Autism Awareness Day!

Hi all, I'm participating in RJ Scott's Autism Awareness Blog Hop! I work with individuals with Autism everyday and they are some of the most amazing people I know. Read some facts about Autism, enjoy a blurb and excerpt from my recent release, Shredding the Heart, and then enter my Rafflecopter giveaway!

Autism Facts

Autism doesn't just affect children. Children with autism grow up to be adults with autism

ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. However, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until much older. This delay means that children with ASD might not get the early help they need.

Research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development. Early intervention services help children from birth to 3 years old (36 months) learn important skills. Services can include therapy to help the child talk, walk, and interact with others.

Autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction, communication skills, and cognitive function. Individuals with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities

Autism is treatable, not a hopeless condition. Children with autism do progress – early intervention is key. Children with autism become adults with autism and their struggles are just as great in adulthood and childhood.

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). This mean I have been trained in understanding and creating changes in behaviors using the principles of Behaviorism and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is the only current evidence-based practice for the treatment of individuals with the diagnosis of autism. All of the individuals on my caseload have a diagnosis of autism as well as other co-morbid disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, depression, learning disabilities, speech delays and disorders, etc.

The company I work for provides services to individuals with autism from age 3 and up and who present on the severe end of the spectrum. My area of expertise is older males who are learning transition skills needed as adults and support once they transition into the adult world.  For these individuals, this means moving from services provided by the school system to funding through adult services. This is called ominously called "the cliff". Schools have resources (money/people/programs) available to to serve the needs of these individual (although many refuse to spend what is truly needed), whereas the adult world of funding for those with disabilities is severely under-funded (unethically so) and most services provided by the schools are discontinued despite need.

The current dangerous mindset is that learning is for the first 18-22 yrs of life and then no longer necessary for individuals with autism. Resources and interventions throughout the school years increase skills and independence only to be pulled away from those individuals the moment school services are done. 

Why is this so treacherous? Individuals with autism eventually lose skills without consistent support from qualified interventionists. I work with individuals who are in their early twenties who can lose skills within a day without adequate support. Given the poor resources for adults with autism, all of the hard work these individuals have done is thrown away by the system. Access to as normal a life as possible for these individuals decreases. The end result is often a life in residential services where the main mode of treatment is medication. 

Autism is not just a disability in childhood, but one that is lifelong. These individuals deserve the best life can give despite their disabilities. For autism awareness, I am raising awareness for adults with autism, as well as children. Adults with autism are the forgotten side of this lifelong disorder. Outlook for their lifespan is bleak, and only knowing about this tragedy, can we truly make a change for the better.

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Visit other blogs on the blog hop!

http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.com/2015/04/world-autism-awareness-day.html

Leave a comment to win a print copy (in US only) or an eBook copy of :

Diventando: The Vessel!!