April is National Autism Awareness month, where many organisations aim to improve people’s understanding of this complex condition and increase the awareness of autism. Comprehensive centres are springing up in a number of communities in order to make advancements with this initiative, offering more support for people trying to deal with autism. A better understanding of the disorder will help people to review the facts associated with it, as well as better understanding how autism can affect the lives of people in your community.
Autism is a developmental disability which generally shows signs in the first three years of a person’s life, impacting their ability to communicate and interact with other people. Currently, 1 in 88 individuals are affected by this disorder and studies suggest that 46,000 families will be attempting to begin this journey this year alone. With so many people navigating this condition, a better understanding and more services are vital in order to help them do this with as much information as possible. There is no medical test available to test for autism, so diagnosing it can be tricky. The child’s behaviour needs to be monitored and analysed in order to determine whether a child is showing signs of the disorder.
A screening and diagnostic clinic would be able to offer a variety of therapies, as well as advice and information to parents – this is something which communities are hoping to bring in the near future. This would include speech pathology, sensory integration, behavioural analysis and occupational therapies. In addition to this, parents would have on-going support in helping their child. If you suspect your child has autism, you should speak to your GP as soon as possible – knowing the signs can help to greatly improve the chances of identifying the condition early, which will help when it comes to treatment.
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