Finding Out What Autism Is And Dispelling The Myths

If you have just found out that your child is autistic, you may find it a challenge to have to deal with the diverse information that is floating around surrounding this condition. Your first understanding of what autism is may have come from watching the movie Rain Man. Although the movie shed light on the daily realities that a high-functioning autistic person must face, it hardly dispels the myths that are still surrounding autism today.

It is important to find out what autism is as recent statistics show alarming figures indicating the prevalence of this condition. Autism currently affects an estimated 210,000 people in North America. This comes up to approximately 1.5 per 1000 people.

More recently, many advocacy groups are raising the alarm that autism cases have risen exponentially since 1993, the first year that data for autism was submitted separately to the Department of Education. Their alarmed reactions are based on a staggering 800% rise of cases with autism in the last ten years. Despite this set of statistics, skeptics are not convinced by the data. They say that there has been a fundamental flaw in data collection. Reasons include the loosening of diagnostic criteria for autism as well as the fact that the figures were understated years ago when few knew what autism was then.

For whatever it is, it is crucial to understand more about this condition. Autism is a brain disorder. Autism spectrum disorder is an umbrella term that refers to a broad range of developmental delays and disorders. Signs of autism usually surface when your child is three years of age.

Many years ago, autism symptoms are often attributed to “cold parenting” or “unloving parents”. Medical doctors no longer believe that there is any psychological cause for autism. Despite numerous studies, there is no known cause for autism. Some people however subscribe to the belief that environmental factors are major contributors.

The DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition) lays out a complex criteria for diagnosing autism in children and adults, but in general the symptoms of autism include:

- Delays (or the loss of) physical, social and language skills. - Abnormal reactions to sensation
- Speech and language delays or abnormalities while associated thinking skills may be present
- Abnormal ways of relating to people, objects and events.
There are plenty of social and emotional issues that you have to confront with having an autistic child. For instance, you may even find that others have a certain bias towards you if they still believe in autism comes from bad parenting. You may also feel bewildered by the vast number of treatments that are available to autistic children and at the same time, bitterly disappointed by the lack of understanding and support shown by mainstream schools and medical facilities.

Personally, I was not offered much help when my daughter first got diagnosed by a psychologist. The psychologist did not provide me any sense of comfort nor recommend suitable alte
ative treatments other than recommend speech therapy. After all, according to her, this condition is not curable. I was largely left on my own to search for appropriate treatments and therapies for my child. What I do find useful to share is that early detection is very important. Knowing what autism is and what to look out for helps in early identification of this neurological condition.