Autism Spectrum Disorders

(Pervasive Developmental Disorders)

Have you ever met a person who seems to ignore everyone, maybe doesn't respond to a question, has abnormal repetitive movements, acts suspicious or just strange. There could be many reasons for this behavior, but one of the reasons could be that the person has Autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorders range from the severest disorder - Autism, to a more milder form, Asperger Syndrome. Autism ranges from high functioning to low functioning people. Symtoms are not the same for everyone, which is why it is called a "spectrum disorder."

A baby who is Autistic, sometimes will not interact with people very much or will look at objects for a very long period of time. Other babies may start out acting as a normal happy babbling babies, and then become quiet and disinterested in their parents and other people.

Not everyone who has this disorder acts the same way. Some people may overreact to situations, talk to themselves out loud, or be unable to read. They may act selfish, childish or fake. Some people may have seizures or try to hurt themselves. Some Autistic people are very intelligent, while others may have some mental retardation. All people with this disorder will:

1. Will have difficulty interacting with other people.

2. Have trouble talking and interpreting other people say and reading non-verbal communication.

3. Do things repetitively.

4. React unusually to to certain sounds and sites.

Source: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm | http://www.artworksbystefanie.com/index.html |
* http://www.autism-society.org | http://www.autism.org/ | http://www.autistics.org/ | http://www.ladders.org

No one really knows what causes Autism, but scientists believe that it can be inherited. It is not caused by bad parenting practices and is not a mental illness. Children who have Autism are not just children who refuse to behave. Brain scans on people with Autism show an abnormal shape or structure to the brain.

*Autism is the fastest-growing disability in the U.S. There is no cure for Autism, but people can learn to be more social, have better behavior, and find ways to communicate more effectively. Certain medications can help.