THIS Thursday (2 April) was World Autism Day and the Autism Javea society released a video on the day itself in an attempt to raise awareness of a common but much misunderstood disorder. A statement from the society said “People with autism have many things to offer, we just have to approach them, listen to what they are saying, understand them and adapt to their way of understanding the environment and then give them the opportunity to be part of society and support them in this aim”.
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder - manifests itself in many different ways, from those who at one end of the spectrum cannot speak or care for themselves to to others who seem to function perfectly normally in society but have trouble with social interaction and anxiety. Many sufferers have repetitive behaviour patterns and restricted interests or activities, although they often excel at these and have above average intelligence. About 1% of the population is thought to be autistic to some degree and it tends to affect males more than females. Symptoms will usually become apparent early in life, from when children first start talking and interacting with other people. To view the video for yourself go to the Asociacion Autismo Javea Facebook page.
