Introduction

Autism is a highly variable, neurodevelopment disorder that first appears during infancy or early childhood. It affects approximately 700,000 people in the United States and occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. On average autism is 4 to 5 times more likely to occur in males. It has not been determined what specifically causes autism. Research shows that many factors—environmental, biologic and genetic—may be involved. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009).

Video: What is Autism (Centers for Disease Control, 2009)

Diagnosis can be difficult since there is no medical test to detect the disorder. Developmental screening accompanied by a comprehensive evaluation by a specialist confirms the diagnosis. It can be detected as early as 18 months, however many children are diagnosed much later, which delays treatment.

Autism’s defining characteristics include a marked impairment in the use of nonverbal behaviors, failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level, and lack of social or emotional reciprocity.

A person with autism might:

• Not respond to their name by 12 months.
• Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months.
• Not play "pretend" games (pretend to "feed" a doll) by 18 months.
• Avoid eye contact and want to be alone.
• Have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings.
• Have delayed speech and language skills.
• Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia).
• Give unrelated answers to questions.
• Get upset by minor changes.
• Have obsessive interests.
• Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles.
• Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009).

Reference:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Retrieved from: http://cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html