What is Autism?
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individual is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autistic disorder almost always develops before the age of three and is characterized by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction, some form of repetitive and restricted stereotyped interest and ritual, or other behavior. Children with Autism often have extreme difficulty developing normal relationships with others. They tend not to share common interests with their peers, and in many cases these children are not able to interpret non-verbal cues of communication like facial expressions. Most people with autism have some impairment in language and many never speak at all. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.To read more, please go to: