Spreading the Awareness of Autism

The United Nations General Assembly has declared the 2nd of April as World Autism Awareness Day, to bring awareness and improve the lives of those with Autism and help them lead a full life by integrating them with the mainstream.

What is Autism?

Autism is defined as an enduring neurological condition that reveals during early childhood, impacting how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing troubles in social interaction and communication. It includes limited and repetitive patterns of behaviour and could occur among anyone, irrespective of gender, race, or socioeconomic status.

The rate of autism across all regions is high. According to the Centre for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 44 children in the United States. The lack of understanding of Autism has a tremendous impact on individuals, their families, and communities. This unawareness may be due to the stigma associated with the disorder and how the affected individuals and families are treated. The need is to bring in a change by bridging the gap making individuals understand the disorder, the signs, and treatment, and by creating facilities for the affected individuals to avail.

Understanding Autism

While understanding autism and its symptoms we need to carefully evaluate and understand several sensitive and tricky issues. Some of the major characteristics of autism are unique social interactions, unconventional ways of learning, keen interests in specific subjects, and inclination to a particular routine.  challenges in typical communications and particular ways of processing sensory information.

The other tell-tale signs include reduced eye contact, and lack of response to their name or others which children may show in early infancy or a few years later. These ‘signs’ are usually evident by the time they are 2 years old, with varying levels of severity from person to person ranging from low functioning to high functioning. Hence, the caretaker needs to look for these signs and symptoms during the child’s early stages of development.

Sadly, there are no prescribed ‘prevention strategies that can be used by caretakers or health professionals to prevent autism. While there is no cure, intensive and early treatments have shown to make a big difference.  The child needs to be provided with appropriate support, and acceptance of this neurological variation so that they too could enjoy equal opportunity and full and effective participation in society.

World Autism Awareness Day

The theme for this year’s autism day is Inclusive Quality Education for All. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a huge gap in education and this has affected children in general and more so, those with special needs like autism. This year let’s strive to create awareness of autism spectrum disorders and ensure that individuals can avail inclusive quality education.

How do we ensure we do this? If you’ve ideas, SYNE could help you to bring that to fruition. Mention your ideas in the comments below and let’s make them a reality.