Autism Stats

I have a terrible headache today and am not feeling very creative. However, I want to share some info about autism, so I just won't be very "Lori" about it while I do.

According to the Autism Society of America:

-- Autism will be diagnosed in more than 25,000 children in the U.S. this year.

-- The prevalence of autism is 1 in every 150 births, and 1 in every 94 boys.

-- 1 to 1.5 million Americans have autism spectrum disorder.

-- Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability, increasing by 10 percent to 17 percent annually.

-- The lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism is $3.5 million to $5 million.

-- Treating autism costs Americans $90 billion a year.

-- In 10 years, the annual cost will be $200 billion to $400 billion. Ninety percent of the costs are in adult services.

-- The cost of lifelong care can be reduced by two-thirds with early diagnosis and intervention.

There is no known single cause of autism, and it is treatable. The ASA, which offers an online Autism 101 course, lists these signs to look for in your children or children you know:

-- Lack of or delay in spoken language.

-- Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects).

-- Lack of interest in peer relationships.

-- Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play.

-- Persistent fixation on parts of objects.

-- Sensitive to sound/ordinary daily noises.

-- May exhibit aggressive/self- injurious behavior. (we don't have this one)

-- Resists changes in environment/daily routines.

-- Uses gestures or pointing instead of words. ( we don't have this one anymore)

-- Prefers to be/play alone.

-- Tantrums.

-- Enjoys spinning objects.

-- May be overly sensitive or undersensitive to pain or touch.

-- Poor motor skills.

-- Does not respond to verbal clues, although hearing tests in normal range.

Unfortunately, when people hear "autism," they usually think Rain Man. A lot of kids are like that; but a lot aren't. I personally believe we all fall somewhere on the spectrum. It IS a spectrum, after all, which means symptoms can range from very mild to very severe. I am very resistant to change (which is why God gave me a job at Seacoast), and most of the time I'd rather be alone or with people I know very well (I choose my friendships carefully and don't feel a need to have a lot of people close to me). Does that make me autistic? No. Does it put me on the spectrum? Probably. It's a SPECTRUM.

Lump all the quirks together and you get a diagnosis. Or FrogBoy. I choose to celebrate who FrogBoy is, rather than what he "has."

And I am thankful God chose to allow me the privilege of being his mom.