Problem: The acronym ASD refers to a group of developmental disorders that affect communication and social interaction.
Take action: October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It's the perfect time to learn more about ASD and the challenges faced by people living with the disorder.
Solution: There are many myths and misconceptions about autism, but with the right information, we can all work together to support those living with ASD. During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, let's raise awareness and dispel some of these myths.
Many people with ASD can and do lead successful lives. With early intervention and appropriate support, people with ASD can acquire the skills they need to thrive.
There are many myths and misconceptions about autism. Here are just a few of them
MYTH: Autism is a mental disorder
FACT: Autism is not a mental disorder, but a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction.
MYTH: Autism is caused by poor parenting
FACT: There is no single cause of autism. Researchers believe that genetic and environmental factors play a role.
MYTH: People with autism are always socially awkward
FACT: Some people with autism may be socially awkward, but others are not. People with autism may have difficulty understanding social cues, but that doesn't mean they don't want to interact with others
MYTH: All autistic people are geniuses
FACT: While some people with ASD can be genius thinkers, not all are. However, people with ASD often have above-average intelligence.
If you know someone with ASD, take the time to learn more about the disorder. It will help you better understand and support them. If you don't know anyone with ASD, this is the perfect time to learn more and become an ally.
With the right information, we can all work together to support people with ASD. Let's commit to doing our part this National Day of Disabled Persons.
Contents
What is mild autism?
Difficulty establishing relationships with others and interacting with the environment. Young people with mild autism may be interested in others, but may not be able to talk or play with them. It is very difficult for them to initiate and maintain a conversation.
How can you tell if you have mild autism? In some cases of mild autism or autism without intellectual retardation, certain signs are detected more precisely in adolescence:
- isolation,
- ignorance of social conventions,
- difficulty expressing or controlling emotions
- lack of empathy,
What are autistic traits?
There are three signs that indicate autism and help establish a diagnosis: Communication disorders, both verbal and non-verbal. Disturbances in social relationships. Behavioral disorders such as stereotyped and repetitive gestures, rituals or limited interests.
What is an autistic trait?
LIMITED AND REPEATED BEHAVIORS, INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES: Stereotyped and repetitive movements are often present, whether it's waving or twisting fingers or hands, swaying the body or something else.
What does the future hold for mild autism?
Many opportunities are then offered to them in this field. People with autism become veterinarians, breeders or healers. They can work, for example, in a zoo or an equestrian center.
Can autism get worse?
The situation of adults with autism is constantly evolving, and can improve or worsen throughout life.
Do autistic people live long?
People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a reduced life expectancy of around sixteen to eighteen years compared with the general population, and for autistic people with learning disabilities, this reduction is 30 years.
What does the future hold for mild autism?
Many opportunities are then offered to them in this field. People with autism become veterinarians, breeders or healers. They can work, for example, in a zoo or an equestrian center.
Do people with autism live long? People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a reduced life expectancy of around sixteen to eighteen years compared to the general population, and for autistic people with learning disabilities, this reduction is 30 years.
Can autism get worse?
The situation of adults with autism is constantly evolving, and can improve or worsen throughout life.
Can autism disappear?
Given the current state of science, there is no cure for autism. However, with early support and tailor-made "structured socio-educational teaching", great progress can be made, whatever the age or level of the person.
How do autistic people age?
People with autism are the same age as their parents and carers. They really are our classmates! However, their lifestyle colors their development through centuries of life.
Can an autistic person have a normal life?
Given the current state of science, there is no cure for autism. However, with early support and tailor-made "structured socio-educational teaching", great progress can be made, whatever the age or level of the person.
Can an autistic person live alone?
Moments of solitude in autistic people also allow them to regain energy and feed their senses less, which can be put to the test when in a group of people. The child himself has no qualitative deficit in social interaction.
How does an autistic person live?
Clear organization by including the child in the schedule is essential, as autistic people hate the unexpected and this can trigger anxiety attacks or violence. It's important to clearly plan and reject all activities with the same stakeholders.
How do you deal with mild autism?
It will also be important for you to be vigilant and attentive. If possible, ask your child to tell you what's wrong. Let him find the words. In the case of a non-verbal child, ask him to show you what's wrong or what's bothering him.
How do you deal with an autistic person?
Rise to the level of an autistic person and communicate face to face. Wait until he or she is available before speaking. Speak slowly and clearly. Avoid multiple instructions that combine several tasks.
Do autistic people cry?
The child may then express him/herself in very vivid ways: agitation, crying, tears, aggression towards others or him/herself, avoidance of the situation, withdrawal, etc.
Can an autistic person have a normal life?
Given the current state of science, there is no cure for autism. However, with early support and tailor-made "structured socio-educational teaching", great progress can be made, whatever the age or level of the person.
How does an autistic person live? Clear organization, including the child in the schedule, is essential because autistic people hate the unexpected, and this can trigger anxiety attacks or violence. It's important to clearly plan and reject all activities with the same stakeholders.
Can an autistic person live alone?
Moments of solitude in autistic people also allow them to regain energy and feed their senses less, which can be put to the test when in a group of people. The child himself has no qualitative deficit in social interaction.
Do autistic people talk?
He may not be able to speak, he may have spoken a language, but not use it to communicate with others, he may be able to speak and communicate, but not always appropriately. Echolalia is one of the fairly common language disorders in autistic children.
Who transmits autism?
The disease is transmitted exclusively or preferably by one of the parents. Genomically imprinted genes are usually inactivated during egg or sperm development, or shortly after fertilization.
How long does an autistic person live?
Life expectancy for people with autism in France today is 54 years. Why this difference with an average life expectancy of 80 years for the general population?
How do autistic people age?
People with autism are the same age as their parents and carers. They really are our classmates! However, their lifestyle colors their development through centuries of life.
Is autism getting worse?
During puberty, deterioration can continue for several years, and in most cases returns to its previous state. Some people with autism remain severely impaired throughout their lives, with no access to language, while others develop personal autonomy and relatively adapted integration.
Can autism disappear?
Given the current state of science, there is no cure for autism. However, with early support and tailor-made "structured socio-educational teaching", great progress can be made, whatever the age or level of the person.
How can autism be cured?
There is no specific treatment for autism, but early treatment adapted to a child can improve his or her ability to interact and adapt to the world around them. Treatment is multidisciplinary and individualized.
What's the best treatment for autism?
Neuroleptics: These are the most commonly used medications. These include drugs such as Risperdal and Olanzapine. They are mainly used to influence the behavior of an autistic child, for example to reduce hyperactivity.
How do people with autism see the world?
People with ASD often report a very intense perception of the world. They represent both a hypersensitivity to certain elements and a hypersensitivity to others: for example, a person may be strongly disturbed by the crackle of neon light and very attracted by bright light.
Are people with autism intelligent? The unique intelligence of people with autism is based on separate brain functioning and requires different modes of intervention. Depending on the study, the proportion of autistic people with an intellectual disability varies from 13 % to 84 %.
What do autistic people call normal people?
Proponents of this concept are fighting to ensure that autism is no longer defined in terms of the cognitive functioning of the majority - those so-called "normal" individuals who prefer to be referred to as "neurotypical".
What do you call an intelligent autistic person?
Children with high-functioning autism and Asperger's disease have normal or above-average intelligence.
Why do we say Asperger's?
In the past, the classification "Asperger's" referred to autistic people without intellectual disabilities. But the name was unclear, as most people mistook Aspies (short for Asperger's) for genius, which is far from the reality.
How does an autistic person think?
Their thinking is concrete, without metaphor. Not so for an autistic child. Even when they use language correctly, even when they have no intellectual deficits, others remain distracting, sometimes frightening, too often incomprehensible.
How does an autistic brain work?
Many of the genes involved in autism code for proteins involved in the functioning of synapses, the areas of communication between neurons. When these genes are mutated, the associated proteins no longer function properly.
How does an autistic person function?
It manifests itself in changes in the ability to establish social interactions and communication, as well as behavioral disorders. People with autism often seem isolated in an inner world.
What are the chances of having an autistic child?
Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is four times higher in boys than in girls, with 1 in 42 boys (23.9 per 1000) compared with 1 in 165 girls (6 per 1000).
What are the risks of an autistic child? The study also shows that more children with autism had low birth weight or received resuscitation, incubation or phototherapy for postpartum jaundice than controls.
Who transmits the autism gene?
The disease is transmitted exclusively or preferably by one of the parents. Genomically imprinted genes are usually inactivated during egg or sperm development, or shortly after fertilization.
Which parent transmits autism?
The probability of autism in half-siblings is actually multiplied by 3, in siblings by 10, in identical twins by 150.
Which autism gene?
"Specific genetic syndromes associated with autism symptoms have long been identified, such as a gene called 'Shank3' responsible for Phelan-McDermid syndrome," explains Thomas Bourgeron. This type of autism is called "monogenic", meaning that it results from a mutation in a single gene.
Who is most affected by autism?
The prevalence of marriage is much higher in boys than in girls. In 2015, autism spectrum disorder diagnoses were four times higher in boys than in girls, in 1 in 42 boys (23.9 per 1,000) versus 1 in 165 girls (6 per 1,000) (Figure 4).
Who is affected by autism?
All epidemiological studies show that autism can affect all children, whatever their social background, parental education or ethnic origin: one child in 100 is affected, with boys being more affected than girls (four boys for every girl).
Is the number of autistic people increasing?
According to the report, the prevalence of autistic disorders increased over the study period. This rose from 9.3 per 1,000 people in 2010 to 18.1 per 1,000 people in 2017. "Autism plans have improved recognition of these disorders.
How can autism be avoided during pregnancy?
According to a recent study, women who take sufficient folic acid before and during pregnancy reduce their risk of having an autistic baby.
What can be done to avoid autism?
The only way to prevent autism would be to act on factors thought to be involved in the development of the disease, such as the use of medication and drugs during pregnancy, exposure to pesticides, and so on.
What are the chances of having an autistic child?
Men aged 40 to 49 are 28 % more likely to be autistic than their offspring than those aged 20 to 29. The risk increases to 66 % for fathers over 50. The study also shows that the mother's age also plays a role.
Is Asperger's autism hereditary?
The question of heredity "Parents sometimes have Asperger's traits, but these are just traits. There are many genetic studies, but it is difficult to isolate genetic specificities specific to Asperger's disease.
Is Asperger syndrome hereditary? Description of Asperger's Syndrome The causes of the disease are unexplained, although genetic factors (heredity) are often cited. The disorders associated with Asperger's syndrome are due to faulty transmission in the reception and processing of information in the brain.
How is Asperger's syndrome transmitted?
The disease is transmitted exclusively or preferably by one of the parents. Genomically imprinted genes are usually inactivated during egg or sperm development, or shortly after fertilization.
Which parent transmits autism?
The probability of autism in half-siblings is actually multiplied by 3, in siblings by 10, in identical twins by 150.
How do you become Asperger's?
The causes of Asperger's syndrome are mainly genetic. Neurological research has revealed particularities in brain function that are at the root of selective empathy disorders. Once a diagnosis has been made, multidisciplinary support can be offered.
What is an Asperger's IQ?
In fact, for a person to be diagnosed with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome, in addition to the criteria normally defined for the diagnosis of autism, their IQ (I.Q.) must be above 70.
What's the difference between autism and Asperger's?
The only thing that clearly distinguishes high-functioning autism from Asperger's syndrome is the age of language onset. Of course, the early onset of language in Asperger's children gives them a different developmental profile from high-functioning autistic children.
What do you call an intelligent autistic person?
Asperger's children have good diction and sometimes a sophisticated vocabulary that contrasts with other children their age.
Which autism gene?
"Specific genetic syndromes associated with autism symptoms have long been identified, such as a gene called 'Shank3' responsible for Phelan-McDermid syndrome," explains Thomas Bourgeron. This type of autism is called "monogenic", meaning that it results from a mutation in a single gene.
Are we born autistic?
Autism is not a behavioral, mental or personality disorder. People are born with autism in the same way as they are born with big or little ears.
What is the probability of having an autistic child?
This vast international study, carried out by researchers at the University of California at Davis and the M.I.N.D. Institute, shows that this probability, estimated at between 3 and 10% before this study, is actually 18.7%.