Healthy Living - What is Autism?

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What is Autism?

Autism is a brain disorder that causes a wide variety of developmental problems in young children. The problems include abnormal social skills, language skills and behavior. These may show up as delays in development, regression in development or a lack of interest in other people. The signs and symptoms appear by age 3.

The reasons autism develops aren't clear. Success in helping an autistic child adjust and learn to live as independently as possible as an adult depends greatly on the type of symptoms and their severity.

Autism affects more than 400,000 Americans, between 10 and 20 of every 10,000 people in the United States, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. A closer figure depends on the diagnostic criteria used. Boys are about four times as likely as girls to be affected.

Autism is a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Other names for the condition include infantile autism and autistic disorder.