| The topic of autism has been a major hot topic in | | | | The verbal speech patterns are also affected, and |
| the news lately, going from episodes of Oprah | | | | an unreasonable delay in when your child starts to |
| and also on the evening news. Some communities | | | | speak coherent words and phrases could also be |
| are even having autism awareness festivities to | | | | a sign of autism. Children with autism have a very |
| bring attention to autism. | | | | difficult time meeting your eyes or looking you in |
| Why all the hubbub? Autism has been discovered | | | | the eyes when you are speaking to them. In the |
| to affect about 1 in every 156 students, | | | | more severe cases of autism, you may see |
| depending on which research report you read. | | | | intense concentration on a particular object, even |
| This is an incredible statistic and you should be | | | | something as simple as a puppet or a ball. This |
| concerned about it. Do you know what the signs | | | | concentration is to the exclusion of all else in the |
| of autism are? Do you know what steps you | | | | autistic child. Although the signs of autism vary |
| should take if your child has autism? | | | | from child to child, it is well known that boys are |
| These are all good questions and they require an | | | | much more frequently affected by autism than |
| answer. First of all, you need to do your | | | | girls, where some studies indicate that the ratio is |
| homework, do your due diligence, and find out | | | | as high as 4 to 1. |
| exactly what autism is. Even if your child if | | | | Autism is thought to be a neurological disorder, |
| affected with autism, it may not be severe | | | | where the messages coming into the brain in |
| enough for you to even notice, but it is something | | | | certain areas get scrambled or are not delivered |
| that could grow more pronounced over time, and | | | | properly. Studies have shown that this is not a |
| you need to be prepared to take action and get it | | | | hereditary thing, so there is not a need to feel |
| diagnosed early enough to make a difference. | | | | guilty if your natural family tendency is to lean |
| One of the problems with autism is that the | | | | away from social interactions. Yes, you will |
| diagnosis of it is not an exact science. In other | | | | probably feel guilty if your child is diagnosed with |
| words, it is easy to diagnose a broken arm. You | | | | autism, but now is not the time for guilt, now is |
| can see it, the xrays confirm it, and the doctor or | | | | the time to make plans and arrangements to |
| physician knows exactly how to treat it. But on | | | | make things easier for your child and to put them |
| the other hand, autism is not nearly so well | | | | into an environment that will accommodate their |
| defined, and the diagnosis of it often depends on | | | | affliction. |
| the number of signs of autism that the child | | | | Do your homework and understand what autism |
| represents, and even then can be a subjective | | | | is. If you have reason to suspect that your child |
| call. | | | | has autism, then get them checked out by a |
| One of the primary signs of autism is lack of | | | | trained professional. Like most diseases, early |
| social interaction. That does not mean that the | | | | diagnosis will provide your best opportunities to |
| child is a computer nerd, but that the child clearly | | | | deal with it effectively. |
| has problems, real problems, in social interactions. | | | | |