State Leaders Raise Awareness About Autism

Tuesday is the fifth annual Autism Advocacy day at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

This year the event is going to be virtual but it still has the same mission, and that is to raise awareness, create acceptance, and to advocate. 

The event starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 12 p.m. Click here to register.

 According to the CDC, one in 54 American Children has Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. 

The Oklahoma Autism Center wants parents to know what the warning signs of autism are, especially in young children. There may be social cues, language gaps as well as different behaviors that can be signs your child may have autism. 

Ten Early Warning Signs for Autism include:

1. Does not react to caregiver reaching to pick him or her
2. Rarely imitates expressions
3. Delayed or infrequent babbling
4. Does not respond to his or her name
5. Does not gesture to communicate
6. Poor eye contact
7. Seeks your attention infrequently
8. Unusual body movements
9. Does not reach up when parents try to pick him or her up
10. Delays in motor development

Visit the CDC's website for more warning signs and information.

The Oklahoma Autism Center says that early detection and treatment is critical. They have a variety of great resources available for parents and adults who are interested. 

The CDC also now offers a milestones app that tracks progress. You can track your child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with the CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists; get tips from CDC for encouraging your child’s development; and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.

One of the main purposes of the Oklahoma Autism Center is to get more people trained to treat autism and that is going to be one of the topics they talk about Tuesday.

Bonnie McBride the Director of the Oklahoma Autism Center says there is a huge need for more people trained in special education.

“We're seeing districts with huge shortages of special ed teachers available. And it is not that they don’t just have funds to hire teachers, it's that when they have the funds they can’t find them.”

At the event Tuesday, Bonnie will share some of her ideas of different solutions and ways to recruit more special education professionals in Oklahoma.

COVID-19 has also prevented challenges this past year. During the pandemic, the Autism Center had to go virtual until June. 

They say it wasn't easy because a lot of the therapy they do is very hands-on, but they adapted.

“It has had a huge impact on children with disabilities, in general, I think that we are seeing that in our state that virtual learning just does not work well for children with developmental disabilities in general,” she said.

When it comes to acceptance, the Oklahoma Autism Center says that some autistic people may not really share that they are autistic. Your friends, neighbors, and co-workers may be autistic and face certain struggles that are unspoken.

“Maybe they didn’t know until they were an adult that some of the struggles that they had into their childhood into their adolescence and young adulthood were really because of some of these autism characteristics.”

By accepting people as they are, we can help support them when they need it.