The Challenge of Autism

We are in the midst of an epidemic of developmental disorders that includes autism, Asperger's Syndrome, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), pervasive development disorder (PDD), and nonverbal learning disorder (NLD). Our local, regional, and national communities are in all ways under-equipped to diagnose, treat, or educate these children.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) interfere with normal development of the brain in the areas that influence reasoning, social interaction, motor skills, communication skills, and attention. Children with ASDs are typically deficient in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and play activities. These disorders make it difficult for them to communicate with others, leading to frustrated social isolation. Developmental disorders occur across a spectrum, affecting individuals differently; some children lose the ability to speak, some might have motor impairment, and many lack social and emotional awareness. Behaviors range from hyperactivity to serious self-injury. Left untreated, children do not develop the skills they need to function in society. Appropriate intervention is mandatory if the course of the child's life is to be redirected.

Autism, ADD, ADHD, PDD, NLD, and Asperger's Syndrome were once either unknown or very rare. In 1980, autism diagnoses alone were 1 in 5,000; the most current data from the CDC says it's 1 in 150 children. The National Children’s Health Survey recently released results from a 2007 telephone survey of over 80,000 households in the US, in which parents were asked if their child (ages 2-17) was known to "currently have autism, Asperger's Disorder, pervasive development disorder, or other autism spectrum disorder." The results of the survey showed that 1% of children (one in 100) now have the disorder. (http://nschdata.org/Dataquery/SurveyAreas.aspx?yid=2)

Autism is the most common developmental disability--more common than Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation combined. The problem is in fact much larger than these numbers reflect. By 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7%-15% of all US school children were affected by a developmental disorder. In the larger picture, ASDs have multiple effects on society, beginning with strains on the families of those affected; many report that the divorce rate in these families is over 80% in the United States, and there is no way to measure the frustrations of being a sibling of an affected child. Unfortunately, the majority of the public (as well as many professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields) are unaware of how these disorders affect people and don't know how to work effectively with individuals with a CDD.

"This problem is going to bankrupt the public health and public school systems in the next fifteen to twenty years if nothing is done."            - Dr. Cordero CDC

Web Links

• "Autism: The Evolution of a Disease"