The earlier an autistic child is diagnosed and treated, the better.

That’s the message Dr. Ami Klin, the first chief of autism and related disorders at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, sent last year to the TEDxPeachtree stage with his inspiring talk entitled “Autism: Disruptions in early human social adaptation mechanisms.” In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, we’re drawn to this presentation.

In just 20 minutes, he shattered perceptions and misconceptions of this disorder, creating a stream of Twitter dialogue around autism.

“We always think about autism as something that happens later in life,” said Dr. Klin. “It doesn’t. It begins at the beginning of life.” One in 88 children are born with the disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Klin said honing skills in early stages will impact children with autism. Early detection means early treatment. “The brain determines who we are going to be, but the brain also becomes who we are.”

In his talk, he said early-targeted social engagement with autistic children can be an investment in their future productivity and development. Isolation is not the most nurturing environment for individuals with autism.

He brought the condition into context: “We learn a great deal by sharing experiences,” he said as he told the story about a young girl who doesn’t see a clear division between inanimate objects and people. “Her path of learning is divergent, moment by moment, as she’s isolating herself further and further.”

“The idea is not to cure autism,” he said. “What we want is to make sure that those individuals with autism can be free from those devastating consequences that come with [the disorder: the profound intellectual disabilities, the lack of language and the profound isolation.”

“We feel that individuals with autism in fact have a very special perspective on the world — and we need diversity,” he noted.

Dr. Klin spoke of his methodology and research at the Marcus Autism Center. “If we measure things that are evolutionary, highly conserved and developmentally very early emerging…. We could push the detection to those early months of life.”

Do you know a powerful speaker who can present on an interesting topic? We are now accepting nominations for TEDxPeachtree 2012.

Written by Maria StephensContributor

Maria Stephens is a marketing professional at a leading integrated marketing and PR firm working in energy and oil/gas – She’s merged her interests in science and communications into a career in B2B consulting. Maria is an award-winning photographer and writer, and a nationally recognized print & web designer. She was born in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and speaks fluent Russian.

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