World Autism Awareness Day is marked on April 2

In December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. The focus of the day is to highlight the growing national and global health crisis of autism and related autism spectrum disorders in children, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the Ministry of Health. Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder that usually appears during the first three years of life. A child with autism appears to live in his/her own world, showing little interest in others, and a lack of social awareness. The focus of an autistic child is a consistent routine and includes an interest in repeating odd and peculiar behaviors. Generally children with autism often have problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, avoid eye contact, and show limited attachment to others. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of typical children. Autism affects 3-4 in 10,000 children younger than 18 worldwide. Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism. Children with autism may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people. They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can’t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don’t watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior. They lack empathy. Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me.” Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation. These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or their child's failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then lost skills. If a child is diagnosed with autism, early intervention is critical to gain maximum benefit from existing therapies. Although parents may have concerns about labeling a toddler as “autistic,” the earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier interventions can begin. Effective programs focus on developing communication, social, and cognitive skills. Autism knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries, family income levels, lifestyle choices, or educational levels, and can affect any family and any child. According to the National Program on Mental Health for 2007-2011, community centers that will include child psychiatrists, psychologists, logopedists, psychotherapists, ergotherapists will be opened in Moldova’s municipalities and district centers. The children with autism could receive ambulatory treatment and take part in training courses there. Such centers now work in the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti and in Ungheni town.