Apr 2, 2013

World Autism Day April 2, 2013 ~ Light it up Blue for Autism Awareness ~ Mom Loves 2 Read


Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events.
How will you celebrate?

What is Autism you might ask?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome.
I have a dear little friend who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.  Through his struggles and triumphs I have learned a little about Autism spectrum disorder and Asperger syndrome.  I would like to dedicate today's post to him and his family, and to all those with a family member with Autism (ASD) and Asperger syndrome.   He is one of the smartest kids I know - highly intelligent and has facts for nearly every subject.  He is an amazing person, and dearly loved by my whole family.

Did you know ...
  • Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys
  • Autism prevalence figures are growing
  • Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
  • Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
  • Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
  • Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism
  • There is no medical detection or cure for autism
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What Is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) considered to be on the “high functioning” end of the spectrum. Affected children and adults have difficulty with social interactions and exhibit a restricted range of interests and/or repetitive behaviors. Motor development may be delayed, leading to clumsiness or uncoordinated motor movements. Compared with those affected by other forms of ASD, however, those with Asperger syndrome do not have significant delays or difficulties in language or cognitive development. Some even demonstrate precocious vocabulary – often in a highly specialized field of interest.

  http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4545068507137985&pid=15.1&H=128&W=160   http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4817854745871001&pid=15.1&H=160&W=160   http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4629138177131306&pid=15.1&H=95&W=160


DID YOU POST ABOUT AUTISM TODAY?  THE PUT YOUR LINK BELOW AND HELP OTHER BLOGGERS SUPPORT EACH OTHER ~ LEAVE COMMENTS, SHARE POSTS AND SUPPORT AUTISM TOGETHER!

  http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/images/as_blogo_horz_web1.jpg
Disclaimer: The information and statistics found in this post were found on Autism Speaks (autismspeaks.org).

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for bringing awareness. I now feel more informed after reading your information. It's amazing how many people are affected by Autism.

    Reply
  2. Following your blog via GFC and NetworkedBlogs and also facebook page
    My blog: http://english-written-portairt.blogspot.pt/
    My facebook page: #/pages/Coffee-Break/278193305648108
    Already grabbed your button and added it to my list on my blog ;)

    Reply
  3. Thanks for the post and information!

    Reply
  4. Really informative post. Visiting from Voiceboks:)

    Reply
  5. Thank you for sharing and helping raise awareness. My oldest son has ADHD, ODD and he drives me crazy sometimes even though I love him. Might need to share his story.

    Reply
  6. Hello Susan,
    Thank you for posting about this subject. My oldest was diagnosed as high functioning Asperger's when she was 6 yrs. old. Since this was our first child my husband and I were in for a ride we hadn't experienced. Whew.
    We were all so fortunate to have found incredibly supportive teachers, and specialists that have guided us all and now our 15 yr. old is a terrific, well-balanced high school freshman.
    Thanks again.
    (Found you on VoiceBoks :-> )
    ~Ann
    http://www.annagainandagain.com/

    Reply
  7. Maybe someday we'll get to some more pin-pointed research for such varying degrees and a broad spectrum? I would imagine it's very difficult to perform research, and make progress when everything falls into a large category.

    Reply
  8. Wow! What crazy stats! How many are mis-diagnosed? I had no idea it was currently so high!

    Reply

Thanks for stopping by! Comments are always welcome!