Autism
Alternate Names : Autistic Disorder, PDD
Autism is a condition that affects development of the brain. Autism severely affects a person's social, mental,
emotional, and communications skills.
What is going on in the body?
Autism is the most severe form of the pervasive developmental disorders,
which affect a person's ability to interact with others. The hallmark signs of autism are extreme difficulty in responding to social
interactions and communicating with others. Autism is most often noticed before the age of 3. It occurs four times more often
in boys than in girls. It seems to appear equally among all parts of society. It affects about 5 out of 10,000 people.
Some people who have autism may also have other disorders that affect the brain. These include:
epilepsy
Down syndrome
fragile X syndrome
Turner syndrome
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
The causes of autism are not well known. Experts suspect a genetic factor. What is known is that none of the following
can cause autism.
bad parenting
mental illness
a child's naughty behavior
Psychological factors have also not been found to contribute to autism.
Some cases of autism have been associated with trauma, disease, or structural abnormalities before or during
birth. These include:
encephalitis or other serious infections
affecting the brain as an infant
lack of oxygen during birth
the mother having rubella, also called German
measles, while she was pregnant
untreated phenylketonuria, a
problem in the body's ability to handle certain chemicals named phenylketones
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