A website against autism

What can the web do socially useful to help fathers and mothers worried that their children may have autism? So much, according to the promoters of a newly published theme site, that he wants to offer information as useful as possible to recognize the symptoms of the disease from an early age allowing to prepare treatments thanks to which to make the effects of the disease less disabling.

The Washington Post talks about it: the website is promoted jointly by the Autism Speaks and First Signs associations, and collects both multimedia and textual content. Alongside the definitions of terms such as echolalia – or the involuntary repetition of phrases and words spoken by others, a characteristic feature of the autistic condition (in 75% of cases) – there are video in which the behavior of healthy and sick children is compared .

Autism shows many of its hallmarks by age 3, and the online video glossary is just for learn to distinguish those that are the typical behaviors of children – such as compulsive and uncontrolled playing with cups and dishes, or clapping their hands equally convulsively – by those who should not be.

Differences at times obvious, at other times less so, which according to the promoters of the site deserve to be adequately explained, given the importance of the pathology. Although there is no cure for what many consider a real condition rather than a “disease” proper, autism is a complex problem, which must be identified immediately and faced with the necessary rehabilitation measures to reduce or contain the degenerative effect on social and personal life.

And if Amy Wetherby, a professor at Florida State University who helped create the portal, believes that the site can “provide reasons for families to call the doctor and say I’m worried”, there are also those who are more cautious, like Michael Wasserman. , a pediatrician from New Orleans who fears the information on autismspeaks.org can lead parents to worry excessively for what are simple behaviors of a healthy growing child.

Alfonso Maruccia