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St Mary's University College will be "lighting up blue"
on 2nd April to mark the fifth annual World Autism
Awareness Day.
In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared
2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (A/RES/62/139)
to highlight the need to improve the lives of children and adults
who suffer from the disorder so they can lead full and meaningful
lives.
World Autism Awareness Day gives the opportunity to shine a bright
light on autism. To help increase the publics knowledge of the
autism epidemic, and to highlight the importance of early diagnosis
and early intervention.
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests
itself during the first three years of life. The rate of autism
in all regions of the world is rising; in a recent briefing the
National Autistic Society confirmed that the condition now affects
1 in 166 children in the UK.
Light It Up Blue, in its third year,
is a unique global initiative by Autism
Speaks to help raise awareness about the growing public health
concern that is autism. Iconic landmarks around the world including
the Empire State Building, New York Stock Exchange, Rockefeller
Centre, Niagara Falls, Bahrain World Trade Centre, Paris Stock
Exchange to name a few will light their building up blue to show
their support for World Autism Awareness Day.
What is Autism
Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that affects the development
of the brain in areas of social interaction and communication
and is marked by severe difficulties in communicating and forming
relationships with people, in developing language and in using
abstract concepts. Characteristics include repetitive and limited
patterns of behaviour and obsessive resistance to tiny changes
in familiar surroundings or routines.
Autism is often referred to as the ‘hidden’ disability
because people who are on the autistic spectrum show no significant
physical difference to their peers, rather it is their behaviours
that mark them out as different. The 3 main areas of difficulty
for people with autism are referred to as the ‘triad of
impairments’.
- Social communication
- Social interaction
- Social imagination
Although not included in the triad of impairments, there is a
fourth area which has been identified as presenting people with
autism with significant difficulties and that is the area of sensory
processing. Sensory processing difficulties are indicated by either
a hyper or hypo-sensitivity across any or all of the 5 senses.
The first signs of autism usually appear as developmental delays
before the age of 3. Autism is described as a ‘spectrum’
disorder. This means that the symptoms and characteristics of
autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations
and can range from mild to severe. Two children with the same
diagnosis can act very differently from one another and have varying
skills.
As stated above, the numbers of those diagnosed with autism is
rising. In a recent briefing the National Autistic Society in
the UK confirmed that the condition now affects 1 in 166 children
in the UK and there is no reason to believe that incidence in
Ireland is any different. Although it is widely maintained that
the increase in incidence can, in part, be attributed to better
diagnostic procedures, it is apparent that the condition itself
is reaching epidemic proportions worldwide.
Research into autism and genetics has shown autism is genetically
pre- determined however research is on-going to determine to what
degree environmental ‘triggers’ may be involved in
the increase in incidence. What we do know, in Ireland, is that
the number of young children coming into the system each year
is significantly greater than in the past and that the demand
for services to meet the needs of this special population will
continue to grow.
- Autism is not a mental illness.
- Autism is not caused by ‘refrigerator
mothers’ who either consciously or subconsciously reject
their children, nor is it caused by bad parenting.
- Autism is not an indication of genius.
A small percentage of autistic people are autistic savants who
do have incredible talents. Most autistic people are not so
gifted.
- Children with autism are not unruly
kids who choose not to behave.
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