Light It Blue for Autism Awareness Month | AFC Urgent Care of East Tennessee

AFC Urgent Care TN wants you to learn more about autism this April, since April is Autism Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 68 children living in the United States have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Is your child one of them?

What You Need to Know About Autism

ASD is a neurological and developmental disorder that is usually diagnosed early in a person’s life and continues throughout his or her life. This disorder affects both how a person acts and interacts, as well as how he or she communicates with others. However, when it comes to those who suffer from autism, not all definitions of autism fits each person’s profile.

Children who are diagnosed with autism process things differently because they interpret sensory information differently than others who don’t have autism. It doesn’t make it wrong. They just see things differently than other people do in life.

In addition, this can cause them to become overwhelmed due to loud noises or sensations. This is why those with autism are more prone to meltdowns, especially in public. And it has absolutely nothing to do with how he or she is disciplined by the parent. It’s how the child is trying to cope with the disorder while these overwhelming senses occur.

Having friends is important to children with autism, although some people believe the opposite is true. It’s not. It’s just that, because a child with autism has more difficulty than others socializing with classmates, it can appear as if he or she doesn’t want to play. He or she also doesn’t know how to communicate properly in order to strike up a friendship with others. Therefore, it can be difficult to make friends. But this doesn’t mean they don’t want—or need—friends.

Our AFC Urgent Care TN centers are able to provide care for children age 6 months and older. We are open seven days a week, and no appointment is necessary.