An Infographic that is Based on Autism Spectrum Disorder

For my Capstone Project, I created an infographic that is based on Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is also known as ASD. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a development disorder that affects communication and behavior. Even though it can be diagnosed at any age, it is considered a development disorder because the symptoms appear in the first 2 years after birth. About 1 in 59 children has been identified by Autism Spectrum Disorder and is 4.5 times more common in males than females.

The two major domains of symptoms of this based, developmental condition are impaired social communication and interaction, and restricted repetitive behavior, interest, and/ or activities. The reason it is known as a spectrum disorder is because there is a wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children be screened for ASD.

I picked Autism Spectrum Disorder as my topic due to personal reasons. I have family members who have this condition. Not only do I have two little cousins who continue to have stuttering problems, I also have two aunts in Mexico who have autism. They both were diagnosed with autism as infants according to my dad. I did not find out until I was eight years old when I went to Mexico for the first time. As a child, I noticed how people from the village treated her including some of my own family members. As I got older, I came to the realization that people treated them like that because they had autism. People treated my aunts sometimes calling them slow, dumb, or incompetent.

I hated this so much because I would see this on a daily basis when I was in Mexico. I could also tell that my aunts were suffering from this torture. I always said that this condition could happen to anyone and that is why we should treat everybody . Despite their condition, I still gave my respect to my aunts. As of now, my aunt Lupe is 30 and my aunt Carmen is 31 years old. Since then, I wanted to learn more about ASD.

Another reasons I chose this topic is because I did not know anything about autism. It never occurred to me. It blew my mind that I have family members who have autism yet I did not know one thing about it. Regardless of my aunts being in Mexico, my parent never explained to me what autism is and never taught me how to encounter people who have autism. As somebody who is majoring in community health, this topic intrigued me even more.

My target audience for my infographic is American parents parents who have children that are autistic or are new to this since the ASD facts are based in the U.S. I chose them because parents, in general, are going to be the most concerned about their children. They will love to guide their children and show care for them. They are willing to do everything they can for their child to have a better life.

Another reason I chose parents is because the child will live in their home. Nobody knows their child more than their mom and dad. A doctor/ counselor cannot match the love of a parent. Parents are going to be with their child almost 24/7 and will know exactly what to do with their child when any problems occur. In this case, they will have a bond that is greater than others.

My infographic is a parent’s guide for anybody who had a baby or is planning to have children. This infographic gives information to parents who believe their child might have ASD or are taking precautionary measures in case it does occur in the future. I broke it down into 4 parts: risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. these are the steps you need to see to determine if your child has ASD. This infographic will help parents know whether or not they need to take actions immediately regarding their child.

Overall, my goal for this project was to increase awareness of ASD so parents can seek professional guidance early in their child’s life.

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