Autism - Signs, Symptoms, Treatments, Resources, Support for Autism

Many people with autism are mentally challenged. In contrast to mental retardation alone, which is characterized by relatively even skill development, people with autism show uneven skill development. They may have problems in certain areas, especially the ability to communicate and relate to others. But they may have unusually developed skills in other areas, such as drawing, creating music, solving math problems, or memorizing facts. For this reason, they may test higher -- perhaps even in the average or above-average range -- on nonverbal intelligence tests. Some of the different types of autism spectrum disorders include: Autistic disorder.  This is what most people think of when they hear the word "autism." It refers to problems with social interactions, communication, and imaginative play in children younger than 3 years. Asperger's syndrome. These children don't have a problem...

Classic Autism is the most common of the 5 Pervasive Developmental Disorders and can be classified into many forms and degrees of severity. The types of Autism Spectrum Disorder are Asperger syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PPD-NOS). Before we go on to discuss these, let's take a look at the general characteristics of autism. More recently referred to as "mindblindness", the scientific definition  of Autism is "a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life". Basically, those who are diagnosed with autism have a brain disorder that makes it hard for them to interact in what we consider a normal socially acceptable way. They find it difficult to communicate and relate to others because the different parts of their brains aren't able to work together. The severity of autism ranges greatly from one individual to another....