Facts about Autism You Need to Know

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a complex set of neurological disorders that severely impair social, communicative and cognitive functions. Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the U.S. In this article, we have listed 30 Interesting Facts about Autism.

The term ‘autism’ is used here to describe all diagnostic profiles, including Asperger syndrome and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).
 

  1. The term “Autism” was first introduced by Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939), a Swiss psychiatrist, but applied it to adult schizophrenia. In 1943, the term was redefined by Leo Kanner (1894-1981) who dissociated autism from schizophrenia to create the modern understanding of the disorder.
  2. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a complex set of neurological disorders that severely impair social, communicative and cognitive functions.
  3. Individuals with ASD can range from having cognitive impairments to typical or above average IQs.
  4. Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the U.S.
  5. From the Greek autos meaning “self,” autism literally means “alone.”.
  6.  30 Facts about Autism You Need to Know

  7. Autism affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys.
  8. Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism.
  9. Treatment can help, but there is no medical detection or cure for autism.
  10. Scientists agree that the earlier a child receives early intervention services the better the child’s prognosis. All children with autism can benefit from early intervention, and some may gain enough skills to be able to attend a mainstream school.
  11. The most effective treatments available today are applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and occupational, speech and physical therapy, which has proven to be the most effective. 
  12. 30 Facts about Autism You Need to Know

  13. If a pregnant mother gets the flu or has a fever that lasts for more than one week, the chances of her child being diagnosed with an ASD by the age of 3 greatly increase.
  14. More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than pediatric AIDS, juvenile diabetes and cancer combined.
  15. Between 30-50% of people with Autism suffer from seizures. 
  16. Environmental factors that could trigger predisposed genes to mutate and cause autism are vast and could include certain drugs, chemicals, heavy metal exposure, antibiotics, extensive television viewing, flame retardant, or infections during pregnancy.
  17. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not a disorder of intelligence or language, instead, it is a disorder based on difficulties with social communication. 
  18. anti social

  19. Many scholars believe autism is a combination of genetic vulnerability that is triggered by some kind of social or toxic influence.
  20. Autism Spectrum Disorder is much more likely to happen in children born to “older” parents, meaning mothers over 35 or fathers over 40.
  21. In 2008, several autistic children from different families were linked to a single sperm donor called “Donor X.”
  22. More than half of children with autism are bullied at some point in their lives and twice more compared to their peers who don’t have a disability (IAN).
  23. Some cases of autism may be associated with a family history of manic depression. 
  24. depression

  25. Suicidal thoughts are 10 times more likely in adults with autism than those without.
  26. Autism is a hidden disability, you can’t always tell if someone is autistic.
  27. Drowning is the leading cause of death among children with autism.
  28. Autism was initially called “Early Infantile Autism” or “Kanner’s Syndrome.”
  29. Scholars and parents debate whether autism is a disability or whether it should be considered merely a different kind of personality.
  30. autism

  31. Autism was added as a special education in 1991.
  32. In families with one autistic child, the risk of having a second child with the disorder is approximately 5% or one in 20. This is greater than the risk for the general population.
  33. Researchers have noted that infants who had early accelerated head growth were at risk for autism.
  34. Some celebrities also have autism (i.e. Dan Aykroyd, Susan Boyle, Daryl Hannah, Temple Grandin, John Elder Robison, etc.).
  35. While a child can be diagnosed with autism at 18 months, the average age of diagnosis is 4 years old.
  36. autism signs symptoms


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