World Autism Awareness Day

Every year, the world observes World Autism Day on April 2 to raise awareness about the causes, symptoms and prevention of autism. This day aims to spread awareness about the disorder and support people who are suffering from it. This day marks a global event which is about the acceptance, support and inclusion of autistic people and the advocacy of their rights.

What is Autism?

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Autism Spectrum Disorders or ASD are a diverse group of conditions characterised by some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication. Other characteristics of ASD are atypical patterns of activities and behaviours like difficulty with transition from one activity to another focus on details and unusual reactions to the sensations.

This is a neurological and developmental disorder affecting the conditions of people who struggle to interact with others like communication, learning and behaving. Autism can be diagnosed at any age. However, this condition is generally known as a developmental disorder as it generally appears in the first two years of life.  

What causes Autism?

The causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are not well understood as it is a rare gene change or mutation causing small genetic variations in people implying a genetic component. There is a growing area that focuses on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The other possible causes of Autism are extreme prematurity, prenatal exposure to air pollution, maternal obesity, diabetes, immune system disorders or genetics that lead to the development of autism spectrum disorders. 

Environment factors associated with autism

There are different environmental risk factors associated with autism involving clearest evidence events like before or during birth such as

• Prenatal exposure to air pollution
• Increase in parental age at the time of conception
• Maternal obesity, diabetes or immune system disorders
• Any birth difficulty leads to oxygen deprivation in the baby's brain
• Extreme prematurity or very low birth weight

What are the symptoms of Autism?

There are multiple symptoms of autism, such as

• avoiding eye contact
• not smiling when you smile at them
• not responding to their name
• not talking like other children
• repeating the same phrases
• not playing as much
• getting upset when they don't like the taste, smell or round