Since founding Autism Speaks in 2005, the organization has helped the nation and the world better understand autism and better ways to treat the condition. Here are some facts about autism that Autism Speaks has highlighted:
1. The number of people who have been discovered to have autism has grown rapidly in the last 10 years.
In 2005, the number of people diagnosed with autism was just one in 166. Ten years later, the number of people diagnosed with the condition rose to one in 68, a more than 100% increase in the past decade.
2. Direct detection studies suggest that the number of people with autism may be higher than one in 68.
In a recent study conducted in South Korea, researchers funded by Autism Speaks found that every one in 38 children had autism. Most of these children had not been diagnosed prior to this study. The organization is now negotiating with the CDC in the US to conduct a similar study using direct detection in US classrooms.
3. Reliable diagnoses of autism can be made in children as young as two years old.
Early diagnosis and subsequent intervention can improve outcomes. Autism Speaks is making early detection available to more people, particularly among communities that have been underserved in previous years.
4. With high-quality early intervention, a child’s brain development and brain activity can improve over time.
Because there is a degree of plasticity in the brain, the sooner the intervention is done, the greater the chance that it will have a positive impact on brain development. On a practical level, such interventions will help reduce the need, and the resulting cost, for extensive behavioral and educational support throughout childhood.
5. For people with autism, behavioral therapy can improve their lives.
Research shows strong evidence for the benefits of behavioral therapy. With this evidence, Autism Speaks has been able to push through new laws in 38 states that require health care coverage to pay for behavioral therapy costs for people with autism. Those individuals and their families, who were previously denied the treatment they needed, are now making progress.
6. Approximately one third of people with autism do not speak.
For this reason, Autism Speaks supports the research and development of new devices to help these people communicate. The organization has donated these assistive communication devices to thousands of families affected by autism.
7. Assistive communication devices can promote speech in many children who do not speak.
Research sponsored by Autism Speaks found that some children with autism who have not spoken by the age of 5 are not necessarily left speechless for the rest of their lives. Some can learn to speak, and assistive devices help them with this process.
8. Gastrointestinal problems related to autism are real.
Research conducted by the Autism Treatment Network has discovered that 50% of children affected by autism have gastrointestinal disorders of various kinds. In fact, the pain of these disorders can worsen behavioral symptoms. Autism Speaks has created treatment guidelines for pediatricians treating children with autism, as well as tools for parents to use when dealing with these problems experienced by their children.
9. Sleep disorders are common in people with autism.
Although sleep disorders often occur in people with autism, they are treatable. Autism Speaks has sponsored research that has provided evidence-based tools for parents to help their children overcome these disorders. They have also provided medical guidelines for clinicians treating sleep disorders in people with autism.
10. Epilepsy occurs in almost a third of people with autism.
Although they have the potential to be dangerous, not all seizures are obvious to the untrained eye. Special tests are essential in autism medical care to rule out epilepsy in people affected by autism.
11. Autism can be a condition of the whole body.
Because people with autism have a higher incidence of sleep disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and epilepsy, Autism Speaks recommends that clinicians use the “whole person approach” when providing medical care for people with autism.
12. Personalized treatment can now be guided with the help of whole genome sequencing.
Tea MSSNG The Autism Speaks sponsored program has changed the future of autism treatment. By performing genome sequencing on thousands of families affected by the condition, researchers are receiving actionable information that can help them develop new and more targeted drugs for autism.
13. The environment plays an important role in causing autism.
A few years ago, experts thought that autism was entirely hereditary. After further investigation, the Autism Genetic Resources Exchangean offshoot of Autism Speaks, found that non-inherited influences contribute about half of a child’s risk of developing autism.
14. Research has identified some of the environmental factors that can cause autism.
If a mother has had an infection or been exposed to air pollution during pregnancy, the risk of her child developing autism is increased. Mothers-to-be who take prenatal vitamins before conception and continue to take them after becoming pregnant may reduce their child’s risk of developing autism.
15. Almost 50% of people with autism have a tendency to run away or wander.
Autism Speaks funds programs to prevent people with autism from wandering or running away. They also educate first responders about these trends in people affected by autism.
16. Bullying affects nearly two-thirds of children with autism.
In conjunction with the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Autism Speaks has raised awareness of bullying for children with special needs.
17. Eighty-four percent of adults with autism still live at home with their parents.
Autism Speaks has called on government officials, both federal and state, to enact policies that provide more choices in living arrangements for adults affected by autism.
18. Nearly half of 25-year-old adults struggling with autism have never had regular paid employment.
In partnership with employers and educators, Autism Speaks continues to advocate for more support for young adults with autism in vocational and post-secondary institutions, as well as employment opportunities for them after graduation.
19. Each year, 50,000 teens graduate from high school or become too old to receive school autism services.
Autism Speaks works with public and private institutions to support people with autism in their transition to adulthood. With your support, these individuals can share their valuable gifts with their communities.
20. The cost to families affected by autism over a person’s lifetime typically ranges from $1.4 million to $2.4 million.
Depending on whether the person with autism also has an intellectual disability, these costs may go up or down. Early diagnosis and quality interventions, along with support as people with autism transition to adulthood, can help reduce these costs considerably.