April is Autism Awareness Month! This month provides us with
a good opportunity to review some important facts about autism, and to
understand how autism can impact us in our daily lives in our communities. Autism prevalence is now one in every 88
children in the United States. This is a tenfold increase in prevalence over
the past 40 years!
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is
nearly four times more common in boys than girls. It is estimated that 1 in 54
boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. This
means that more children are affected by autism than with Down syndrome, AIDS,
cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, diabetes and cerebral palsy combined. Nearly 2 million children in the U.S. and
likely tens of millions worldwide are affected by an ASD. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2012/04/23/april-is-autism-awareness-month)
Autism spectrum disorders are a group of biologically based
neurodevelopmental disorders that affect a child’s behavior and social and
communication skills. These disorders can typically be seen before the age of
three. For most children, these conditions are chronic and require lifelong
management. (Rosenblatt, A. & Carbone, P. Eds. Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Every Parent Needs to Know, American
Academy of Pediatrics, 2013)
Sinergia’s Autism Initiative provides parents of a child
with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with educational and informational
workshops as well as support. We provide
outreach to New York City’s underserved and Latino parents of children with
autism who need information, awareness, and the opportunity to participate in a
support group that addresses the specific needs of Spanish speaking families.
For more information about the services
provided through this initiative, please contact Dr. Bernice Moro at bmoro@sinergiany.org.
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