While some of you might be planning to pull up a prank on your friends to commemorate April Fools,today marks a far more important event,which is the first ever,World Autism Awareness Day.You might ask then what exactly is autism all about and why there is a need to celebrate it.
I am sure most of you have heard the word autism before,but do you actually know what it means.Well,autism basically is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges.It typically appears during the first three years of life.Unfortunately,there is no known single cause for autism but there it is treatable.Children do not "outgrow" autism,but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.In fact,screening methods for detection of at risk children are available for toddlers as young as 18 months of age.Such screening can occur during a regular well baby check-up.In fact in Singapore,we have two organisations dedicated to help those with autism,which is the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) as well as Autism Association of Singapore and both of them offers services such as training classes and therapy services to those who might want to know more about autism and for those who are affected with autism.In fact,if you are interested to become a volunteer,you may also do so by registering at their website.You can visit both their website here for more information. http://www.autism.org.sg/main/ or http://web.singnet.com.sg/~autism/
So back to autism,there are many signs to look for in the children if you think they are affected with autism,and such signs includes lack of interest in peer relationships,lack of or delay in spoken language and little or no eye contact among others.You might want to know some interesting facts about autism which is as follow:
- Autism affects as many as 1 in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys
- Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the world
- More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with diabetes,cancer,& AIDS combined
- Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
- There is no medical detection or cure for autism, but early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes
- Autism does not discriminate by geography,class,or ethnicity
- There are estimated 35 million people affected by it globally,most of them are children
Source: WorldAustismAwarenessDay.Org
Like I have said earlier,this is the first ever World Autism Awareness Day.The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution,tabled by the State of Qatar,which declares April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day on December 18, 2007.It is one of only three official disease-specific United Nations Days and will bring the world's attention to autism,a pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions.The World Autism Awareness Day resolution also encourages all Member States to take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout society and to encourage early diagnosis and early intervention.I think its good that autism is finally receiving global attention.It might not be deadly as other diseases but it is one of the most common yet unknown disease in the world.It is time that the people understand the nature of autism and the problems that those who are affected might be suffering from.Each and everyone of them deserve to lead a normal life like us as well.Your number one news channel CNN will be airing a special presentation on autism later today at 12am called 'We Have Autism' where they will try to unravel the mystery behind autism.If you want to know more about the disease,then dont miss it.I hope this post has help you in someway or another in understanding autism better.
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