Introduction
Autism is a disorder that severely impairs development of a person’s ability to communicate, interact with other people, and maintain normal contact with the outside world. The disorder was first described in 1943 by American psychiatrist Leo Kanner. One of the most common developmental disabilities, autism affects 2 to 5 out of every 10,000 children and appears before the age of three. It is four to five times more common in males than in females.
Autistic children classically dislike being touched or looking people in the eye, and they seem to take no pleasure in sharing experiences with others. Autistic children also experience delayed speech (and sometimes an absence of it). In addition, they often have an odd attraction to repetitive behaviors. A child may like to twirl endlessly. He may be fascinated by a specific sound--in Westin Beveridge's case, it was a neighbor's leaf-blower--or a single moving part of a complicated toy.
Characteristics
Autistic disorders present a very difficult problem. Over one half of autistic children are mentally retarded. Perceptual, cognitive, and language deficits seem central to the autistic syndrome, but specific underlying mechanisms are unknown. Autistic persons seem deficient in problem solving; they do not see what others see. Cognitive theorists argue that the cognitive problems are primary and cause the social problems, whereas others consider social insensitivity to be the key deficiency and perceptual abnormalities to be contributors.
Autism is often referred to as a spectrum disorder—that is, a disorder in which symptoms can occur in any combination and with varying degrees of severity. Symptoms of autism usually begin during infancy. Autistic infants may stiffen or go limp when picked up by parents rather than clinging or cuddling up to them. Autistic infants often show little or no interest in other people and lack typical social behaviors. For example..........
