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Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd ) Essay

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Autism is the most prevalent childhood disease in North America today. According to the latest research, the number of children being diagnosed is sky rocketing. Autism is affecting more and more children and two of them are mine. This issue is close to home for me, and because knowledge is power, I decided it would be a great opportunity to learn more about this disorder. As a parent of children with autism, at times I take it day by day, I don 't want to see the future, but am prepared for today. At times its been hard but it has mades us stronger as a family which is not always likely in this situation. This number of diagnoses continues to rise with better detection, better assessment and better research to determine markers of the disease. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication that begins at a young age, which commonly exhibits repetitive behaviours and restricted interests. (Xiao et al., 2014) As research advances, experts have now grouped all variations which include Aspergers, PDD-NOS, autistic disorder and childhood disintegrative disorder have now been categorized under the umbrella term of ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. The rise in prevalence is attributed to early detection and kids that are functioning at a higher level being diagnosed. Early intervention is key for these children to have productive lives and to succeed. But wait times for

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