* Routine is your BEST friend when working with a child with autism. They like to have a schedule and stick to it. If you do something that is not normally in the routine, prepare them for it.


MYTHS:

* Not all children diagnosed with Autism are savants (i.e. Rain Man). They are not all super intelligent in one specific area. They cannot all repeat 13 digit numbers back to you, or memorize a Mozart sonata in one sitting without ever having touched a piano before in their lives, or whatever crazy idea you might have seen in a movie.

* You can not tell a child with Autism apart from any other child just by looking at them.

* Immunization shots do NOT cause autism. We may not know what does, but I can tell you that it's not the shots. The reason the myth came to life is that, unlike most disorders, Autism is not something that you know a child has at birth. It doesn't show symptoms until around age 3 (the age that kids get some immunizations), most of the time. A child may be developmentally on-target up until this point. Then their social skills begin to digress.

* Those diagnosed with autism are perfectly capable of being emotionally attached. They feel love, just like the rest of us, but may not have an easy time showing it.


If you were already familiar with Autism... then you probably already knew all of this. In fact, please let me know if something that I have said is not 100% correct. Otherwise, I hope this cleared up a few common misconceptions that are floating around about autism. I am no expert, and I look forward to learning so much more this semester as a resource assistant.

If you are interested in learning more check out Autism Speaks.

-Miss Land