“Autism can’t define me. I define autism.”-Kerry Magro

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day by the United Nations which is celebrated every year on April 2^nd, spreading joy and awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the note.

Autism? Well, the term Autism is a “developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour.” Autistic people have to struggle to communicate is because autism alters the information processing in the brain that means that autism modifies how nerve cells and their synapses are connected and organized.

So if you ask why autism is given much preference than other disorders, the answer is that it is very common than you think. According to reports from the World Health Organisation (as per 7^th November 2019), One in 160 children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). But some studies show that the numbers are subsequently higher. According to the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) report, it has been stated 1 in 59 children have been dragonized with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Parents often notice signs of ASD during the first three years of the child’s life. And these signs gradually develop, sometimes worsening their communication skills and social life.

Autistic People often face many problems other than having difficulty in social interaction. They may find it hard to carry themselves in the right way as normal humans do. They may tend to show repetitive body movements and may have hypersensitivity to certain sounds which seem normal to us. Many children and young people on the autism spectrum have co-morbidities (co-occurring conditions and syndromes) which bring their problems and which may complicate the problems caused by autism and these include genetic conditions, neurological conditions, gastrointestinal problems, learning disabilities, mental health etc.

Autism doesn’t have a known cure but autistic people have gone through the management of symptoms or development of skills and support, which includes behavioural, psychological, and educational therapy.

Autistic people are unique in their way, some autistic people don’t find autism as a challenge and accept the way they are. But not all are the same. Some people may get frustrated while explaining to people what their condition is or may find autism as a challenge and face problems on a day to day basis. So, World Autism Awareness Day is an initiative for us to understand that not all are the same and some do need extra attention and care for comfort.