autistic disorder, rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified), and asperger Syndrome. Autism Speaks is an awesome resource for people with children on the spectrum. Autism Speaks is an awesome resource for people with children on the spectrum. Per the CDC, ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorders) currently affect 1 in 88 children in the US, estimates are 1 in 54 boys, and 1 in 252 girls. Diagnosis has increased 10-fold in the last 40 years. Autism is now diagnosed more often each year than juvenile diabetes, AIDS or cancer - COMBINED. *
There is a great article that answers many questions about autism: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
Some people don't realize that children with autism are a lot smarter than they are given credit for. I have read several stories of people who have severe autism, who are communicating because someone decided to try: ipad's, computers, sign language, PECS, etc. Some people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) have speech, mental, or motor skill deficits while others excel indifferent areas.
Since our boys are identical twins, every one we saw in the psychology and medical field always asked in they both had it. At first it didn't appear so, and everyone was shocked, the reason: in identical twins 96 % of them where one twin has autism, the other will develop too. Though our boys are identical twins, they presented autism in two totally different ways. Daniel was delayed and virtually non-verbal in the beginning, but, because he was a boy and not showing "typical" autistic signs, it wasn't until he had a full regression that he was diagnosed. Still, he was diagnosed relatively quickly after that. Anthony, took a while longer and it also took a regression to have him properly diagnosed. He does not seem to have the severity of symptoms that Daniel does. However, as research shows and parents quickly learn, that like snowflakes, every child on the spectrum has different issues, each case is different.
One thing we have found that helps with our boys, and seems to help with everyone else we know who have or know some on the spectrum: they all seem to have at least one thing that "opens them up". When the boys were 2 - 3 years old it was the zoo, the playground, and as a family trip we went to Disneyland - we thought the zoo and playground opened them up... Nothing like Disneyland does. They are more responsive, more verbal (not that we can always understand what they are saying), more apt to interact. They do better in school and with ABA (at least for a while). It's awesome! I recommend that everyone try anything they can to break through.
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