Thoughts For Thursday

Autism is not a puzzle, nor a disease. Autism is a challange [sic], but certainly not a devistating [sic] one.- Trisha Van Berkel

Its that time of year again- Not just time for warmer weather or school coming to a close. Not time for cruising with the top down or staying out a bit later because its lighter outside a bit longer. It's Autism Awareness month and 1stClassladies are big advocates when it comess to informing our supporters about life altering changes that can affect a persons life.

Autism is defined by the Autism Society as a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. There is no one particular cause for Autism and affects each person differently. It is usually considered that abnormalities in brain structure or function is the cause. In a lot of families, there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, which supports a genetic theory but there has yet to be an irregular genetic code to confirm it. The pervalence of Autism has unfortunatley risen to 1 in every 110 births in the United States and almost 1 in 70 boys; this according to the 2009 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though there is no outgrowing Autism if  detected early enough, children can make remaarkable inprovements. Here are the sign to look out for to know if your child or  someone you know may be Autistic:

• Does not babble or coo by 12 months
• Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp) by 12 months
• Does not say single words by 16 months
• Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own by 24 months
• Has any loss of any language or social skill at any age
• Lack of or a delay in speech
• Repetitive use of language and/or motor gestures (e.i. hand-flapping, twirling objects)
• Little to no eye contact
• Lack of interest in relationships with others
• Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
• Persistent fixation on parts of objects

Join the fight and raise awarenss for those with Autism by wearing the ribbion. The puzzle pattern is a reflection of the mystery as well as the complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the different types of people and families that live with the condition.

Donate. Give for the cause and it will help support, autism education, awareness, advocacy, research, and most most of all, allow those who are assisting families living with autism to continue doing so. Go to this link to make a donationYou can also donate by phone-1.800.328.8476 OR by mail Send your check to: Autism Society 4340 East West Hwy Suite 350 Bethesda, MD 20814