April is Autism Awareness Month!

[weck]

April is Autism Awareness month. The autism prevalence rate is now 1 in 110 children which has increased from previous years. It was 1 in 150. Autism diagnoses are much more common in males than in females. According to the 2006 study results (by the CDC), one in 70 boys in the nation have an autism diagnosis while only one in 315 girls are on the autism spectrum.

There are many great websites that explain it all in greater detail. Autism affects so many people in our day to day lives that it needs to be understood.

My 2 year old daughter Emma was diagnosed with autism shortly after she was born. She was also born without a thyroid which they say could have escalated the situation. Before Emma, the only thing I personally knew about autism was what I had seen on TV or movies and never really payed any attention to it as it didn't affect me. Now that it does affect me I see the importance of the knowledge for anyone that has children or are having children. 1 in every 110 children will have autism. That is huge if you are planning and hoping for a normal life. Living with someone with autism is a huge challenge and the costs associated with it are enormous. I have what is considered a high deductible health plan through work (to have an HSA), we hit all of the deductibles last month. And insurance doesn't cover all of the "school" that the kids need.

So read up and have knowledge on the situation if you have kids that you may suspect are autistic or are planning on having kids. Have them tested before they get further behind and are lacking in the everyday skills that come to most kids naturally.

[MadForce]

Spread the word. It is not that distant as many people think.

Stop the "R" word too. A couple of weeks ago I saw someone here call someone else "r........" in a giveaway thread if I am not mistaken.
Come on people dip the tongue in your brains before you speak.

[C*H*U*D]

Originally Posted by weck

...Before Emma, the only thing I personally knew about autism was what I had seen on TV or movies and never really payed any attention to it as it didn't affect me...

I was the same way Dan.....I didn't give it much thought, but the more I hear about it, the more I want to know. I don't have children, and probably never will but still want to learn more.

I think awareness is very important.

[weck]

Originally Posted by C*H*U*D

I was the same way Dan.....I didn't give it much thought, but the more I hear about it, the more I want to know. I don't have children, and probably never will but still want to learn more.

I think awareness is very important.

Yeah, unfortunately it isn't like Rainman where you can go to Vegas and win millions...

Awareness is key to help others understand that children with autism cannot always help themselves. They can throw massive fits when they feel they are not in control of the situation which doesn't work so well in grocery stores and such. Then you get the people that think they could be better parents then you because you have a child that seems to be so unruly that they must just be a bratty kid....I have heard it all and if I am in a good mood I explain to them that Emma is autistic, and this is how she acts when she is not in control....

[weck]

Lots of good reading on http://www.autismspeaks.org/

[wrx-n-ktm]

I have cousins who are autistic and a buddy of mine has an autistic son. All great kids

[kennyj]

We are not vaccinating our girl for this very reason.

[weck]

Originally Posted by kennyj

We are not vaccinating our girl for this very reason.

This has never been proven and the science has actually been disproven.

[kennyj]

I just don't know if I agree with that. We have not found that in our research. We have found that science has proven there is a link. I know that they lowered the levels of thimerisol, but at the same time they raised the level of aluminum in the vaccines. There a soooo many cases of Autism suddenly appearing virtually days after the vaccines. I am not trying to give you a hard time at all, hopefully you can re-educate me.

[radishkid]

Thanks for the good information Weck. My wife used to teach for the state's Autism program and in both of our current positions we are teaching students with Autism (her more so than I).

It is a frightening prospect for any parent, especially those familiar with the condition. In our case my wife and I watch our infant son nervously every day. We opted for a minimalist program of vaccination, since we felt it more important to protect him from life threatening illness, but I can certainly understand questioning the safety of vaccines. I feel that the cause seems to be almost certainly environmental, but we have heard theories ranging from vaccination to teflon, aluminum, and BPA. It's enough to make anyone feel paranoid. In the meantime, thanks to parents and disabilities advocacy groups, the understanding of and supports for individuals with Autism are growing. Thank you for being a tireless supporter of the cause. I value what parents in situations such as your own do for their children and your voices are heard.

Sorry for the long-ish post.

[Handicrawler]

I have an autistic nephew, he is 4. Even though he has to deal with his condition, he is the smartest 4 year old I have ever seen. Those that don't know anything about autism, EDUCATE YOURSELVES!!!! Eventually you will come across someone with it.

[Krawler Konceptz]

Weck where is your Decals I made you? Pic?

[weck]

Originally Posted by kennyj

I just don't know if I agree with that. We have not found that in our research. We have found that science has proven there is a link. I know that they lowered the levels of thimerisol, but at the same time they raised the level of aluminum in the vaccines. There a soooo many cases of Autism suddenly appearing virtually days after the vaccines. I am not trying to give you a hard time at all, hopefully you can re-educate me.

Kenny

Read up please - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/topics.html

I will not say get your child vaccinated. this is your choice!! Just educate yourself and make the best choice possible with the information you have. Just make sure you are 100% sure of your actions. if your child were to get some disease that could have been prevented by a simple vaccination, could you live with yourself? make sure that you can.

Originally Posted by radishkid

Thanks for the good information Weck. My wife used to teach for the state's Autism program and in both of our current positions we are teaching students with Autism (her more so than I).

It is a frightening prospect for any parent, especially those familiar with the condition. In our case my wife and I watch our infant son nervously every day. We opted for a minimalist program of vaccination, since we felt it more important to protect him from life threatening illness, but I can certainly understand questioning the safety of vaccines. I feel that the cause seems to be almost certainly environmental, but we have heard theories ranging from vaccination to teflon, aluminum, and BPA. It's enough to make anyone feel paranoid. In the meantime, thanks to parents and disabilities advocacy groups, the understanding of and supports for individuals with Autism are growing. Thank you for being a tireless supporter of the cause. I value what parents in situations such as your own do for their children and your voices are heard.

Sorry for the long-ish post.

radishkid - good for you on educating yourself on the vaccinations and choosing which ones you can live with giving him and which ones you cannot. I am not sure I know many parents that could live with themselves if they caused their child to endure a disease that could have been prevented.

Originally Posted by Handicrawler

I have an autistic nephew, he is 4. Even though he has to deal with his condition, he is the smartest 4 year old I have ever seen. Those that don't know anything about autism, EDUCATE YOURSELVES!!!! Eventually you will come across someone with it.

They are very smart, aren't they? It is uncanny how intelligent they can be.

Originally Posted by KrawlerKonceptz

Weck where is your Decals I made you? Pic?

I will get some pics this weekend....quit being a slavedriver....

[Krawler Konceptz]

Jeepers..gotta do everything for ya
I will sell each of these "scale" Autism decals for $5.00.
The money made will be sent to Weck at end of April for his "Autism Speaks"

[weck]

Originally Posted by KrawlerKonceptz

Jeepers..gotta do everything for ya
I will sell each of these "scale" Autism decals for $5.00.
The money made will be sent to Weck at end of April for his "Autism Speaks"

And yes, they are as cool as they look....I have 2 sets...

[jsowens]

We had a "Light It Up Blue" autism campaign on campus today. They had a desk with some info about autism and over 100 of us gathered wearing blue shirts. Pretty awesome program to partake in. I have a step-nephew who is autistic. He's a pretty rad kid.

[weck]

Originally Posted by jsowens

We had a "Light It Up Blue" autism campaign on campus today. They had a desk with some info about autism and over 100 of us gathered wearing blue shirts. Pretty awesome program to partake in. I have a step-nephew who is autistic. He's a pretty rad kid.

That is super cool!

[weck]

Couple of random autism facts for ya...

There is no blood test, no scan, and no image that can detect autism. Diagnosis relies on behavioral observation and screening.

Autism is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.

Autism is the fastest growing disability in the United States.

From the Greek autos meaning “self,” autism literally means “alone.”
(that one was for MadForce since he is from Greece)

[dieselfuel]

i have a 5yr old cousin who is autistic and my tattoo artist's 3yr old son is autistic. all i ever knew of autism was from the movie rainman before just last year.

[MadForce]

Originally Posted by weck

Couple of random autism facts for ya...

From the Greek autos meaning “self,” autism literally means “alone.”
(that one was for MadForce since he is from Greece)

So true, first written mention of autism was from Hippocrates, father of modern medicine, who has noticed a few children showing abnormal behavior.
These children acted and reacted differently from the rest of the people so he called the person "eaftos" (self).

Also in ancient Sparta, a highly militaristic city state, there were cases of autism. Sadly kids with "deformities" were thrown to "Kaiadas" a gorge near the city. Modern archeology has unearthed remains of children that looked to be 100% able-bodied, so most Historians concur that these children were suffering from mental diseases.