Autism Series - Facts
You just found out your child has a diagnosis of Autism and are wondering what this means?
What comes next? What is the future like? What does this mean for my child? What will their limitations be? What will they be able to accomplish?
You’re not alone! I hear these questions a lot!!! From caregivers of an individual that’s had a diagnosis of Autism for a week, a year, and even a decade. Some of these questions we don’t know the answer to. We don’t know what the future will be like. That is different for everyone, with or without Autism. We don’t know what your child will be able to accomplish or what their limitations will be. EVERY individual with Autism is different. If you’ve seen one child with Autism, you’ve seen one child with Autism. But there are some facts we do know.
What Is Autism?
The DSM-5 defines Autism as having 2 parts: “deficits in social communication and social interaction AND restricted patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities.” Plain English, anyone?
Let’s talk about the first part: deficits in social communication and social interaction. This can be struggles with turn taking skills in conversation; reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; struggles to initiate; struggles with nonverbal behaviors; and struggles in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships.
Now let’s talk about the second part: restricted patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. This could be repetitive motor movements; inflexibility with routines; fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus; or hyper (over) or hypo (under) reactivity to sensory input.
There are also some qualifiers to this definition.
Symptoms must be present in early developmental period
Symptoms cause significant impairment
These symptoms are not better explained by Intellectual Disability
Something to remember, though, is Autism is a spectrum!!! There are three levels of severity for both parts of the diagnosis with level 3 as most severe and needing the most support and level 1 as least severe and needing the least amount of support.
How Common Is Autism?
The Center for Disease Control shares these data and statistics (as of 1.22.2024):
About 1 in 36 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [Read article]
ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. [Read article]
ASD is nearly 4 times more common among boys than among girls. [Read article]
Does this really mean that more boys than girls have Autism?
Not necessarily. It is often harder to diagnose girls than boys. Autism symptoms in girls can present a little differently than in boys as well as we have different expectations for girls rather than boys. There is still more research needed on the prevalence, symptoms, and diagnosing of girls with Autism.
What Causes Autism?
There are sources out there indicating a variety of “causes” for Autism. The important thing is to get information from the correct sources as not all sources are created equal. The first point to make is there may be correlations seen between Autism and a variety of factors. However, CORRELATION DOES NOT MEAN CAUSATION. Just because a correlation is seen between Autism and a factor does not mean that particular factor causes Autism. Sources backed by research and evidence are among the best resources to search for facts about Autism and especially causes of Autism.
To give an example of this I did a quick google search “causes of Autism”. The first search result indicated the causes of Autism being: having an immediate family member with Autism, genetic mutations, other genetic disorder, being born to older parents, low birth weight, a history of viral infections, exposure to heavy metals, and the list goes on. However, if you go to the website they list these as “risk factors” not actual causes. The Autism Society describes the causes of Autism as well as indicates more research to determine true causes and not just related risk factors. According to the Autism Society “There is no known single cause for autism spectrum disorder, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neurotypical children. Researchers do not know the exact cause of autism but are investigating a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and medical problems. While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, researchers are searching for irregular segments of genetic code that children with autism may have inherited. It also appears that some children are born with a susceptibility to autism, but researchers have not yet identified a single ‘trigger’ that causes autism to develop.”
What’s the take away? Currently there is not one known CAUSE of Autism. There are many risk factors and correlating factors but not every person with the risk factors has Autism. There is still research needed in this area to determine the causes of Autism. When researching Autism and, especially causes, check your sources for validity and being backed by research.
What are Early Indicators of Autism?
There are many factors associated with Autism but not all factors will always indicate Autism. However, it’s important to know some early indicators to look for and be aware of. If you are ever concerned you can ask your pediatrician for a referral for an evaluation and for more information. Below are some early indicators you may see at different ages as discussed at autismspeaks.org.
6 months
Few smiles or other engaging expressions
Limited eye contact
9 months
Little or no turn taking with sounds and facial expressions
12 months
Little or no babbling
Little or no gestures
Little or no response to name
16 months
Very few or no words
24 months
Very few or no 2 word phrases
Other Indicators at any age
Regression of previous speech or language skills
Avoidance of eye contact
Continuous preference for solitude
Struggle understanding feelings
Delayed Language Development
Persistent repetition of words or phrases
Inflexibility with changes in routines or surroundings
Restricted Interests
Repetitive Behaviors
Unusual or Intense reactions to sensory input
What Therapies can Help with Autism?
Individuals with diagnoses of Autism can need a variety of therapies to address various needs. There are many services that can help an individual with Autism reach their potential and be successful while also providing support to their family members with information, tools, education, and skills. Here are the ones we offer at Better Learning Therapies in person in Utah and via teletherapy in Utah and Alaska.
Speech/Language Therapy: targets speech, language, and communication in a variety of areas
Occupational Therapy: targets cognitive, physical, social, motor, and sensory skills
Feeding Therapy: targets eating and oral motor and sensory based feeding skills
Other therapies for Autism might include
Counseling: may target coping strategies, relationships, relaxation, emotional regulation, etc.
Many other therapies
Therapy should be driven by the child’s needs. Not every child will need all of these services. Each of these therapies have a variety of approaches used to target a variety of skills and needs.
Reach out today to see how Better Learning Therapies can help you and your family on your autism journey.
This blog post contributed by Tiara Tagud, MS, CCC-SLP
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