Autism is a brain development disorder whose characteristic signs are impairments in social interaction and communication, as well as restricted and repetitive behavior, all exhibited before a child is three years old.[1] These characteristics distinguish autism from milder autism spectrum disorders (ASD).[2]

Heritability contributes about 90% of the risk of a child developing the disorder, though the genetics of autism are complex and typically it is unclear which genes are responsible.[3] In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects.[4] Other proposed causes, such as exposure of children to vaccines, are controversial and the vaccine hypotheses have no convincing scientific evidence.[5] Most recent reviews estimate a prevalence of 1–2 per 1,000 people for autism and close to 6 per 1,000 for ASD, with ASD averaging a 4.3:1 male-to-female ratio. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, at least partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; it is controversial whether prevalence has increased as well.[6]

Autism affects many parts of the brain, but how this occurs is poorly understood.[7] Parents usually notice warning signs in the first year or two of their child's life. Early intervention may help children gain self-care and social skills, though only a very few of these interventions are supported by scientific studies; there is no cure.[8] With severe autism independent living is unlikely, but with milder au

tism there are some success stories as adults,[9] and an autistic culture has developed, with some seeking a cure and others believing that autism is simply another way of being.[

Autism is a developmental disorder of the human brain that first shows signs during infancy or childhood and follows a steady course without remissions or relapses.[2] Impairments result from maturation-related changes in various systems of the brain.[7] Autism is one of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) or autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which are characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior.[2]

Of the other four autism spectrum disorders, Asperger's syndrome is closest to autism in signs and likely causes; Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder share several signs with autism but may have unrelated causes; finally, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is diagnosed when the criteria are not met for a more specific disorder.[11] Unlike autism, Asperger's has no significant delay in language development.[12] The terminology of autism can be bewildering, with autism, Asperger's, and PDD-NOS sometimes called the autistic disorders,[3] whereas autism itself is often called autistic disorder, childhood autism, or infantile autism. This article uses autism to refer to the classic autistic disorder, while other sources sometimes use autism to refer to autistic disorders or even ASD. ASD in turn is a subset of the broader autism phenotype (BAP), which describes individuals who may not have ASD but do have some autistic-like traits, such as avoiding eye contact.[13]

Autism's manifestations cover a wide spectrum, ranging from individuals with severe impairments—who may be silent, mentally disabled, and locked into hand flapping and rocking—to less impaired individuals who may have active but distinctly odd social approaches, narrowly focused interests, and verbose, pedantic communication.[14] Sometimes the syndrome is informally and controversially divided into low-, medium- and high-functioning autism (LFA, MFA, and HFA) based on IQ thresholds,[15] or on how much support the individual requires in daily life. Autism can also be divided into syndromal and non-syndromal autism, where the former is associated with severe or profound mental retardation or a congenital syndrome with physical symptoms, such as tuberous sclerosis.[16] Although individuals with Asperger's tend to perform better cognitively than those with autism, it is unclear how much overlap occurs among Asperger's, HFA, and non-syndromal autism.[17]

Some studies have reported diagnoses of autism in some children due to a loss of language or social skills, as opposed to a failure to make progress. Several terms are used for this phenomenon, including regressive autism, setback autism, and developmental stagnation. The validity of this distinction remains controversial; it is possible regressive autism is a specific su

Children with autism have problems in 3 crucial areas of development — social skills, language and behavior. Because the symptoms of autism vary widely, 2 children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have strikingly different skill levels. Learn the signs of autism and the developmental milestones for speech and language for early diagnosis and intervention.

• · Signs and symptoms
• · Delayed speech or language development
• · Communication and your 1- to 2-year-old
• · Communication and your 2- to 3-year-old
• · Sensory integration dysfunction
• · Other conditions with symptoms similar to autism
• · Talk about it: Share your thoughts about autism

Related articles

• · Autism and genes
• · Autism - Topic Overview
• · Autism - References
• · Autism - Symptoms

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Aspergwer Syndrome