How to support increasing autism spectrum disorder(ASD)|Learning disability|Developmental disability|Autism symptoms

 Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that childhood autism rates are at an all-time high since the CDC began tracking data in 2000. About 2.3% of U.S. children, or one in 44, were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by 2018, compared to 1 in 150 children in 2000. For boys, the rate rises to about one in four.

<a href='https://www.freepik.com/photos/sorrow'>Sorrow photo created by master1305 - www.freepik.com</a>

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects the way people communicate, communicate, learn, and behave. The disease is characterized by difficulty in communicating with other people; limited interests and repetitive behaviors; and symptoms that affect the ability to work in school, at work, and in other areas of life.

Although autism affects all races and socioeconomic groups, people of color are more likely to be diagnosed later in life. About one-third of people with autism also have a mental disability, and one-fourth have an IQ at the border level (between 71 and 85, where 100 is average).

As Autism Awareness Month draws to a close, we spoke with autism specialist Somer Bishop, Ph.D., associate professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavior at UC San Francisco and the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, about the latest research on autism and lifestyle outcomes, as well as and the UCSF approach to caring for diverse people.

Given the prevalence of autism, how can health professionals better support children and adults with the disease?

Autism is a very different condition, so doctors need to know what a person's symptoms of autism are when they think they can help them. And the symptoms will change over time - as one gets older, one set of symptoms may disappear and be replaced by another. For example, recurrent car behavior may decrease after childhood but is replaced by anxiety or depression in adolescence or adulthood. Difficulty in social interaction, one of the basic shortcomings in autism, can be affected by many variables such as a person's age, place of residence, family background, and or her IQ or language level. also applies to predictions - one of the most common questions I get from parents, is if I see a child who is 2 or 20 years old, what will happen to my child when he or she grows up? And the answer depends on some things we can predict, while others we cannot. One answer lies in the level of language impairment and cognitive impairment, but not all.

So for doctors to help, they must know where the major challenges are at some point and help deal with them. And that includes helping the individual and his or her family with care - because there are usually many professionals involved - speech therapists, behavioral therapists, occupational therapists, neurologists, etc. - and that can be very difficult.

What does the research say about the effects of adults on children with autism?

Before I answer that, it is important to understand that most adult books, as well as long-term studies, in particular, are about children diagnosed 30 or 40 years ago, and this is a completely different group from children currently being diagnosed. Kids have access to a variety of services now, too, so they limit the conclusions we can reach. What we see in those old studies is said to be a decrease in repetitive behaviors and certain types of social ills, but a steady decline in such things as meaningless communication and the difficulty of social interaction and friendship.

Available data also suggest that people with autism have significantly lower levels of self-efficacy as adults, and lower levels of important stages of adult success such as employment, or the ability to live independently or have meaningful social relationships. Many people are surprised to learn that young adults with autism are less likely to work for pay than adults with intellectual disabilities or learning disabilities, and are less likely to have day jobs, such as adult or school day services. About 25% of adults with autism at home do nothing.

How do you explain the fact that adults with autism are less likely to perform daytime activities than other disabled adults? One of them is that a group of autistic adults who are fluent in the language and cognitive skills are generally able to access social services that are a few years older than those with a mental disability. Also, this group is at high risk for depression - about half of all autistic adults are clinically depressed, and the rate of completed suicide in autistic adults is 8-10 times higher than in the general population. Unemployment is a major risk factor for depression in adults with autism, and these older people often have a harder time keeping jobs because of their social disabilities. 

Is there a chance for hope in the face of these sad statistics?

We often talk about autism in terms of individual circumstances, but I think it is time as a forum and community to start thinking about all the things that happen outside of the individual, such as sources of family and community support, even if that is support. groups, community groups, churches, or other objects.

One of the most promising adult studies over the past 20 years found that half of the adults with autism had positive or positive outcomes inactive social life and work. They were part of the Latter-day Saints community in Utah, so they had a community around them that supported them. Community groups or community groups provide people with a place to go once a week where people who care about them can change lives.

So let's get more Hangouts with friends and more social networking. And at the same time, let us realize that while quantity may be important to some people, we need to consider what we want in terms of social media.

Another is that most non-disabled adults have jobs. And if you have a group of people who are talented in many ways and have no meaningf
ul work, how can we not imagine that this would be associated with stress? So we need to think outside the box on how to get people a job in a way that is meaningful to them. And even if the job is not your favorite activity, the act of leading and being able to contribute to your life can be meaningful. One study found that adults with autism who work in high school have higher levels of employment as adults, so looking for opportunities to practice working in high school is good.