Autism Speaks are launching a new public awareness campaign to encourage parents to get their children screened earlier for Autism, using a new Sesame Street Character. The puppet named Julia is on the spectrum and hopes to normalise the condition for parent and children, through both awareness and representation on screen. Although the condition can be diagnosed from the age of 2 and can present symptoms much earlier than this, many children across the world go undiagnosed until at least four or in some cases, not until a lot later on in life.

How Does Early Diagnosis Help?

Living with Autism can be difficult whether it is you or somebody you know that is on the spectrum, but there are procedures that can be put in place to help make life a little easier. Without an earlier diagnosis, many children suffer academically and pastorally at school as their autism can become overwhelming and cause them to not participate in class, have few friends and become isolated from communities. With the right support, schools and organisations can safeguard children with autism and ensure they have the correct tools so that they flourish and do not fall behind in their development.

What Are the Symptoms?

As autism is a spectrum disorder, the symptoms can vary massively from person to person but there are some tell-tale signs that can be spotted early on. One of the biggest generalisations of autism is that those with the condition struggle to process emotional information, often manifesting as a lack of social skills or lack of communication altogether. As a charity that supplies communication aids, this is the most common trait we see, so if you’re not sure your child is reaching developmental talking milestones, contact your doctor.