World Autism awareness day today

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day today (April 2) every year, encouraging member states of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the world. What’s more, it goes one step further to ‘celebrate the unique talents of those with autism, while putting a huge focus on the warm embrace and welcome that these skills deserve through community events around the globe.’

ASD is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socialises with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term ‘spectrum’ in ASD refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity. ASD begins in early childhood and eventually causes problems functioning in society - socially, in school and at work, for example. Often children show symptoms of autism within the first year. A small number of children appear to develop normally in the first year then go through a period of regression between eighteen and twenty four months of age when they develop autism symptoms.

On the other hand, some children show signs of ASD in early infancy, such as reduced eye contact, lack of response to their name or indifference to caregivers. Other children may develop normally for the first few months or years of life, but then suddenly become withdrawn or aggressive or lose language skills they’ve already acquired. Signs usually are seen by the age of two years. Each child with ASD is likely to have a unique pattern of behavior and level of severity - from low functioning to high functioning.