HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT AUTISM? “Warning signs can appear as early as 6 months, a growing body of research suggests. Take the quiz to get up to speed” Moninger, J. (2014, August). How much do you know about autism? American Baby, pp. 13,14,15.

1. AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY KIDS IN THE U.S.? Answer: C—1 in 68 Diagnoses have climbed; it’s the fastest growing childhood developmental disorder. Why? Society has become more aware of autism

2. WHICH OF THESE FACTORS INCREASES A CHILD’S RISK?  D: All of the above  Low birth weight,- babies who weight less than 4lbs 6oz at birth are five times more likely  Being a boy—experts are still trying to figure out why boys are more often diagnosed with autism  Having older parents—parents in their 40s are 50% more likely of having a child with autism  Ongoing research suggests that genetic mutations my be partly responsible

3. WHAT STEPS CAN AN EXPECTANT MOTHER TAKE TO HELP PROMOTE HEALTHY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT?  Answer: A-Take a prenatal vitamin  Daily supplement not only help prevent premature delivery  Cuts the risk in half if taken in the first month (2011, Epidemiology study)  Folic Acid is vital (brain boosting vitamin)

4. AT WHAT AGE SHOULD A CHILD FIRST BE SCREENED FOR AUTISM?  Answer: B—18 months  Full screening takes place at 18 and 24 months  Screening for delay the requires a specialist  Starting at 2 months, pediatricians will look for delays  Head lag Head-lagHead-lag

5. IF A 4-MONTH-OLD CONSISTENTLY FAILS TO LOOK AT YOU WHEN YOU TALK TO HIM OR FEED HIM, HE MIGHT BE… Answer: B--showing one of the earlies t signs of autism  By 3 months, babies start picking up on social cues  Paying attention to people's eyes  Could be a warning sign if the baby does not  Babies diagnosed with Autism made increasingly less eye contact starting between 2 and 6 months

6. TRUE OR FALSE? BABIES USUALLY RESPOND TO THEIR NAME BY 6 MONTHS.  True  Name recognition is an important milestone  often lacking in infants who are later diagnosed with Autism * some normally developing infants might respond to their names later; as late as 12 months

7. JUST HOW MANY WORDS SHOULD A 12-MONTH-OLD HAVE IN HER VOCABULARY?  Answer: 2  most babies can say one or two words by their first birthday  By age 2, most can say at least 50 words and string together two word sentences

8. TRUE OR FALSE? THERE’S NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT AUTISM IF A BABY IS HITTING FIRST- YEAR MILESTONES. Answer: False A third of children who are diagnosed with autism start to lose language, social, or developmental skills. "regression is a major red flag" (Hayman 2007)

9. TRUE OR FALSE? THERE IS NO PROVEN LINK BETWEEN VACCINES AND AUTISM. Answer: True The 1998 British study behind this was a fallacy and retracted in 2010

10. IF A CHILD HAS AUTISM, WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT A SIBLING WILL HAVE IT TOO?  Answer: High  Even though most children have not family history of the disorder  genetics play a large role in the disorder

11.TRUE OR FALSE? IT’S FINE FOR KIDS WITH AUTISM TO WAIT UNTIL THEY’RE SCHOOL AGE TO START THERAPY.  Answer: False  Toddlers who undergo intensive behavioral therapy show improvement  cognitive, language, and social skills