I don’t know what you’re thinking about this title, but I thought it would be important to start this Notion blog with an issue that I’ve been thinking about my whole life. Really… what is the matter with autism?
My fascination with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) comes from my personal experience with my brother who has the condition. I’ve learned many things In my journey of learning how to care for him and his needs. During my last two years of high school, I was inspired to research more about autism and start to help out my family more, including my brother. Besides my brother, I’ve had to take care of my two younger siblings under the age of 5, so it’s been really tough for me and my mom. However, I’m grateful to be here and to see the progress of my brother and my two young siblings as they grow. Strategies like focusing on the capabilities and interest areas of the people with autism, theorized by the book The Spark by Kristine Barnett, were very fascinating for me; that’s one of the reasons why my brother has more conversations, connections, and interactions with us, his family.
Me and my family’s experience with autism is similar to many families across the world. Learning to be accommodating and assist autistic individuals is a responsibility for many families, organizations, and communities. There are many reasons why we as individuals should learn to be more supportive of individuals with ASD in our communities.
Key things that really make autism matter for all of us:
Autism Prevalence 📈 *(CDC, 2024) :
In 2000, autism prevalence was 1 in 150 children; but in 2020 it has become 1 in 36 children.
Challenges of the individuals with ASD 🗣️ (Dadalt and Miller, 2024):
Some key issues include stigma, unemployment, and blunders in communication — a factor that causes some individuals to experience high stress and anxiety.
Challenges of Families 👨👩👧 (Barnett, 2013; Dadalt and Miller, 2024)
For these reasons, it is essential for people to seek out ways in which they can offer support to ASD individuals to assist them and their families to ensure that they can meet their specific needs and offer them the help they need.
** The prevalence is indeed affected by the improved techniques and diagnosis of autism; thus we have an increase in autism prevalence, especially in the more recent years. However, some arguments point out that the increase in this prevalence is still a result of the increase in actual autism.*
****Image: Me and my brother, Hamza, eating a wonderful breakfast