Autism

Hello,

If you've been with me and my blog long enough, I'm pretty sure you've sensed a pattern emerging in my writing. What is that pattern exactly? Well, I usually gravitate towards stories of physical disabilities as well is people with physical limitations. I intend to break myself that bad habit today. On the one hand, I believe it is important to understand your disabilities and the limitations it puts on your life. On the other hand, I believe it is essential to gain a basic, knowledgeable understanding of other disabilities in order to bridge the gap between past and future generations. This will lessen the possibility for "stereotypical" knowledge.

That being said, I just happened to be watching a program and I got a preview of a news clip. This time, it featured some new research findings regarding autism. If you are unfamiliar with the term, autism is a disability which impacts the socialization and communication skills of young children. In the report, psychologists and researchers say there may be several new warning signs as to the onset of autism. One possible warning could being a child not answering to their name before age 1 could be diagnosed with autism. In a University of California study, researchers found that three out of four babies who did not answer to their name by looking towards the sound or some kind of movement were diagnosed with autism just a year later. According to another study done Vanderbilt University, the scores of children who had brothers or sisters with autism. There scores were slightly lower than most.

Now, reports like these are not valid without more evidence and credibility to support its claims. So I suggest you consult a doctor or do more research on your own if you're concerned about your child having autism or just want to see whether more research has been done to see if there is in fact a correlation between these warning signs and the onset of autism.


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Citation for TV Program: "New Autism Findings" News segment Rhonda Walker reporting, NBC channel 4 WDIV Detroit, News at 11 pm, March 2 , 2007.