Above / Our former next door neighbor in Chatham, NJ, sent the above clipping from a story by Lindy Washburn titled “New Jersey preschoolers have highest Autism rates in the nation, researchers say.” The article appeared on April 12, 2019, in the Daily Recorder as well as other daily newspapers that serve New Jersey.
“The more people that are aware, the better,” emailed Diane Conlan, as she inspired this update and connected us to our family’s first hometown that we left in 1993. “ECLC (Education, Careers & Lifelong Community) provides services to children I think throughout the County. They are located in the old middle school on Lum Avenue. They’re doing a fabulous job… After the (students) reach the age of 21, they go to a facility down on N. Pacific Ave., just before the bridge where Orange Products used to be, and they continue to train the students for actual jobs.”
No doubt many PN readers are mindful of much-needed and appreciated initiatives and education related to Autism that are embraced every day by our public schools as well as private schools at Little Friends, Inc., and Turning Pointe Autism School and Career College. Resources are identified and funded to engage individuals with Autism in learning through Individualized Education Plans (IEP) to reach their goals.
Locally, a wide range of programs also are provided by other nonprofit organizations including Community Access Naperville (CAN), Respite Endowment Organization, Ray Graham Associates, Giant Steps, Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA), Linden Oaks and the Naperville Park District.
If you’ve traveled along Aurora Avenue after dark in recent weeks, you’ve likely noticed the Moser Tower at the base of Rotary Hill illuminated in blue, standing to shine light on Autism Awareness Month in April. Ever since we first observed Autism back in the 1980s at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey, we’ve experienced the importance of shining light on acceptance and understanding Autism every day.
What’s unfortunate is that all these years later, the contributing factors that cause Autism still appear to be questionable. Is it caused by genetics? Birth-related risks? Are twins, triplets, quadruplets or infants born prematurely more likely to fall on the wide spectrum? Is Autism caused by prenatal viral infection if a mother were ill during pregnancy or if parents are older than 30? Some researchers wonder about all the what-ifs as well as unknown environmental factors. What seems to be the consensus among most researchers is no one factor alone causes Autism. Simply put, no one truly knows what causes it.
Midway through the month, my cherished friend (who introduced our family to recycling 38 years ago and also shares my love for history and nature) emailed this timely story published back East that focuses on New Jersey data in a seven-state study by the Early Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, studies that have monitored rates of Autism diagnoses for 19 years.
Researchers in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin and New Jersey screened the health records of nearly 71,000 children, noted the Daily Record report by Lindy Washburn.
As Diane noted, “This is so scary.”
Greater awareness aims to encourage early evaluation
Early evaluation and diagnosis continues to be the goal through greater awareness. Preschoolers as young as 18 months will benefit when pediatricians and other health providers recommend systematic, universal screenings, researches say.
Autism is a complex disorder that interferes with social interaction and communication. Individuals with Autism display a wide range of behaviors on the spectrum of disorders from obsessive interest in certain subjects and repetitive speech patterns to self-injurious behavior with little or no ability to communicate.
The development of a child’s brain is affected early in life, and while there is no cure, early intervention can maximize a child’s ability to function and participate in the community, Washburn stated.
Back to local matters
This month PN featured bluebells on its cover as a way to promote April’s focus on blue for Autism awareness.
“The term Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often used interchangeably,” wrote Mike Briggs in his monthly column for Little Friends, Inc. “A wide spectrum disorder, people with Autism have a set of symptoms unique to themselves: no two people are the same.”
Briggs also notes that while no two people are the same, common characteristics can be counted with this complex disability.
Briefly, Briggs wrote that these characteristics include:
Social Skills—people with Autism have problems interacting with others; autistic children do not have adequate playing and talking skills. Symptoms range from clumsy behavior, being out of sync with those around them, and not being interested in others.
Empathy—not having the ability to recognize and understand the feelings of another person.
Physical Contact—in some cases, not liking physical contact such hugs, tickling, or physical play with others.
Sudden Changes to their Environment—a sudden change which affect an individual’s senses. Anything from a loud noise, a change in lighting, or even a change in smell.
Speech—a type of speech where the person repeats words and phrases, or uses a monotone way of communicating.
Changes to Behavior and Routine—people with Autism often display repetitive behavior which they repeat the same action many times over, which could be interpreted as an obsession.
PN’s intention every month in print and online daily is to help create a better informed, educated and understanding community regarding unmet needs, charitable causes and other local matters by promoting upcoming events and benefit fundraisers.
Thanks for reading to become more knowledgeable and understanding about Autism Spectrum Disorders, mindful of families dealing with all types of challenges every day. Shedding light on local individuals, groups and worthy causes that connect beyond our borders that otherwise might go unknown always has been our goal. Though Autism is often written with a lowercase “a,” we’ve capitalized Autism on purpose.
—Stephanie Penick, PN Publisher
