Today is World Autism Awareness Day: how many children in Ukraine suffer from this disorder

Today, April 2, various events are taking place in many countries around the world to mark World Autism Awareness Day. The event was launched by the UN General Assembly in 2007. UNN tells more about this disorder.

Nicole was born a healthy baby, developing without any peculiarities. But when the child turned 1.5 years old, according to her mother, it was as if her daughter had been replaced. The girl stopped responding to her name and playing with other children.

At the age of two and a half, Nicole started attending an inclusive kindergarten group. She has learned many skills through this. But a full-scale invasion radically changed the family's life.

In February 2022, the family moved from their native Lysychansk to Dnipro. Here, the parents turned to a child psychologist because Nicole still did not speak. She was diagnosed with autism. The girl received a disability certificate.

In Dnipro, Nicole took several rehabilitation courses, which helped her to restore her forgotten skills and learn new ones. Regular sessions with specialists are yielding results.

Nicole, is one of the wards of the DobroDiy Charity Exchange, founded by Olena and Yulia Sosedka. Currently, the charity organization is taking care of four children with autism spectrum disorders. All of them need rehabilitation courses and classes with specialists, which gives parents hope for improving their children's cognitive skills.

The greatest wish of many parents of such children is for them to speak to them and give them their smile. And the efforts are worth it. We urge both citizens and the state to support such children

What is autism

Autism (autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) is a condition that results from a brain developmental disorder and is characterized by an inborn and comprehensive deficit in social interaction and communication. It cannot be cured, but over time, it is possible to correct and adapt a person to social life. Autism spectrum disorders begin in childhood but persist into adolescence and adulthood. In most cases, these conditions appear in the first 5 years of life. People with autism can be extremely gifted, but it takes them much longer to learn something very simple.

The levels of mental functioning in people with ASD vary enormously, from severe impairment to excellent non-verbal cognitive skills. These children show aptitude - sometimes genius - for drawing, music, construction, math, etc. At the same time, other areas of life will not interest the child. According to the World Health Organization, one child in 160 suffers from autism spectrum disorder.

According to the National Health Service of Ukraine, there are more than 20 thousand people in our country who suffer from autistic disorders. The purpose of World Autism Awareness Day is to raise awareness of the disease, engage the world in promoting a better standard of living and helping people with autism. On April 2, thematic lectures, conferences, events, etc. are organized.

The symbol of today's event is blue. Everyone who joins the World Autism Awareness Day is encouraged to wear blue clothes or a blue ribbon.

The Center for Public Health at the Ministry of Health gave advice on what parents should pay attention to:

Speech impairment

Some children do not speak at all, while others lag behind their peers in language development. At the age of 12 months, they do not cry out, do not actively show joy when their mother or someone close to them approaches; they make the same sounds, at 2 years old they have an extremely poor vocabulary (about 15 words), and by 3 years old they are almost unable to combine words. Such children often repeat words and phrases they have heard somewhere, invent their own words (neologisms) and do not use language to communicate.

Lack of emotional contact with people

First of all, with parents. Babies do not look people in the eye, do not reach for their parents' arms, do not smile, and often resist attempts to pick them up and hug them. They do not distinguish their parents from other people, do not notice that someone is addressing them.

Solitude

A child with autism feels very uncomfortable around other people, and eventually anxious. They do not always play with their peers, do not understand the emotions of other people, and therefore prefer solitude, which protects them from strong feelings about communication difficulties.

Attacks of aggression

Any failure can cause a child to have an outburst of anger, provoke hysteria, or a physical attack. Aggression in autistic children can be directed at others and at themselves, the latter being recorded in 30% of patients.

Little interest in toys

For example, a child does not drive a car, but spins its wheel for hours. Another option is attachment to only one toy or part of it, to the same small objects.

Stereotypical behavior, fear of change

Children with autism tend to perform the same actions for a long time: repeating the same word, running in circles, swaying from side to side, looking at rotating objects, spinning something, etc.