Even a few years ago, autism was a taboo subject to talk about. However, with the passing of each year, people are becoming more aware of the condition and that is bringing a positive change. Autism refers to a neurological complication that makes the people on the spectrum see the world a little differently than their peers.
According to the NHS, “the most commonly recognised indicators of the condition affect speech and language, cognitive function and interpersonal skills, inflict overstimulation, spark avoidant or repetitive behaviour, and can trigger upset and anxiety.”
It should be noted here that not everyone shows the same kinds of signs for autism and it generally differs from one person to the other. Because of the different kinds of symptoms an autistic person might show, it often becomes difficult to identify autism right during childhood and people get diagnosed after progressing into their adult lives.
However, Dr Touroni, a psychologist, mentioned that parents often miss a critical sign that might hint at the possibility of a child being autistic. She referred to this as ‘stimming’, which means the repetitive behaviors that autistic children often find soothing.
She said, “Repetitive movements or speech, such as hand-flapping, rocking, or repeating certain phrases, are common in children with autism. These behaviours can help manage sensory overload, but they can also hinder development in other areas.” Therefore, if a child is showing signs like the ones mentioned, they might be under the risk of being diagnosed with autism.
View this post on Instagram
As mentioned before, the diagnosis of autism is rather critical because of the vast array of symptoms that the disease shows. Regardless of the age that one is getting diagnosed with autism the process of diagnosis follows two steps. First, an initial appointment with an autism specialist and then the decision whether another appointment is needed or not. If the specialist feels that a second appointment is needed for the person because they are showing signs of autism, then necessary treatments begin.
Despite the complications that autism poses, the good news is that there is a rise in awareness about autism, which means that the increase in autism diagnosis since the 1990s is a result of widespread awareness among people. As mentioned by Dr. Rebecca A. Shalev and Dr. Kritika Nayar in their interview to The New York Post, “the criteria for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder has also grown to allow of co-existing conditions, like ADHD for example, with clinicians now more adept at recognising signs from an early age” reported Tyla.
View this post on Instagram
This means that more people are becoming aware of the condition and are getting forward with the process of checking with a specialist. This has naturally increased the number of people getting diagnosed with autism but the more people know about the condition and get themselves diagnosed, the more will they be able to get help.
Therefore, the rise in the autism diagnosis numbers is not really something to be scared of as it hints at a better future where people are aware of their health conditions and decide to address them in proper ways.
