{"id":7542,"date":"2019-10-07T09:30:52","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T14:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=7542"},"modified":"2019-09-27T12:36:43","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T17:36:43","slug":"the-autism-collective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/the-autism-collective\/","title":{"rendered":"The Autism Collective Q&A"},"content":{"rendered":"

Children living with autism and their families each have a unique set of challenges to overcome \u2013 from learning to cope to finding the right treatment in a complex health care landscape.<\/p>\n

The Autism Collective<\/a> is a collaboration of Easterseals Central Illinois<\/a> and OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a> formed to give these families a single point of contact for cohesive, coordinated care.<\/p>\n

Amanda Estes, executive director of the Autism Collective, answers some questions below.<\/p>\n

Before joining The Autism Collective, Amanda spent more than 20 years working in health care in various roles. As an OSF HealthCare performance improvement specialist, Amanda realized her passion for working with children with medical complexities and developmental disabilities through her exposure to Almost Home Kids<\/a>. When she heard about the formation of The Autism Collective, she knew she wanted to be involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no doubt in my mind, this was what all my other roles had been preparing me for. This was and is the chance to combine all of my education, experience and passion for vulnerable populations into a role where I can make an impact and improve the lives of so many!\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: What is autism?<\/h2>\n

\"TwoA: Autism<\/a>, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior.<\/p>\n

Although autism can be diagnosed<\/a> at any age, it is said to be a developmental disorder because indicators of autism usually appear by age 2 or 3. And autism is known as a spectrum disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience.<\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the United States today.<\/p>\n

There is often nothing about how people with autism look that sets them apart from others, but individuals with autism may communicate, interact, behave and learn in ways that are different from most other people.<\/p>\n

The learning, thinking and problem-solving abilities of people with autism can range from gifted to severely challenged.<\/p>\n

Q: What are the challenges people with autism and their families face?<\/h2>\n

A: Because autism is a spectrum disorder<\/a>, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges.<\/p>\n

Some people with autism may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less support. Because autism is characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, the challenges individuals with autism face can have an impact on their ability to function properly in school, work and other areas of life.<\/p>\n

The challenges we most often hear from families include:<\/p>\n