Troubling Facts About Autism

*Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.


*There are probably a combination of factors that lead to autism but genetic factors seem to be important.

*PDD-NOS –(Pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified ) is also called atypical autism.

* PDD-NOS shares similarities with autism, it tends to be milder,

*Other pervasive developmental disorders include:

  • Aspergers syndrome (like autism, but with normal language development)

  • Rett syndrome (very different from autism, and only occurs in females)

  • Childhood disintegrative disorder (rare condition - a child learns skills, then loses them by age 10)

*The United Nations adopted a resolution on Dec. 18, 2007 declaring April 2 Autism Awareness Day

*The inaugural celebration of Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2008 included 20 participating countries

*67 million people worldwide are affected by Autism.

*Children with ASD are 7 times more likely to come into contact with the police.

*Some doctors believe the increased incidence in autism is due to newer definitions of autism.

*An estimated 190,000 Canadian children have the Autism Disorder.

*This year more children will be diagnosed with Autism than Aids, diabetes and cancer.

*The most recent studies suggest the rate of autism has increased to 60 cases per 10,000 people, from 40 cases.

* 1 in 110 children in 2010 in the US will be diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

*1 in every 70 boys in 2010 in the U.S. is living with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD),

*1 in 150 in 2008 children in the US was diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

* 1 in 94 boys in the US in 2008 was living with ASD.

*Autism cannot be detected yet by medical means.

*Early diagnosis and early intervention improves the future of Autistic children.

* At your child's 18- and 24-month checkups, your pediatrician should screen for autism spectrum disorders.

*500,000 children in the US with autism will become adults in the next decade.

*There is an 81% unemployment rate among adults with autism.

*More than 80% of adults with autism between 18 and 30 still live at home.

*Children with Autism may appear generally normal until around the age of 24 to 30 months.

*In the US the National Institutes of Health spent only $22 million in 1997 for Autism research.

* In the US the National Institutes of Health spent $74 million in autism research in 2002.

Which fact do you find most troubling?

April 8th Autism Tip- Arthur Addresses Asperger's

April is Autism Awareness Month, therefore, it is fitting that PBS chose this month to air its’ episode “When Carl Met George”. This episode’s storyline is about Asperger’s Syndrome and Friendship.

During their 13 seasons, viewers have met and followed the stories of characters with different abilities, interests and problems. This time, viewers will follow George as he gets acquainted with Carl who loves to draw trains and knows all kinds of cool facts about them! Viewers will learn that Carl has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and that Carl sees the world a bit differently than George and many other kids. Children will be made aware of Carl’s intense sensitivity to certain things and need for order. Carl may be different but he is special and becomes his pal.


The show is followed by a live-action segment featuring kids with Asperger’s and autism. Viewers will learn about therapeutic horseback riding for kids with special needs,


To find out when Arthur is aired in your area check the following: http://pbskids.org/tvschedules/localizer.html?dest=/arthur/index.html&nola=ARUR


What other ways can children be helped to understand Special Needs children?