| Autism is a brain disorder that begins | | | | during pregnancy. Diagnosis is based on |
| in early childhood, usually within the | | | | a list of psychiatric criteria as well |
| first three years of life and persists | | | | as a series of standardized clinical |
| throughout adulthood. It affects crucial | | | | tests are also used. |
| areas of development and exhibits | | | | Surprisingly some autistic individuals |
| following symptoms like: | | | | may be outstandingly good at some kinds |
| ·learning difficulties i.e. he lacks in | | | | of mental manipulations for example, |
| ability to learn inductively from | | | | arithmetical calculations, music, |
| surrounding events, | | | | drawing etc. |
| ·communication or speech problems, | | | | With intense therapy, practice and |
| ·difficulty relating to people, marked | | | | schooling, some children diagnosed with |
| by a lack of awareness of the feelings | | | | autism can improve their social and |
| of others, indifferent to parents | | | | other skills to the point where they can |
| ·lack of social interaction, | | | | fully participate in mainstream |
| ·short attention span, | | | | education and social events, but there |
| ·not exhibiting creative or | | | | are no indications that a cure from |
| imaginative play, | | | | autism is possible with current |
| ·performing actions that are often | | | | technology or advances in medicine. |
| repetitive and unchanging like twirling | | | | Asperger's syndrome and developmental |
| objects or rocking, | | | | delay syndromes are two of the related |
| ·reacting extremely to changes in the | | | | categories of Autism. These syndromes |
| immediate environment. | | | | exist because of brain circuitry |
| Autistic children appear to lack the | | | | problems. |
| ability to see things from another | | | | A key indicator to physicians making a |
| person's perspective, a behavior cited | | | | proper assessment for autism would |
| as exclusive to human beings above the | | | | include looking for symptoms found in |
| age of five and possibly in some | | | | 'sensory integration dysfunction', where |
| primates. | | | | children will exhibit problems such as |
| Autistic traits continue into adulthood, | | | | oversensitivity or under-reactivity to |
| but vary in severity. Some adults with | | | | touch, movement, sights, or sounds; |
| autism do well, earning college degrees | | | | physical clumsiness; poor body |
| and living independently. Others never | | | | awareness; a tendency to be easily |
| develop the skills of daily living, and | | | | distracted; impulsive physical or verbal |
| may be incorrectly diagnosed with a | | | | behavior; an activity level that is |
| variety of psychiatric illnesses. | | | | unusually high or low; not unwinding or |
| Autism is a pervasive developmental | | | | calming oneself; difficulty learning new |
| disorder with an unknown origin. It is a | | | | movements; difficulty in making |
| bioneurological disorder and not a | | | | transitions from one situation to |
| mental illness, which affects the | | | | another. Autistic people may experience |
| functioning of the brain. Some theories | | | | difficulty in hearing certain people's |
| suggest that it may be caused by | | | | voice while others' are louder than |
| genetics, viral and/or chemical exposure | | | | usual. |