Archive for March, 2008
It is a well-known fact that there is no cure for autism. Though it may be little harsh to open with such a bitter statement, the stark truth that the autism statistics can give us is nothing but that.
There are different types of therapies for autism and only a proper and correct diagnosis alone can help in identifying the level or the degree of the disorder so as to decide on the perfect treatment method.
When you look at the autism statistics, you will come to know that earlier the therapy is commenced, the better and effective are the results. It is highly recommended that the decided treatment should be administered well before the child reaches the age of two years or three years. And the autism statistics prove that when the treatment administered before the age of two or three years, the success rate has increased to a whopping figure of 36 %.
Increasing Occurrence at an Increasing Rate
The heart breaking truth revealed by the latest autism statistics is that the disorder is actually increasing at an increased rate and it has reached a level today which is six times more than the level prevailing in early 80s.
As a parent you will not have any hope about your autistic child unless you start the therapy at the earliest possible preferably before the age of two or three. And even at the instance of resorting to therapy at such an early stage, the success rate could only be 30 to 40 %.
Doctors opine that in an autistic child’s brain, the neurons make a wrong connection resulting in the child’s misinterpretation of the external stimulus. Any autism therapy aims in reducing this incidence of neurons making wrong connections there by leading to a stage where in any further damage to the brain or to the behavioural changes is arrested.
With a delay in commencing the therapy, the wrong connections or the wrong wiring done by the neurons will become permanent and the numbers will increase with every passing year of non-treatment. And your child may reach a stage where it is not possible for any treatment at all.
Unfortunately, the autism statistics reveal that only ten percent of the diagnosed children are recommended for therapies and among them only 3 to 4 percent of the children alone get treated for many obvious reasons.
The less percentage is not due to the ignorance or lethargy of the parents, but rather due to the high cost of the therapy that makes the parents wondering and driving away from the scene. The autism statistics indicate in clear terms that at least a minimum of 25 hours of treatment in a week is required for getting a minimum possible improvement.
Most of the parents find the costs highly prohibitive and the states also do not have funds to support such causes and to help the deserving child and the parents alike. Further, added to the existing problem of high costs, when it comes to the availability of quality professionals there is always a shortage for such specialists for administering the therapy and this also adds to the existing woes of the parents.
Due to the lack of cost effective alternative treatment, many parents of autistic child started taking up special training courses that can make them proficient in administering the required therapy all by themselves to their child.
But, this is not the correct approach for the problem and cannot be an answer to the crisis. If the autism statistics need to show improvement in an overall scenario, then states should provide better support in real terms to counter the disorder effectively.
[tags]Autism, Autism Statistics[/tags]
