April is autism awareness month, and we want to do our part in increasing awareness and *acceptance*, as well as answer all of your autism-related questions. Our team at The Childhood Collective has a huge heart for autistic children and their families! All of us have spent our careers specializing in diagnostic evaluations and therapy for these children, and have seen many changes occur over the past decade. We hope to offer you some professional insights and share a bit about our own experiences. Let's start with the basics: what is autism? 

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts a child’s ability to communicate and socially interact with others. Children with autism also show repetitive behaviors and special, focused interests.

The current diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is made when a child shows differences in communicating and interacting with others and either (currently or in the past) has shown challenges in ALL of...