Important .. Read please

Alright, guys.. Hana here. Here’s the thing. I know I’m usually really casual with my writing, but I recently came upon something that hits close to home. Autism (Or ASD, “Autism Spectrum Disorder”).  And for all you mean kids thinking, “Oh, hahaha! She must have it!” I don’t. However, my brother does. The 2nd most common mental disease, ASD(after Mental Retardation) has piqued an interest in the neurology department of news lately. A recent study consisting of regular infants and ones with autism showed.. some interesting results. "This is the earliest study of brain development using neuro-imaging," says Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. "By six months of age, even before the symptoms [of autism] emerge, the brain networks that connect different brain regions do not develop correctly." This Dawson chick is actually pretty famous in the Autism world. She’s also one of the “big people” in Autism Speaks, a company devoted to making Autistic kids the best they can be. Another reason this hits close to home is because the study was done at UNC, everybody’s favorite university and not all that far from Smith. Long story short, they think that the cause of autism has something to do with the way the brain wires itself during the early months of a babies life- even in the womb! Their brain malfunctions, and boom- it’s irreversible. But of course, therapy and such can make it a lot better. Actually, therapy is really really helpful in most cases.

So, this article is pretty much over, but I wanted to make a point. April is official Autism Awareness month, but every month is Autism Awareness when you know and love someone with the spectrum. If that sounds like you.. Here are some links to help you out.

Autism Speaks
Resource Links
Autism Society of NC