Advertisement

firehouse pizza banner

BCMS Supports Autism Awareness Month

Ethan Burden with members of the BCMS staff and faculty.

April has been designated Autism Awareness month and the folks at Butler County Middle School wanted to show their support for one of their students with autism.  Ethan Burden, a 7th grader,  is enjoying being in the middle of some of his favorite people at school. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder and autism are general terms for a group of complex disorders of the brain. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non verbal communication and repetitive behaviors, along with difficulty in fine motor skills or motor skills in general. Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development, however signs and symptoms of autism tend to emerge between 2 and 3 years of age. (taken from Autismspeaks.org) 

According to the CDC, 1 out of 68 children will be identified with a form of autism. Autism is more commonly found in boys than girls, 1 out of 42 boys will be diagnosed with a form of autism.

CDC has listed some of the signs and symptoms of children who might be on the Autism spectrum:

·         No pointing at objects to show interest by 12 months

·         No “pretend” play by 18 months

·         Child does not respond to their name by 12 months

·         Avoid eye contact and prefers to be alone

·         Has trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own

·         Has delayed speech or language skills

·         Repeats words of phrases (echolalia)

·         Give unrelated answers to questions

·         Gets upset over minor changes

·         Has obsessive interest

·         Flap their hands, rock their body or spin in circles

·         Have unusual reactions to the way things around them smell, taste, look or feel.

 

If you notice any of these signs in your young child, tell their physician immediately. ASD affects over 2 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. Early intervention is the best chance that a person with ASD can someday lead a semi-normal life later on.

 

For more information on autism, go to autismspeaks.org or the cdc’s website.

 

 
 

Tags: 


Bookmark and Share

Advertisements