Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month and the Autism Society of Alabama has plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, including a Walk for Autism near you! If you are in Alabama and have questions or concerns about autism, call 2-1-1 and ask for Help Me Grow.

Help Me Grow passionately supports early identification of developmental or behavioral concerns, so that a family can get connected to the best resources available to fully support a child’s opportunities for success in life. The following links share stories regarding autism diagnosis from a first-person perspective.

Families Describe How They Felt Hearing About An Autism Diagnosis
After The Diagnosis: How Families Experience Autism
When An Autism Diagnosis Comes In Adulthood

April is... Autism Awareness Month

Autism Society of Alabama

The Autism Society of Alabama is coordinating walks this month to raise funds and support Autism Awareness Month. Visit http://www.walkforautismal.com/walk_locations.php to see information for walks this month.

Furthermore, there is an Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council meeting in Montgomery on April 13, a Glenwood Lecture featuring Brenda Smith-Myles in Birmingham on April 15, and a Simpson-Ramsey Lectureship focusing on Transitions in Education, Employment and Health Care for Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Birmingham on April 16.

Lastly, check out the video below to see what it can be like to experience sensory overload.

Sensory Overload (Interacting with Autism Project) from Miguel Jiron on Vimeo.
© 2012
Some people with autism have difficulty processing intense, multiple sensory experiences at once. This animation gives the viewer a glimpse into sensory overload, and how often our sensory experiences intertwine in everyday life.

Considering Autism Interventions

Anna McConnell, Dept. of Mental Health State Autism Coordinator, brings us some of the current resources available regarding different autism intervention and treatment strategies. For more posts about autism (many by Anna) just follow our new Autism label on the blog!

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Developmental screenings are crucial for identifying delays in children, leading to earlier intervention. The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) released the Environmental Scan: State Strategies and Initiatives to Improve Developmental and Autism Screening and Early Identification Systems publication, which describes various states’ efforts to create a well-developed system of care that emphasizes early screening, assessment, and intervention. Once identified, finding and paying for interventions in Alabama is not always easy. While there are a number of services accessible for children with delays, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), lack of adequate insurance coverage issues may make services inaccessible and depending on where a family lives, resources may not be available.

Recent news articles have featured therapies and interventions that have aided children with ASD in making great gains. One resource that provides guidance about which interventions are evidence-based and effective for specific age groups has been published by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders. The 2014 Evidence Based Practice Report (pdf) is a great resource for any service provider or family member who is considering appropriate interventions. Social, communication, and school readiness are the areas most addressed across interventions for the birth through age five category. In Alabama, we hope that the system of care for those with ASD will continue to develop and improve for early screening, identification, and intervention. These are helpful resources to consider as Alabama continues to move forward in its work for those with ASD.

10 Things to Know about the New Autism Data

Photo Credit

You might remember from the beginning of the month that April is Autism Awareness Month and there is new data from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network which shows that the estimated number of children identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise. The following are based on information collected from health and special education records of children who were 8 years old in 11 states in 2010:

1. About 1 in 68 children were identified with ASD. 
2. This new estimate is roughly 30% higher than the estimate for 2008, roughly 60% higher than the estimate for 2006, and roughly 120% higher than the estimates for 2002 and 2000. We don't know what is causing this increase. Some of it may be due to the way children are identified, diagnosed, and served in their local communities.
3. The number of children identified with ASD varied widely by community, from 1 in 175 children in areas of Alabama to 1 in 45 children in areas of New Jersey.
4. Almost half (46%) of children identified with ASD had average or above average intellectual ability.
5. Boys were almost 5 times more likely to be identified with ASD than girls. 
6. White children were more likely to be identified with ASD than black or Hispanic children. 
7. Less than half (44%) of children identified with ASD were evaluated for developmental concerns by the time they were 3 years old.
8. Most children identified with ASD were not diagnosed until after age 4, even though children can be diagnosed as early as age 2.
9. Black and Hispanic children identified with ASD were more likely than white children to have an intellectual disability. 
10. About 80% of children identified with ASD either received special education services for autism at school or had an ASD diagnosis from a clinician. The remaining 20% of children had symptoms of ASD documented, but had not yet been classified by a professional in a school or clinic.

Check out the full report and get more information here.

Register for the Alabama Public Health Training Network's upcoming satellite conference and live webcast, "Developing Alabama's System of Services and Resources for Children With Autism: Lessons Learned and Taught." This program will be broadcast on Wednesday, May 7, 2014; 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Central Time). To see the conference flyer for this program click here (pdf). To register for this program click here.

Autism Awareness

The Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council (AIACC), led by the Alabama Department of Mental Health, was created to meet the urgent and substantial need to develop and implement a statewide system of care for individuals with autism and their families.

Join the AIACC in recognizing that April 2 is World Autism Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month.

Around the world, state and national governments, private industries, and households will recognize World Autism Day as they “Light it Up Blue.” On April 2, standard light bulbs will be replaced by a hue of blue – showing awareness and concern for those affected by autism. The Birmingham City Hall and the RSA Battlehouse Tower in Mobile are just a couple of the buildings changing Alabama’s landscape. Governor Bentley recently signed a proclamation designating April as Autism Awareness Month in Alabama.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a brain disorder affecting communication and social interactions, and occurs before the age of three (DSM-5). Signs of ASD include:

• Repetitive behaviors
• Impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication
• Difficulties with socialization

The most recent statistics from the CDC (pdf) indicate that 1 in 88 children are affected by ASD. The prevalence rate for boys is 1 in 54. Early detection, early and appropriate intervention, and continued support throughout the lifetime for the people affected by autism and their families are vital.

If you would like to purchase the blue-tinted bulbs or a “Light It Up Blue” t-shirt, contact the Autism Society of Alabama (877-4AUTISM).

Autism News

We've gathered some autism spectrum disorder news and opportunities to learn more:

- This story comes from Thrive by Five in Washington: A breakthrough in autism research holds both the potential for earlier diagnosis of the disorder (a core component of Help Me Grow) and a better understanding of the important role social interactions play in early childhood development. The new study from the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) found brain activity among toddlers with autism can predict later cognitive, linguistic and adaptive development.

"Infants use social cues, such as tracking adults’ eye movements to learn the names of things, and must be interested in people to learn in this way. Paying attention to people is a way for babies to sort through all that is happening around them and serves as a gate to know what is important. But with autism, social impairments impede children’s interest in, and ability to pick up cues. They find themselves paying attention to many other things, especially objects as opposed to people."

- NPR reviewed new research about autistic children's response to human voice. Additionally, this story describes the strides museums are taking to respond to the needs of visitors with ASD.

- To find out more about making your business more autism-friendly or if you're looking for autism-friendly events and other supports, contact Autism Society of Alabama (1-877-4AUTISM).

- If you're interested in autism spectrum disorder and want to know more, you should register for this post-conference autism workshop as part of the 29th Annual Early Intervention and Preschool Conference at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center in November:

Evidence-based Intervention for the Young Child with Autism: Making the strategies work for you
Little Champions....Big Dreams
November 20, 2013; 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd, N, Birmingham, AL 35213

Workshop Content:
· Review the most recent research in evidence based models of intervention for very young children with autism spectrum disorder
· Discuss similarities and differences among models in order to highlight key strategies
· Overview “key strategies”
· Discuss strategies drawn from research with case examples and audience participation

Elizabeth McMahon Griffith, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the section of Neurodevelopmental Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Colorado and a practicing Psychologist on the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She received her doctorate from the University of Denver and completed her clinical training at the University of Alabama Birmingham School of Medicine in the LEND program. She has extensive experience in evaluation and intervention with individuals with developmental disabilities. Her primary areas of interest are in working with very young children with autism and their families, and in dissemination of ‘best practices’ into community settings. She is trained in a variety of intervention models, and is both a certified provider and a trainer in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM).

For hotel reservations, call 205-324-5000 or follow this link. Sheraton Hotel Room rates: $113 for single/double plus tax (cut-off date is October 19, 2013). For conference registration and more information, go to http://www.ucpalabama.org/.
$100 Registration fee (or $50 if also attending the regular conference)

Congratulations, Alabama Act Early Ambassador!

Congratulations to Anna McConnell, State Autism Coordinator and new Alabama Act Early Ambassador! Anna is with the Alabama Department of Mental Health and serves as a leader on the Help Me Grow Alabama state team. We are very proud of Anna and excited about the Learn the Signs, Act Early materials and information that she will gain.

The Act Early Ambassador program is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau.  The 15-month program allows Ambassadors to help promote the goals and objectives of Learn the Signs, Act Early (LTSAE), to improve early identification of autism and other developmental disabilities, to work closely with the LTSAE national program and Act Early Alabama state team, and to utilize and help promote the “Autism Case Training: A Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Curriculum.”

This opportunity will make more resources available to further the progress that has already been made by the Act Early Team by continuing to strengthen and expand relationships with the medical community to improve developmental monitoring and to provide resources and training.  These activities are in line with the mission and charge of the Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council (AIACC), which already participates in LTSAE initiatives.  Anna's ambassadorship will strengthen partnerships around the state, like Help Me Grow, as these initiatives continue to expand.