"Slow - Autistic Child at Play"

“SLOW – AUTISTIC CHILD AT PLAY.” That is the message on a new street sign recently placed on Morris Avenue in Clifton.

The sign was put into place by the City of Clifton for a little boy named Mason. Mason lives in a house on Morris Avenue, and sometimes Mason decides to “make a run for it,” going outside and possibly bolting into the street.

Mason lives with his grandmother, Vivian, and his mother, Bridget. They do a great job watching over Mason, but like every other young boy, he sometimes gets curious and excited and makes a mad dash for the door. However, one thing about Mason is different from most of the other little boys his age in Clifton – Mason is autistic. And, unfortunately, statistics show that nearly half of those with autism have a tendency to wander or bolt from safety.

The month of April has been Autism Awareness Month for more than half a century, ever since the Autism Society held the first one in April 1970. In 1988, it gained national recognition through a presidential proclamation. In 2021, the shift to acceptance reflected what autistic people have long called for—not just recognition, but real inclusion. Words matter, but action matters more. True progress comes from creating a society where autistic people are fully valued and supported. That is why the month of April is now called Autism Acceptance Month.

As the world continues to struggle with autism acceptance, the clearest path to change is both awareness and acceptance on an individual level. It all starts with educating yourself.

Autism is the fastest-growing diagnosis in the world, with the diagnosis rate of children with autism increasing from 1 in every 2,000 children in the 1970s and ‘80s to 1 in 44 in 2021. According to the Autism Speaks website.

~ In 2021, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to 2018 data.

~ 1 in 27 boys identified with autism.

~ 1 in 116 girls identified with autism.

~ Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

~ Most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.

~ Thirty-one percent of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] less than 70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71 – 85) and 44% have IQ scores in the average-to-above-average range (IQ over 85).

~ Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

~ An estimated 40% of people with autism are nonverbal.

~ Nearly half of those with autism wander or bolt from safety (read about Mason above!)

~ Nearly two-thirds of children with autism between the ages of 6 and 15 have been bullied.

~ Nearly 28% of 8-year-olds with ASD have self-injurious behaviors. Head banging, arm biting and skin scratching are among the most common.

~ Drowning remains a leading cause of death for children with autism and accounts for approximately 90% of deaths associated with wandering or bolting by those age 14 and younger.

~ Early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan.

~ There is no medical detection for autism.

With autism being such a fast-growing diagnosis, we are all touched by it in some way. Maybe you have a child of your own who is on the autism spectrum, or maybe another child in your family is diagnosed as autistic. Even if your child is not diagnosed with autism, it is a sure bet that he or she will at some point know someone in their school who is autistic. Something else to consider, as is pointed out in the sign on Mason’s street, there is almost surely one or more autistic child in the community you live in. Please be aware of this while driving, and you could quite possibly save a life.

Portions of article from Hally Health and The ARC