Hello new supporters! A note on autism.
Published May 20, 2008 @ 07:24AM PT
There are so many new faces on our supporter list! Welcome to the Hawkeye Ranch Center for Autism's Change.org page. If you have any questions about autism and what are goals are to serve those with autism, please send us a message. We are committed to spreading awareness.WHAT IS CURRENTLY KNOWN ABOUT AUTISM?
Autism is a complex developmental disability which is neurological and brain-based, meaning that it relates to a biological issue within the brain, as opposed to a psychological disorder.
Although autism is more common in boys than girls, autism has no boundaries and is found in all classes, countries and ethnicities.
Though autism is commonly diagnosed before a child is three, many children and adults within the autism spectrum umbrella have mild symptoms which are never diagnosed.
Children and adults with autism have trouble with communication and language development, which can range from losing verbal ability altogether, to subtle communication challenges with full verbal ability.
Autism is associated with increased sensory ability or hypersensitivity that causes sensory confusion. Hypersensitivity affects each individual with autism differently, and it may include a sensitivity to sound, touch, taste, the visual world, smell, or all of the senses together. Sensory processing becomes a challenge.
When autism is suspected, immediate intervention is important, especially in early childhood. With current therapies and treatments, the development of children and adults with autism can be positive.
Autism is the most common member of a group of developmental disorders under the autism spectrum umbrella, which is also known as Pervasive Development Disorders, or PDD. The autism umbrella also includes Asperger's Syndrome, Childhood Disintagrative Disorder, Rhett's Syndrome, and PDD-NOS (NOS stands for "not other specified"). A diagnosis should only be made by a qualified medical practitioner.
Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.
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