Bulgaria Marks World Autism Awareness Day

Bulgaria marks Thursday World Autism Awareness Day under the motto "Alone, but not lonely."

The day is marked locally for the second consecutive time with several initiatives all over Bulgaria, organized by the Bulgarian "Autism" Association.

The United Nations' World Autism Awareness Day resolution was adopted on December 18, 2007. It encourages all Member States to take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout society and to encourage early diagnosis and early intervention.

Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. About a third to a half of individuals with autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders is about 6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice.

Autism affects many parts of the brain, but it is unknown how exactly this occurs. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. Medications can stimulate the brain and help the child adapt better. Few children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, but some become successful.

Autism awareness is something relatively new for Bulgaria. The country does not have exact data about the number of autistic children. The single specialized facility for autistic children is in Sofia, while Bulgaria has only 12 child psychologists - the specialists that can diagnose the disorder after long observations and work with the child.

"When a family comes to us, they usually see only one problem - their child does not talk. We have then a long way ahead in order to help them understand that this child's problems are not limited to his or her speech difficulties, but that behind the inability to speak, there is a general difficulty in understanding and using the human language as a way to communicate and communication can Be executed successfully by other channels," Ani Andreeva, psychologist from the only Bulgarian Center for Social Integration of Autistic Individuals said Thursday.