World Autism Awareness Day April 2nd

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness day, with the goal of raising awareness of a disorder that affects tens of millions. Shining blue lights have been used since 2010 to show support for this cause.

Autism , also known asautism spectrum disorder(ASD), is a group of brain developlment diorders that include;

• Autistic disorder
• Rett syndrome
• Child hood disintegrative disorder
• Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified(PDD-NOS)
• Asperger syndrome

Autism does not have any known cause but appears to have its roots in very early brain development. The most obvious signs and symptoms tend to emerge between 2 and 3 yrs of age.
It affects 1 in 88 children.

Symptoms and severity can vary widely. Those with autism have difficulties in 3 core areas;

1. Social Interaction; infants dont respond to their name. toddlers prefer to play alone and dont seek comfort. reduced interest in people. lack of empathy or viewing things from another's perspective.
2. Communication; delay in babbling and speaking. inability to understand body language, tone of voice. unusual body language. facial expressions do not match what they are saying.
3. Repetitive Behaviour; restricted range of activities. intense preoccupations or obsessions. need and demand extreme consistency in environment and daily routine.

Boys are 4 times more likely to have autism than girls.