Currently, one in fifty-four American children will be diagnosed somewhere on the Autism spectrum. Social workers in child welfare have noted this rise in the diagnosis of autism across the country and have asked us to help bring autism out of the shadows.
This blog shies away from simply reprinting the copy of experts, but in the case of autism spectrum disorder so many parents are concerned for their little ones that we thought it best to stick close to the National Institute of Mental Health's discussion on autism. (Italics below indicate direct quotes from NIH literature and plain font means we have summarized their information.) So, let's start this brief discussion on autism spectrum disorders with a definition and description by the National Institute of Mental Health.