April is Autism Awareness Month and an open day at Griffith City Library is being put on by a local support group on the 30th.
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It was hoped that the wider community could learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Paul Newcombe from Riverina Kids Therapy will give a talk at 11am.
Dene Beltrame is president and public officer of Griffith Autism Support Group (GASG) and has spent years learning about autism after her son, Noah, was diagnosed at 15-months-old.
GASG has donated materials to the library for use by the community and is supplying educational materials to schools as well.
“We approached the schools and most of the schools in town are doing something during Autism Awareness Month, whether they’re showing a movie about autism or reading a book, just to create awareness and get the conversation started about what it is.
“It’s something a lot of people don’t want to talk about, it kind of gets the conversation going and kids asking questions, we’re hoping that will create awareness.”
Service providers will be at the open day to talk to families so they could find out more information.
“In the brain of a child with autism, the frontal lobe is wired differently, there’s nothing missing,” Ms Beltrame said.
“The frontal lobe is our social and communication part of our brain, so that’s their main deficit, the social and communication issues that they have. They struggle to understand social cues, have problems communicating their feelings, don’t really understand emapthy, everything that we find naturally progresses as we grow up, they have to be taught.
“They don’t understand why they feel a certain way or what’s going on with them, they get very confused. There’s a very high rate of depression in teenaged autistic kids because they get very aware of their differences and they struggle with that, struggle with making friends, dealing with situations, getting uncomfortable in crowds, and they don’t get why. Teenage years are tough for everyone, it’s a double whammy for them.”
Ms Beltrame likened people with ASD to “being innocent like a two-year-old, and the things that they would say, and they get away with it because they’re two, but a 10-year-old doing those things,” would run into social issues.
Early intervention is critical for children with autism, with a recent study finding significantly improved outcomes for children who get diagnosed early.
Parents should be aware of the signs, and seek medical advice if they suspect their child has autism.