Page 40 - April May Final Flipbook
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Understanding Autism
As new cases of autism continue to explode, efforts to understand the receives special education services. For the 2013-14 school year,
condition in childhood is on a rapid growth. there were 705,279 students receiving special education services in
To help augment this understanding, April has been designated as California. Of these students, 84,718 are classified as having ASD.
Autism Awareness Month, which provides a perfect platform to review This is an increase of 9,931 students from the 2012-13 school year!
some important facts about autism and how it impacts our daily lives. This is a dramatic jump in the number of students with ASD being
Think about this – in 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and served in the public schools in California. Looking back for the
Prevention reported the rate of children with ASD, or Autism Spectrum 2000-01 school year alone, 14,039 students were identified as hav-
Disorder, was 1 in 150. Four years later, that rate increased to 1 in 125 ing ASD (2% of the students receiving special education services
and in 2008, the rate changed again to 1 in 88. that school year)!
Are you ready for this? Just last year, in 2014, the rate of children It is unclear what actually causes autism. However, it is generally
identified nationally with ASD jumped to 1 in 68. These numbers are accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or func-
alarming, no doubt. tion. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the
Both Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders describe complex brain in children with autism compared to neurotypical children.
disorders of brain development that are typically seen before the age Although researches do not know the exact cause of autism, there are
of 3, and are diagnosed through behavioral observation’s, checklists, a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and
and developmental histories. It is also characterized by impairments medical problems.
in social communication skills, which is seen as an inability to create Grasping a handle on Autism may be difficult, but there is a method
friendships and develop relationships. that is used to bring about meaningful and positive change in behav-
ior – Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA.
Autism also features the presence of restricted interests and repetitive This safe and effective treatment for autism has been endorsed by
behaviors. That is, possible obsessions or perseverations on an object a number of state and federal agencies, include the U.S. Surgeon
or topic of conversation, as well as body rocking and hand flapping. General and the New York State Department of Health. In fact, the
In California, 10 percent of the total statewide school enrollment nation has seen a particular dramatic increase in the use of ABA to
help persons with autism live happy and productive lives.
