Families are always keenly looking at Autism facts and statistics to help and educate themselves better also to help their communities. Autism Spectrum Disorders are a complex neurological disorder that impairs the social, communicative and cognitive functions and skills. The thorough understanding of the science behind the methodological treatment for autism is difficult. But a basic information and understanding of these concepts are important to spread awareness.
In 2014, the “Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Development Disabilities Monitoring Network” determined that autism impacts 1 in every 68 kids in the USA. The ratio of girls to boys as well differs – 1 in every 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls. However, there are plenty of interesting facts about that people will not be aware of. The multi-million dollar cost of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the genetic linking of this and why New Jersey is called the Autism capital of the USA. You will see many more such facts about autism here below:
List of Autism Awareness Facts:
1. Autistic people can lead a happy life: The autistic people despite what the others believe can live happily with the support of their families and community.
2. ASD people are more likely to die: The Autism Spectrum Disordered people are 2-5 times more likely to die as compared to the generic crowd. This is mostly because of their health conditions are more common and they are prone to seizure and accidents.
3. You can find out Autism Spectrum Disorder in early ages: While a lot of disorders are diagnosed later in lives, kids with ASD show differences very soon while they are in preschool. It can also show up as early as 6 months old. The babies with Autism Spectrum Disorder do not react to faces the way any other baby without ASD does.
4. Care for people with ASD can be much cheaper: Lifelong care for an individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder could be expensive. However, study suggests that these costs can be cut in half if diagnosed early and treated. But lifelong care becomes expensive. Over a lifetime, it costs from $1.4 million to $2+ million.
5. New Jersey has the highest autism rate: The major fact on autism is that New Jersey (for unknown reasons) has the highest rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosed in the USA. Either New Jersey has got good diagnostic tricks or that there could be something seriously wrong in New Jersey.
6. Autism Spectrum Disorder is much more common in boys: Boys are more prone to the Autism Spectrum Disorder almost 5 times more likely than girls. While there are no scientific reasons to know why this unfair ratio but it is believed that girls may show different symptoms as compared to the boys and hence the difference.
7. Autism Spectrum Disorder is in your genes: There is no research to prove the gene that creates Autism Spectrum Disorder, however; science has proven that it is strongly genetic links.
8. Unemployment for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Although the people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have known to have above average IQ levels, they still struggle to find jobs.
9. Autism Spectrum Disorder has nothing to do with intelligence: Keeping aside the learning disabilities which do hamper the intelligence, Autism Spectrum Disorder has nothing to do with it. Almost 44% and above with Autism Spectrum Disorder have average intelligence or above average.
10. Autism is everywhere: Unlike other disorders which occur in some parts of the world or set of people, Autism Spectrum Disorder has been noted to occur in different places, races, ethnicities across the globe.
11. There is no medical test for autism: As of now, there are no blood tests to diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder. Instead, the doctors and other professionals make use of the behavioral test to see whether the kids have Autism Spectrum Disorder or not.
12. They Wander easily: All kids wander but the ones with Autism Spectrum Disorder have tendencies to wander off into dangerous situations like rivers, lakes, busy street etc.
13. Early treatment helps: There is no cure to Autism Spectrum Disorder, but diagnosing early and getting the therapy done (speech, occupational therapy, social skills etc along with behavioral analysis) have shown major improvement in the kids.
14. Aspergers and Autism are the same: Autism Spectrum Disorder was the new term used in the collection to the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Many people have not heard either of the names and have not adjusted to the Autism Spectrum Disorder term.
15. Autism in kids are more likely to be born to older parents: Autism Spectrum Disorder kids are much likely to born to older parents over 35 and 40 years of mother and father respectively.
16. Vaccinations do not cause Autism Spectrum Disorder: although it has been a big debate if there are cases where vaccinations cause Autism Spectrum Disorder, the studies have proved that vaccines do not cause Autism Spectrum Disorder and it is a myth.
17. “Refrigerator mothers” have Autistic kids: Autism Spectrum Disorder happened to kids with mothers who are cold and distant from their kids. This longtime theory has now been proved a major myth.
18. Autism Spectrum Disorder was described in 1943: the term Autism was described first by Dr. Leo Kanner in his paper in 1943 about “Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact”. He reported it on an 11-year-old kid who showed marks of lack of interest in other people leading to highly unusual interest in the inanimate surroundings.
19. There is no cure: Facts on autism suggest that there surely is no cure for Autism Spectrum Disorder, however, there are a number of behavioral therapies that could drastically improve the kid’s acts. Behavioral therapy, speech therapy, social analysis etc. helps the person with Autism Spectrum Disorder to improve and get better.
20. Autism rates are on a rise: The Autism Spectrum Disorder has been ever since growing and also one of the fastest- growing developmental disorders in the USA. It is anticipates that there could be additional unknown reasons for the spike in autism rate and investigations are still ongoing with respect to the environmental changes, toxins and viruses in food and allergies.
21. Large head size could be flagged: The recent findings have been published in “Journal of the American Medical Association” suggest that the autistic children’s brain develops differently from the early age and hence at birth, the head circumference and brain could be compared. Those who have diagnosed with severe form of autism were found to have the most accelerated growth of the brain during infancy.
22. Autism Movies: Rain Man has the most Oscar wins(R) for any autism-related films.
23. Scholarships for Autistic kids: Many scholarships are available for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder for post-secondary programs and are also for physically disabled individuals.
24. Autism Fact Sheet: About 40% of kids do not speak who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. About 25%–30% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have few words at 12 to 18 months of age and lose them later. Others might speak, however not until afterwards in childhood.
