Hey everyone, it's Mandy Koeppen sharing a blog post with you that is very near and dear to my heart. Its unusual for a post on Wednesday to be seen on the October Afternoon blog but today is World Autism Awareness Day. October Afternoon has kindly let me take this Wednesday to share some important information about Autism with you.
- Autism Statistics
- Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys
- Autism prevalence figures are growing
- Autism is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
- Autism is nearly 5 times more common among boys (1 in 42) than among girls (1 in 189).
- Studies in Asia, Europe, and North America have identified individuals with Autism with an average prevalence of about 1%. A study in South Korea reported a prevalence of 2.6%
- Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
- Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
- There is no medical detection or cure for autism
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by:
- Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts;
- Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities;
- Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (typically recognized in the first two years of life); and
- Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
- ASD can range in impact from mild to significantly disabling.
Some of you may know that my son Mavrick has Autism.
Layout created with October Afternoon All Boy Collection. The heart was cut with my silhouette. I added Mav's Story to the background and then decided to cover it with vellum which also covers the arrows to many the wonky see it, don't see it look.
Mav was diagnosed in May 2006 at the age of 2. Mav is on the severe end of the spectrum. Life with Autism isn't easy but when you are affected by Autism life changes in many ways specifically one special thing happens... you don't take the little things for granted because those little simple things like "I love You", a smile, eye contact, making it through the market without a meltdown, or sitting with him washing dishes by hand just to have that interaction and listen to him jibber jabber aren't so little, they are BIG moments in our life's. Autism breaks your heart, makes you stronger, and your love deeper. You can read more about Mav's Story HERE.
If you'd like more information about Autism or World Autism Day please visit Autism Speaks or simply google Autism.
Thanks for joining me today and spreading the awareness!