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What is Autism?
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex developmental disorder that affects the ability of the brain to properly process sensory information from the environment. This often results in problems with social relationships, communication abilities and behavioral issues with functioning levels ranging from severe to relatively mild.
Autism is typically diagnosed during the first three years of life and occurs in approximately one out of every 166 births. Its effects have been found among all races, nationalities and social classes with four out of every five persons diagnosed being male.
What are the Characteristics of Autism?
Characteristics may differ markedly from person to person, but will usually include the following:
Severe deviations in language development - Language is slow to develop and usually includes peculiar speech patterns or the use of words without attaching them to their normal meaning.
Severe deviations in understanding social relationships - Children with autism may not use eye contact in social interactions, may resist being picked up, and seem to “tune out” the world. This results in an inability to play with others and an impaired ability to make friends.
Inconsistent patterns of sensory responses - The child may appear to be deaf and fail to respond to words and sounds. At other times, a child may be extremely distressed by everyday noises such as a vacuum cleaner or dog barking. The child may show an insensitivity to pain and lack of responsiveness to cold or heat, or may overreact to any of these.
Uneven patterns of intellectual functioning - The majority of people with autism have varying degrees of mental retardation. Only 25% of people with autism have near-average, average, or above average intelligence.
However, some may have peak skills - Scattered things done quite well in relation to overall functioning, such as drawing, math, music, or memorization of facts.
Marked restriction of activity and interests - A person with autism may perform repetitive body movements, such as hand flicking, twisting, rocking, or spinning. This person may also display repetition by following the same schedule everyday, same route, same order of dressing, etc. If changes occur in these routines, the child may become upset.
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