Power Point Part 2

Facts

What is Autism? Autism is considered a new developmental disorder, as it did not clinically exist until 1944 and is now the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S.

Autism now affects 1 in 66 children and 1 in 42 boys

Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism

Famous persons Dan Aykroyd According to a 2007 article in The Guardian, as a child, actor Dan Aykroyd was expelled from two schools for acting up and a psychiatrist had diagnosed him with a mild Asperger’s syndrome. He also had a few tics and had shown signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Temple Gradin “The thing about being autistic is that you gradually get less and less autistic, because you keep learning, you keep learning how to behave. It’s like being in a play; I’m always in a play.” - Temple Grandin

There is no medical detection or cure for autism

What causes Autism? Scientists aren’t certain about what causes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role. Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Studies of people with ASD have found irregularities in several regions of the brain.

Courtney Love In a biography by Poppy Z, we learn that Courtney was diagnosed by one of her therapists as mildly autistic.

Lewis Carroll Did Lewis Carroll have Asperger’s syndrome? Historians aren’t exactly sure. Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin’s Trinity College compared the behavior of his patients with Asperger’s syndrome with that described in the biographies of several famous men and determined that they would have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Lewis was on his list.

James Durbin was a hero to many when he competed on Season 10 of American Idol and was open about his Tourette’s and Asperger’s syndromes.