Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been on the rise over the last 25 years. Today, it’s estimated that one in 36 children in the U.S. have autism, for a prevalence rate of 2.78%. There are many theories why the autism prevalence rate has increased so significantly from the estimated one in 150 children […]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect each person quite differently. That’s why, in fact, it’s referred to today as ASD — because there is such a wide spectrum of how people are affected by it. Children who have ASD are born with it, and it is a lifelong condition that […]
Hearing that your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be very emotional. You might feel sadness, anger, worry and much more. Many parents who have a child with autism don’t quite know exactly what it will mean for their child and for the rest of their family. One of the reasons […]
All children are unique. They develop in unique ways, sitting up, crawling, taking their first steps and speaking their first words at different times. While this is certainly true, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a Developmental Milestones checklist that suggests what children should be able to do by different ages. For […]
Despite a surge of research, studies and resulting information that’ve come about in the last 15 years or so, there’s still a lot of debate about different aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We now know that autism can affect children in many different ways, that it can’t be diagnosed with a blood test or […]
Advances in medical research have made it possible to detect some health conditions while a child is still in the mother’s womb. These modern prenatal tests can diagnose a wide range of different conditions, helping doctors and parents prepare for different challenges that they may face. Prenatal screening can identify a fetus’ risk level for […]
A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) plays an integral role in supporting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders. They work every day in fields such as applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) to help children gain communication and social interaction skills while also modifying certain behaviors. A career as an RBT can be […]
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently suffer from comorbidities. In addition to their ASD, these people frequently are afflicted with some other condition — whether it be psychiatric or physical — that can cause additional challenges in life. For example, 85% of children on the autism spectrum suffer from at least one psychiatric diagnosis, such […]
Diabetes1 is a serious condition that affects a significant number of people in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that as of 2021, the crude estimate was that 11.6% of the total population in the U.S. had diabetes, with another 3.4% having potentially undiagnosed diabetes. On its own, diabetes […]
Obesity is a growing problem across all age cohorts in the United States. Childhood obesity is of particular concern, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that nearly 20% of children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese. Obesity is an even bigger concern among people who have autism spectrum […]
