Winter 2016-2017
AUTISM COULD
MY CHILD
P
DISORD ER HAVE IT?
C
E
T
R
U
M
very parent worries sometimes
when it comes to their child,
and it’s a natural reaction to
feel concern when something doesn’t
seem right. From medical and behavioral
issues to whether your child is reaching
developmental milestones, there are many
things parents can fret over. But if your
toddler seems distant or doesn’t play
well with others, should you assume that
something is wrong?
According to the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC), one in 68 children
has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Previously known just as autism, the
disorder was renamed to better reflect
the levels of disability, skills and
symptoms that children can have with
it. Parents and school and day care staff
are usually the first to pick up on these
behaviors, which usually fall into two
categories: social communications and
interaction, and repetitive behaviors and
preoccupation with certain things.
Lauren Papke, MS, CCC-SLP, a speechlanguage pathologist and program lead of
the Autism Program at Wolfson Children’s
Rehabilitation, said the red flags to look
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