Autism is a complex neurobehavioral condition that is prevalently diagnosed in males. Main symptoms of the disease are difficulty in communication, decline in social interaction, hardships in language development (approximately one-third of people with autism are non-verbal) and presence of rigid, repetitive behaviors. In addition, autistic patients frequently suffer from other conditions, such as anxiety, depression, ADSD, epilepsy, sleep problems, gastrointestinal tract disorders and so on. Needless to say, being diagnosed with autism greatly influences the life of the individual and puts a lot of pressure on family. That’s why multiple specialists (speech therapists, psychologists, neurologists, etc.) work to ensure that autistic children develop needed skills to function comfortably and the various symptoms they may suffer from are managed.
With ReFigure team members, I supported autism research by participating in the autism walk in Boston Common to contribute to the Autism Speaks cause. Autism Speaks is the US autism advocacy organization that sponsors autism research and promotes autism awareness. They funded research on younger siblings of autistic kids which helped to identify early (by age 2) signs of autism and accelerated diagnosis. Autism Speaks funded research has shown various disorders which happen along with autism and need to be evaluated and treated separately. Another important research, funded by Autism Speaks, helped to start to understand the biology of autism and, in particular, which genes cause autism. This knowledge may lead to development of personalized treatments for the disease.
