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Did you know that Autism was first coined by that name in the 1940's? Did you know that prior to and many years after it's "discovery," Doctors and psychiatrists alike, continued to institutionalize individuals exhibiting characteristics of Autism. The thought was that individuals with Autism were an extreme danger to themselves and to everyone around them. Without much knowledge at all concerning ASD, the doctors felt it was best to keep people with Autism on a 24 hour watch their entire lives. Sad stuff :(

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A few ways to help support our individuals with Autism

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Fun Fact! 10% of all children with Autism develop "savant" characteristics Which are, remarkable abilities compared to the child's overall level of ability.

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Fun Fact! About 10% of individuals diagnosed with Autism, can make progress as they age in such a way that they are considered within the subclinical level of expression. Meaning that the symptoms do not cause a clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of function.

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Fun Fact! About 10% of individuals diagnosed with Autism, can make progress as they age in such a way that they are considered within the subclinical level of expression. Meaning that the symptoms do not cause a clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of function.

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Progression of ASD diagnosis- A significant improvement in the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 is the inclusion of hyper- and hypo- reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of he environment. 

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Progression of ASD diagnosis- A significant improvement in the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 is the inclusion of hyper- and hypo- reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of he environment. 

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Severity Levels for Autism Spectrum Disorder according to the Diagnostic & Statistic Manual-5 

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Severity Levels for Autism Spectrum Disorder according to the Diagnostic & Statistic Manual-5 

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Level 3- "Requiring very substantial support."
Social Communication- Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication, very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others.
Restricted,Repetitive Behaviors- Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres. Great distress/difficulty changing focus or action.

Level 2- "Requiring substantial support."
Social Communication- Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced abnormal responses to social overtures from others.
Restricted,Repetitive Behaviors- Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of context.Distress and/or difficulty changing focus or action.

Level 1- "Requiring support." *Previously known as "Asperger's disorder."
Social Communication- without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. Difficulty initiating social interactions and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful responses to social overtures of others. May appear to have decreased interests in social interactions.
Restrictive,Repetitive, Behaviors- Inflexibility in behaviors causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty switching between activities. Problems of organization and planning hamper independence.

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*Genetics- Studies have discovered a connection that identifies the likelihood of individuals with ASD having family members,(siblings,etc) that too have ASD. In fact, the rate of Autism among identical twins is somewhere between 70-90%.

*Neurology- Studies of autism have been centered around neurochemistry,neuropathology, and functional neuroimaging. Studies have suggested a dysfunction of two chemicals within the brain. Those chemicals are the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Many of the medicine prescribed for children and sdolescents with ASD modify serotonin and dopamine levels.

*Possible errors of metabolism- Phenylketonuria(PKN)is a deficiency in the enzyme that converts the amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine. The toxic accumulation of phenylalanine results in damage to the brain function that leads to intellectual disabilities and behavior profiles similar to autism. There is current debate to as whether ASD could be caused by an error in the metabolism of gluten.

*Infections in Pregnancy and Early Childhood- Certain viral infections have been suggested to cause autism including: congenital rubella, herpes virus, post-measles encephalitis, and herpes encephalitis.

*Autoimmune disorders- There has been an association between autism and history of autoimmune disorders in the families of children with ASD. Some autoimmune disorders include: Crohn's disease, Type I diabetes, asthma, and celiac disease.

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There are many people in the world living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many of them are artist (musicians, painters, sculptors, actors/actresses etc.)
To list a few:
Temple Grandin- Said to be the most famous person with Autism currently alive. She is a world known book writer and has really been such a help for the agriculture community.
John Elder Robinson- Was not diagnosed until the age of 40. World known book writer.
Daryl Hannah-actress diagnosed at the age of 9. Her parents were told she may need to be institutionalized but she never was. She used to rock herself to self-soothe.
Ido Kedar- is what we consider "non-verbal." He discovered his way to communicate through typing. He explains that he was well aware of what was going on around him but had no way to communicate with the world before typing. He has no written (typed) a book and is feeling more free than ever and helping us get an insight to the world that he lives in. How neat!
These are just a FEW individuals that have shaken our world in such a positive, eye opening way!

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There are 5 different ASD Disorders.Autism is a spectrum disorder. Meaning that the levels of "deficits" are on a continuum of severities. Autism is a neurodevelopment condition that is complex to define and diagnose.

A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts.
B. Restricted, Repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
C. The symptoms are present in the early developmental period-
D. Cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of current functioning.
E. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental delay. Social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.