TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - For the month of April, WTXL will take a look at Autism Spectrum Disorder, how it affects people in our neighborhood, and the organizations bringing awareness to it.
This is all in recognition of National Autism Awareness Month.
The Center for Disease and Control describes Autism Spectrum Disorder as a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
"There's a problem in our country that the average age of diagnosis is between 4 and 5 years old," said Charly Notteke, the assistant director of the Early Detection and Prevention Autism Institute. "And we've missed the window for Autism then, for early intervention for Autism."
The disability falls on a spectrum, with varying degrees of severity. The First Words Project in Tallahassee is working to identify and address the disability as early as 9 months old so that parents and the child can get a better hold on the disability.
"Early red flags that we're looking for is a child's gestures, specifically their showing and their pointing gestures," said Notteke. "We're looking at their facial expressions and directing their facial expressions. We're also looking at if a child is paying more attention to the objects around them or the people that are around them?"
Assistant Director Charly Nottke invites parents that have noticed these signs to take an online screening test that provides further insight into the possibility of an Autism diagnosis.
After the test, parents and their children are invited to come into for an evaluation. Nottke says she's witnessed firsthand the power of early detection.
"It's great to see kids that came through and now they're in middle school in regular classes," said Nottke.
