World Autism Awareness Day: Living with autism
Autism affects millions of people around the world. Here is what you need to know about the condition.
Approximately 2% of our population is affected by ASD, states the South African Government in a 2018 report.
Autism Speaks organisation defines the condition as 'a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech, and nonverbal communication'.
The organisation reports that among the most common co-occurring conditions with autism are: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, seizures, and sleep disorders. It also states that boys get diagnosed with autism four times more often than girls.
READ: We found the most beautiful explanation of autism
Symptoms as stated by NHS include:
not responding to their name
avoiding eye contact
not smiling when you smile at them
getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
not talking as much as other children
not doing as much pretend play
repeating the same phrases
not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling
unusual speech, such as repeating phrases and talking ‘at’ others
liking a strict daily routine and getting very upset if it changes
having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
getting very upset if you ask them to do something
finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
taking things very literally – for example, they may not understand phrases like "break a leg"
finding it hard to say how they feel.
READ: My child is different, not less— Raising a Child with Autism
To better cope with autism, it is important to eat well, exercise, get enough rest, drink plenty of water, and have complete access to healthcare, including regular physical and dental check-ups, states Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr Maggie Mojapelo, CEO and founder of Mediwell Digital Health, says: “It is not a disorder, it is autism spectrum condition. Just like diabetes is not a disorder, just like depression, they don’t say depression disorder. It’s a condition and we are bringing the positivity out of autism.
"Some of the autistic people in the world are the ones that make history like for instance it is said that Bill Gates is in the spectrum, Albert Einstein who discovered the light equation, he is on the autism spectrum and we can go on and on,” she says.
Read more about what she had to say here.
Image courtesy of iStock/ @SeventyFour
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