SASKATOON – Carol Tebay’s son David was diagnosed with autism when he was 11 years old.
“When we first got the diagnosis he was probably in Grade five and we really didn’t know a lot about autism at all. I thought it was the children who weren’t speaking and aren’t communicating,” said Carol Tebay, Autism Services of Saskatoon event coordinator.
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Since then, Tebay has learned a lot through Autism Services of Saskatoon. She is now the event coordinator for the organization and dedicated to raising awareness through events.
“Right now the number is one in 68 children will be diagnosed with autism, but that’s kind of a moving target. A couple of years ago it was one in 88, now it’s one in 68. We’ve heard reports that the number is actually shrinking,” said Tebay.
More children are being diagnosed every year, which for Tebay, is why awareness is needed more now than ever before.
“We’ve seen that in our organization. From the 2014 to the 2015 calendar year we’ve seen an increase in referrals to our organization by 70 per cent.”
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
“I’ve learned that it is very individualized. No kid is the exact same as far as symptoms go. There’s no direct cure or cause for autism. You’re basically born with it, with a lot of unexplained things,” said Autism Services of Saskatoon family programs director Alex Scott.
The features, abilities and severity of symptoms can vary considerably among individuals with autism and for Scott this is exactly what he finds so interesting.
“It’s a very unique and fascinating disorder. I know there is a lot of stigmas on autism and it is important for society to know that every kid is different and very fascinating,” says Scott.
He hopes global events like World Autism Day will continue to spotlight, in his view, this ‘under the radar’ disorder.
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