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Autism is a lifelong,
neurological disorder that significantly affects how a person perceives
the world, interacts with other people, and communicates.
It is often referred to as a spectrum disorder, meaning the symptoms
and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety
of combinations, from mild to severe. Autism and its associated
disabilities such as Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental
Disorder (PDD) occur in approximately 1 out of every 150 children born
today. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls and knows no
racial, ethnic, or social boundaries.
There is no single, specific cause of autism. In many families
there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities - which
suggests there is a genetic basis to the disorder - although no single
gene has been directly linked to autism.
Autism is treatable. Early diagnosis, intervention, and a
system of support are vital to the future development of the child.
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What Autism is Not
Several outdated theories about the cause of autism have
been proven to be false.
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Autism is not a mental illness
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Autism is not the result of poor parenting
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Children with autism are not unruly or spoiled kids
who just have a behavior problem
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The vast majority of persons with autism are not
savants, like the character portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie
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Children with autism are not without feelings and
emotions
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Furthermore, no known psychological factors in the
development of the child have been shown to cause autism.
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Common Characteristics of People
With Autism
Some children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate
a delay early in life while others appear to develop typically until the
age of 18-30 months, when parents may notice delays or regression in
language, play, or social interaction.
The following are characteristics frequently observed in
people with autism:
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Communication: Language develops slowly or
not at all. May display non-speech sounds, echolalia
(mimicking words without any understanding of the meaning), may
communicate with gestures or behaviors instead of words.
Frustration with lack of speech is common.
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Sensory: May be very sensitive
(hyper-sensitive) or very insensitive (hypo-sensitive) to sounds,
textures, tastes, touch, and sights. May be unaware of various
physical stimuli such as pain.
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Social: May prefer to spend time alone
rather than with others. May show lack of interest in peers,
lack of eye contact, may seem unaware of others, may treat others as
objects, may prefer parallel play rather than interactive play and
display lack of imaginative play. May show limited
understanding and responsiveness to social cues such as eye contact
or smiles.
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Behavior: May be overactive or very
passive. May not be interested in being picked up or cuddled.
May perseverate (show an obsessive interest in a single item, idea
or person i.e. flapping hands, spinning, balancing, tiptoe walking,
lining things up). May display a lack of common sense, show
aggression to others or self. May be resistant to changes in
routine.
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Play: May prefer to play alone or
parallel play. May lack spontaneous or imaginative play, may
not initiate pretend games, may prefer to use toys in odd ways i.e.
lining them up or spinning the wheels on toy cars.
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Splinter Skills: May display great
interest and/or talent in an area such as drawing, music, math,
calendars, memory, computer or mechanical areas such as complex
video/audio equipment.
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Autism Spectrum Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth
Edition (DSM IV) names the symptoms of Pervasive Development
Disorder (PDD) to produce five varieties:
- Autistic Disorder: Impairments in social interaction,
communication, and imaginative play which are usually seen by the
age of 3.
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified
(PDD-NOS): Commonly referred to as atypical autism, a
diagnosis of PDD-NOS may be made when a child does not meet the
criteria for a specific diagnosis, but there is a severe and
pervasive impairment in the areas of communication, social
interaction, and behavior.
- Asperger's Disorder: The diagnosis was intended to
specify those children for whom spoken language develops on
schedule, despite the fact that social communication and interaction
remain problematic. It is characterized by impairments in
social interactions and the presence of restricted interests and
activities, with no significant delay in language and testing in the
average to above average range of intelligence.
- Rett's Disorder: A rare, progressive disorder which
occurs only in girls beginning at the age of 1-4 years.
Involves a sudden onset of severe problems in language development,
as well as movement disorder such as constant hand flapping or
hand-wringing, after what had been a normal course of early infant
development.
- Childhood Disintegrative Disorder: Intended as a
diagnosis for children who seem to develop symptoms of social,
language, and cognitive difficulties after the usual diagnostic
window of 18-36 months. Occurrence is rare and normal
development for at least the first 2 years is followed by a
significant loss of previously acquired skills.
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Autism Checklist
Individual's with autism usually exhibit many of the
traits listed below. These symptoms can range form mild to severe
and may vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. In addition,
the behavior usually occurs across many different situations and is
consistently inappropriate for the child's age.
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Insistence on sameness; resists changes in routine
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Severe language deficits
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Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or
pointing instead of words
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Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of
normal, responsive language)
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laughing, crying, or showing distress for reasons
not apparent to others
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Prefers to be alone; aloof in manner
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Tantrums; displays extreme distress for no apparent
reason
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Difficulty in mixing with others
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May not want to be touched or may not be physically
affectionate
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Little or no eye contact
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Unresponsive to standard teaching methods
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Sustained odd play
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Spins objects or self
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Inappropriate attachment to objects
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Apparent oversensitivity or undersensitivity to pain
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No real fear of dangers
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Noticeable physical over activity or extreme under activity
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Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf even
though hearing tests in normal range
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Uneven gross/fine motor skills (may not kick a ball,
but can stack blocks)
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** Please note this symptom list is not a
substitute for a full-scale diagnostic assessment.
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