04-14-2008, 12:32 AM
saw this article while browsing some of my regular sites. very curebie and pro autism speaks, but i think we can inform him that not all of us are all miserable and afflicted. he doesn't seem like he's all curebie yet, there's still time to inform him on the other side.
Quote:
When Sports Becomes a Small Matter: A Child and Autism
13th April 2008
There is no category for this topic here. There is baseball, basketball, hockey, football, and auto racing, but there is nothing for topics of far more importance.
This, being my personal blog, has been about commentary on sports. It has never been about my views on matters outside of that.
And, it has never been a place where you would find anything personal. Today, that changes as I find myself placed in a new cause. It is one that touches myself, my family, and as I will outline below, a growing and alarming number of families.
Over the past year, our youngest son has not been developing at the rate that most children do. At first, we chalked this up to him just not accelerating at the rate of our first son, who was ahead of the curve. Now, coming up on the age of three, we saw that he was not communicating, even on rudimentary levels such as pointing when he wanted something. Only when prompted would he respond verbally to a very small list of known words. Things that we initially thought were cute were really signs of something else. There was the jumping up and down when he was excited, spinning in circles, and the one we thought was the funniest… never calling me “Daddy”, but rather, “Mamma. “
Given these signs, we met with his pediatrician and from there, other specialists. The diagnosis was that our son is autistic.
As my wife and family come to grips to this news, we now find ourselves in a life altering experience. The good news is that with early detection, one-on-one and what is called “mainstream” therapy, we can hope that our son will eventually be a productive part of society. What was alarming to me was the incredible trend of more and more being afflicted with this disability. There was a point where the word “autism” would elicit confused stares. Now, nearly everyone in America has a family member or friend touched by this disorder.
Based upon this, I am challenging all that have a platform to do so, to link to this news below, or pass it along. Call it the sports autism challenge, whatever. The hope is that by getting this news to as many as possible in the hope that others can be educated to this disability.
The following information comes by way of the Autism Society of America:
1 out of 150 children in U.S.
1 out of 90 boys
Affects four times as many boys as girls
Lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism: $3.5 to $5 million
Current annual cost to U.S.: $35 billion
Estimated annual cost by 2010: $90 billion
1.5 million Americans affected
Researching has found information that will be valuable to my wife and I, and some indications that we now see as classic traits of autism spectrum disorder that are within our son’s behavior. Passing some of these behavioral traits along may help you, or someone you know, get their child to their pediatrician for an evaluation. Early detection is critical as the earlier a child is enrolled in therapy, the better the odds are that when they grow older they will be able to function in society.
Here are some signs to look for in the children in your life:
Lack of or delay in spoken language
Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
Little or no eye contact
Lack of interest in peer relationships
Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
Persistent fixation on parts of objects
Reaching a development milestone only to see regressively disappear
Odd dietary behaviors, such as eating only starches
No fear of danger
The following is from Autism Speaks:
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.
How can you help? Donate. Spread the word.
To Donate:
Donate to the Autism Society of America
Donate to Autism Speaks
As I said, there is no category here for social causes. However, this is the one time it seemed appropriate and a responsibility to do so. If you know someone with autism, please leave your comments.
13th April 2008
There is no category for this topic here. There is baseball, basketball, hockey, football, and auto racing, but there is nothing for topics of far more importance.
This, being my personal blog, has been about commentary on sports. It has never been about my views on matters outside of that.
And, it has never been a place where you would find anything personal. Today, that changes as I find myself placed in a new cause. It is one that touches myself, my family, and as I will outline below, a growing and alarming number of families.
Over the past year, our youngest son has not been developing at the rate that most children do. At first, we chalked this up to him just not accelerating at the rate of our first son, who was ahead of the curve. Now, coming up on the age of three, we saw that he was not communicating, even on rudimentary levels such as pointing when he wanted something. Only when prompted would he respond verbally to a very small list of known words. Things that we initially thought were cute were really signs of something else. There was the jumping up and down when he was excited, spinning in circles, and the one we thought was the funniest… never calling me “Daddy”, but rather, “Mamma. “
Given these signs, we met with his pediatrician and from there, other specialists. The diagnosis was that our son is autistic.
As my wife and family come to grips to this news, we now find ourselves in a life altering experience. The good news is that with early detection, one-on-one and what is called “mainstream” therapy, we can hope that our son will eventually be a productive part of society. What was alarming to me was the incredible trend of more and more being afflicted with this disability. There was a point where the word “autism” would elicit confused stares. Now, nearly everyone in America has a family member or friend touched by this disorder.
Based upon this, I am challenging all that have a platform to do so, to link to this news below, or pass it along. Call it the sports autism challenge, whatever. The hope is that by getting this news to as many as possible in the hope that others can be educated to this disability.
The following information comes by way of the Autism Society of America:
1 out of 150 children in U.S.
1 out of 90 boys
Affects four times as many boys as girls
Lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism: $3.5 to $5 million
Current annual cost to U.S.: $35 billion
Estimated annual cost by 2010: $90 billion
1.5 million Americans affected
Researching has found information that will be valuable to my wife and I, and some indications that we now see as classic traits of autism spectrum disorder that are within our son’s behavior. Passing some of these behavioral traits along may help you, or someone you know, get their child to their pediatrician for an evaluation. Early detection is critical as the earlier a child is enrolled in therapy, the better the odds are that when they grow older they will be able to function in society.
Here are some signs to look for in the children in your life:
Lack of or delay in spoken language
Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
Little or no eye contact
Lack of interest in peer relationships
Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
Persistent fixation on parts of objects
Reaching a development milestone only to see regressively disappear
Odd dietary behaviors, such as eating only starches
No fear of danger
The following is from Autism Speaks:
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.
How can you help? Donate. Spread the word.
To Donate:
Donate to the Autism Society of America
Donate to Autism Speaks
As I said, there is no category here for social causes. However, this is the one time it seemed appropriate and a responsibility to do so. If you know someone with autism, please leave your comments.
emphasis mine.
http://w ww.m aurybrow n.com/?p =450 (broken link).
i am hoping that possibly some aff'ers can comment on his blog and educate him on the other side of autism, instead of just the side that autism speaks and the other curebies say. thank you for your time.
