Autism is a lifelong developmental disability for which there is no cure. Autism is one of the autism spectrum disorders.
Autism starts in very early childhood with parents beginning to recognise significant difficulties by about 12 months. A definite diagnosis is possible by the age of three. 1 child in 1000 is affected by autism. It is four times more common in boys than girls. An early diagnosis is important as early "treatment" usually leads to better outcomes.
Research has been carried out with twins and families which suggests that autism may have a strong genetic link. It is likely that multiple rather than single genes are responsible for causing autism. There is no evidence to suggest a link between autism and the MMR vaccine.
Autism has nothing whatsoever to do with the way parents bring up their children.
About 70% of children and young people with autism have a learning disability.
Some adults with autism are able to live independently in the community whilst others require residential care.
Each person is affected differently by autism but the three main symptoms are:
Difficulty with social communication
People with autism experience difficulties with both verbal and non-verbal communication. Some have a very literal understanding of language and think that people always mean what they say. Some people do not speak at all or may have fairly limited speech. People with autism prefer to communicate by means of sign language or visual symbolbs though they can usually undertand what is been said to them. Other people with autism will have good language skills but find it hard to understand and appreciate the reciprocal nature of a conversation. They will often simply repeat what has been said to them or talk instead at length about their own interests.
People with autism often have difficulty with-
Difficulty with social interaction
People with autism tend to have problems in relating to the emotions and feelings of others and in expressing their own. Difficulties of this sort make it very hard for people with autism to form and maintain friendships. They may-Difficulty with social imagination
A functioning social imagination enables us to understand and predict other people's behaviour, to make snese of abstract ideas and to imagine situations outside our immediate routine. The a href="http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=211">National Autistic Society makes the point that problems with social imagination should not be confused with with a lack of imagination, many people with autism are very creative including accomplished painters, musicians and writers. People with autism have problems with social imagination and this makes it hard for them to-
Other characteristics of autism can include-
