Wednesday, April 08, 2009
National Autism Awareness Month...
Yesterday I mentioned that April is National Autism Awareness Month. After I thought about it, I realized that this is important and worth more than just a mention.
In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, The Austism Society of America has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970s. The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. Autism is a baffling, life-long disorder. And while there is no cause or cure, nor a known singular effective treatment, it is treatable. People with autism -- at any age -- can make significant progress through therapy and treatments, and can lead meaningful and productive lives.
Did you know?
Yesterday I mentioned that April is National Autism Awareness Month. After I thought about it, I realized that this is important and worth more than just a mention.
In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, The Austism Society of America has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970s. The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. Autism is a baffling, life-long disorder. And while there is no cause or cure, nor a known singular effective treatment, it is treatable. People with autism -- at any age -- can make significant progress through therapy and treatments, and can lead meaningful and productive lives.
Did you know?
- Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S.
- Autism affects over 1.5 million Americans and their families.
- Every 20 minutes, another child is diagnosed with autism.
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a report (PDF) stating that 560,000 children in the county have some form of autism.
- Autism may affect as many as 1 in every 150 children, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.
- Learn the Signs. Act Early. website provides information about childhood developmental milestones and delays. You'll be able to track the developmental milestones a child should be reaching, see how milestones change as a child grows, and download fact sheets on developmental milestones for children from 3 months to 5 years, along with information on developmental screening and developmental disabilities. http://www.cdc.gov/actearly
- Autism Information Center from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides resources for families and professionals. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/
- The Center for Inclusive Child Care has lots of resources and I encourage Minnesota providers to attend some of their Project Exceptional trainings to increase their awareness of the special needs of children.
- Also, if you live in or near Minnesota, Frazer is the largest provider of autism services in Minnesota and has a wealth of information.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 6:21 AM 
