Autism in America

Working with autistic kids is very challenging, but at the same time is rewarding. Not a day goes by that I do not feel lucky because in many ways I am able to help them reach their goals and somehow be able to help them become independent and perhaps, be on their own as adults.

What is autism? Autism is a developmental disorder; it is usually detected before the age of three. It affects their language skill, some are verbal, but they are not able to make the connection which makes it difficult to communicate their needs and wants. Others are non-verbal and lack facial expressions to communicate. According to an article published on the “Health encyclopedia” www.healthscount.com , autism also affects their social skills. A vivid example of this phenomenon is that in a recent trip to the children museum, my class and another autistic class had to share a school bus with a behavior challenged class. The behavior challenged students were all chatting and singing children tunes all the way to the museum, but for the two autistic classes the situation was different, they were quiet during the trip and did not interact among each other. They have a hard time socializing with other people even with their parents.

The article also said that 1 in 150 children is born autistic. The generic composition of boys make them more susceptible to be autistic than girls. They also could flap their hands for hours or could wander off having to be reminded to focus on anything they were doing at that specific moment. OCD is also present in autism; they follow what is called rituals or repetitions. The have a routine which they have to do at the same time every single day as a way to feel oriented, if not, they have meltdowns.

What causes autism? There are many theories; it could be environmental or genetic. Others believe that the mercury in the vaccine is the one to blame for the disease. As the population of autistic children is growing more studies need to be done to somehow stop this terrible disease from stilling our children. The earlier the disease is found the better chances children have to make progress.