- Research indicates that genetics are involved in the vast majority of cases.
- Children born to older parents are at a higher risk for having autism.
- Parents who have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder have a 2% to 18% chance of having a second child who is also affected.
- Over the last two decades, extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this research are clear: Vaccines do not cause autism.
- Developmental regression, or loss of skills, such as language and social interests, affects around one in five children who will go on to be diagnosed with autism and typically occurs between the ages of one and three.
- Autism is a condition whereby the brain develops differently.
- An estimated one-third of people with autism are classified as "nonverbal". The term "nonverbal" refers to communication through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and the distance between two individuals.
- It is approximated that 31% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have an intellectual disability.
- Nearly two-thirds of children with autism between the ages of six and fifteen have experienced bullying.
- Reports state that nearly 28% of eight year olds with ASD have displayed self-injurious behaviors. This includes but is not limited to head banging (against hard/soft objects), arm biting and skin scratching.
- High levels of anxiety is a prevalent significant challenge for individuals with autism.
- Changes in daily schedules, unexpected surprises, transitions to new phases/events in life continue to be a hallmark hurdle for those with Autism.
- Noise sensitivity to loud, repetitive, high or low pitch sounds and/or a combination can cause a sensory overload for someone with ASD.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that approximately 1 in 54 children is diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been further broken down by biological sex:
- 1 in 37 boys
- 1 in 151 girls
- Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. A common misconception is "only boys can have autism" and some researchers have posed the hypothesis that this is the reason for the large discrepancy between the rates those are diagnosed when looking at biological sex (i.e. the above facts).
- Most children are diagnosed after age four, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age two given the proper interventions.
- Autism does not discriminate; it affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
- Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often. It is believed this is due to education inequity.
- Early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan.
- About 40% of children with autism do not speak using traditional "verbal" communication methods. About 25% - 30% of children with autism are able to speak some words between twelve -eighteen months of age but then commonly appear to "lose" them. Others might speak, but not until later in childhood.
- Autism is the fastest-growing development disorder, yet the most underfunded. It is predicted that this year alone, more children will be diagnosed with autism than with AIDS, diabetes, and cancer combined.
- Early intervention like occupational therapy and speech therapy can improve learning, communication and social skills, as well as underlying brain development.
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and therapies based on its principles are the most researched and commonly used behavioral interventions for autism.
- Social narratives is an activity that describes a social situation through a story and then directs individuals in appropriate responses to the social situation.
- Assistive Technology devices such as communication boards and tablets can help those with autism learn crucial communication skills.
- Occupational therapy is different than physical therapy, and can be helpful to adults with autism to learn how to live independently.
- Many children and adults with Autism need specific support to learn about social behaviors and how to engage with family members, friends, and the community. A specific therapy called Social Skills Training (SST) can work with individuals on skills like, Some examples of skills targeted in SST programs include: initiating conversations, greetings, appropriate eye contact, how to behave in specific social and community settings, understanding emotions/facial expressions, gestures, body language, assertiveness, and having empathy.
- Risperidone and Aripiprazole are the only FDA-approved medications for autism-associated symptoms like agitation and irritability.
- Autism lasts throughout a person’s lifetime beginning in childhood and continuing through adulthood
- Over the next decade, it is predicted 500,000 teenagers (50,000 each year) will enter adulthood and age out of school-based autism services. An individual who works with their respective Special Education Department in a public school setting in the United States, can remain in school with access to their disability resources until they are between the ages of twenty to twenty-two. The specific age depends on the individual State's educational legislation.
- Of the nearly 18,000 people with autism who used state-funded vocational rehabilitation programs in 2014, only 60% left the program with a job. Of these, 80% worked part-time at a median weekly rate of $160, putting them well below the national poverty level.
- Research demonstrates that job activities that encourage and foster independence, can assist in reducing symptoms related to autism and increase comfortability with daily living skills.
Content/Trigger Warning below in "Social Impact" section: mention of sexual abuse
It is approximated:
• 50% of youth with Autism Spectrum disorder experience bullying in school settings.
• 50% of bullying that is successfully stopped, is stopped by peer intervention.
• Individuals who identify as female with the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder are three times as likely to be sexually abused. This study continues to theorize that individuals who identify as female with Autism Spectrum Disorder are often targeted by predators.
• One study found that only 7% of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder feel accepted by society.
• Those who work with and spend time with individuals who are on the Autism spectrum agree the best way to increase the overall feelings of acceptance as well as start to shift societies perceptions is to interact with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• 50% of youth with Autism Spectrum disorder experience bullying in school settings.
• 50% of bullying that is successfully stopped, is stopped by peer intervention.
• Individuals who identify as female with the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder are three times as likely to be sexually abused. This study continues to theorize that individuals who identify as female with Autism Spectrum Disorder are often targeted by predators.
• One study found that only 7% of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder feel accepted by society.
• Those who work with and spend time with individuals who are on the Autism spectrum agree the best way to increase the overall feelings of acceptance as well as start to shift societies perceptions is to interact with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- In a 2015 study, the cost of caring for Americans with Autism totaled an astounding $268 billion. This cost analysis has been projected outwards to project the costs in 2025. The cost is predicted to rise to $461 billion by 2025 in the absence of more-effective interventions and support across the life span.
- The majority of costs associated Autism supports in the United States are for adult services – an estimated $175 to $196 billion a year, compared to $61 to $66 billion a year for children.
Page Source Information
- National Institute of Mental Health: Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Autism Speaks: CDC estimate on autism prevalence increases by nearly 10 percent, to 1 in 54 children in the U.S.
- CDC: Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Interactive Autism Network: Challenging Behaviors
- Spectrum: Over the Next Decade Cost of Autism Could Escalate
- MarketWatch: Most college grads with autism can't find jobs. This group is fixing that.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Predictors of employment status among adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ADDitude: What Does Autism Spectrum Disorder Look Like in Adults?
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication Problems in Children
- Autism Tasmania: Common Challenges
- Autism Society: Nonmedical Interventions
- University of Iowa Children’s Hospital: Interventions for autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
- CDC: Treatment and Intervention Services for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Spectrum: "Girls with autism at high risk of sexual abuse, large study says"
- Autism Speaks: Top Ten Facts Parents, Educators, and Students Need to Know About Bullying
- Autism Speaks: What Causes Autism
- MAYO Clinic: Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Applied Behavior Analysis Program Guides: SST
- Images are free stock images available online