“I’m honestly not sure what exactly Autism is but it is a serious matter in the United States and the number of people who have autism is growing in numbers every year.” Jonathon De La Cruz, 20,
“Autism is a mental illness that has a spectrum. For example, the higher the person is on the spectrum, the more symptoms the person have of Autism, the lower the person is on the spectrum, the more high functioning the Autistic person. It is so complicated it is really hard to explain to another person what exactly Autism is." Sasha Perez, 19, Bronx
“I know that Autism goes along the lines with Mental Retardation when it comes to mental illness. However, I know that Autism is not cut and dry and it is much more complicated than that. Around where I live, there’s not much information about Autism.” Mariah Resto, 25, Bronx
“I do not know what Autism actually is other than it being a mental illness that has the misconception of being caused by vaccines. However, I know that there are many programs and organizations that help people who have Autism.” Kimberley Walcott, 21, Brooklyn
“I don’t know much about it, I do know that so many people are born with it and the numbers has increased each decade with now 1 in 60 people have the potential of being born with Autism. Personally, I’m not sure what is causing this sudden rise of the amount of people being born with Autism.” Alexander Amposeng, 26, Bronx
What Exactly is Autism!! - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. The symptoms are present from early childhood and affect daily functioning. - The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in people with ASD. Some children and adults with ASD are fully able to perform all activities of daily living while others require substantial support to perform basic activities. - Early Diagnosis
no babbling or pointing by age 1
no single words by age 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
no response to name
loss of language or social skills previously acquired
poor eye contact
excessive lining up of toys or objects
no smiling or social responsiveness
- Later Diagnosis
impaired ability to make friends with peers
impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
repetitive or unusual use of language
abnormally intense or focused interest
preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals