By: Mariam Elhamy
April has been established as an important awareness month for the Autistic community since 2007. People all over the world come together to take part in this day through events, fundraising campaigns, or simply posting support on social media platforms. We are contributing to World Autism Day by sharing some interesting facts and helping you, our reader, become more knowledgable about autism!
10 Interesting & Surprising Facts about Autism
- According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of autism is 1 in 59 children.
- Autism is 4 times more common in boys than in girls.
- Almost 70 million people in the world land on the autism spectrum
- According to the Social Solidarity Ministry, there are almost 800,000 autistic Egyptians.
- Autism is more common than cancer, diabetes, and AIDS.
- It has been evident that having trained dogs in the house could help autistic children manage their behavior.
- The average age for an autism diagnosis is 4 years old.
- Parents are NOT the cause of autism.
- Autistic people could easily explore their talents through dance, art, theater, music, and singing since they are known to be very creative.
- Since autistic people miss some facial cues, they are more likely to not catch yawns.
10 Famous People with Autism
- Andy Warhol
- Susan Boyle
- Robin Williams
- Thomas Jefferson
- Abraham Lincoln
- Mozart
- Charles Darwin
- Albert Einstein
- Michelangelo
- Bill Gates
#LightItUpBlue Campaign
It is an annual campaign that raises awareness of autism by lighting up iconic landmarks to support those with autism. 142 countries and 18,602 buildings were part of this campaign. The most famous landmarks to have taken part in the campaign are the Empire State Building, The London Eye, Christ Redeemer statue in Brazil and the Great Pyramids in Giza.
Some of the celebrities who have contributed in the #LightItUpBlue campaign with posts on social media and stories on Instagram are Sia, Tommy Hilfiger, P!nk, Hilary Duff, David Guetta, Kelly Rowland, and The Blue Man Group.
Look Out For The Signs
According to “Autism Speaks”, there are definitely some signs that may imply that your child could be exhibiting signs of autism.
- 6 months old: Almost no eye contact and no engaging expressions
- 9 months old: No facial expressions such as reacting to sounds and smiles.
- 12 months old: No gestures such as pointing, waving or reaching and no response to name.
- 16 months old: Lack of speech, almost no words.
- 24 months: lack of meaningful phrases.
- Any age: Loss of speech and social skills, no eye contact, the persistence of solitude, inability to understand people’s feelings, limited interests, unusual reactions to sounds, tastes, textures, lights, smells and, colors and delayed language.
Get Help and Support!
The Egyptian Autistic Society offers services to help autistic children’s learning and development needs. Click here for more information.
ADVANCE – The Egyptian Advance Society for Persons with Autism and Other Disabilities has fantastic opportunities for teacher training, employment and other inclusion programs.
Join the Autism Support Network online for free.
Enjoy some games for autistic children here: Autism Games / Whiz Kid Games
Egyptian schools and learning centers for special needs students:
