“Autism is not a mental illness, a mental health condition or a learning disability. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impaired verbal and social communication, rigid, restrictive and repetitive behaviours, uneven intellectual development, sensitivity to sensory input, challenges with fine and gross motor skills, and gastrointestinal difficulties, among other characteristics. Autism is more accurately referred to as ‘autism spectrum disorder’(ASD) because each person on the spectrum can exhibit a differing array of these characteristics and with wide ranging severity.”
Kathleen O’Grady, Managing Editor, EvidenceNetwork.ca and Research Associate, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University. Anne Jovanovic, political scientist. Both are parents of sons with autism.
Read the Commentary: Four things every journalist should know before writing about autism in Canada
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