What is Autism?


Autism is one of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ASDs are developmental disabilities that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with ASDs also have unusual ways of learning, paying attention, and reacting to different sensations. The thinking and learning abilities of people with ASDs can vary—from gifted to severely challenged. An ASD begins before the age of 3 and lasts throughout a person's life.

ASDs include autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS, including atypical autism), and Asperger syndrome. These conditions all have some of the same symptoms, but they differ in terms of when the symptoms start, how severe they are, and the exact nature of the symptoms. The three conditions, along with Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder, make up the broad diagnosis category of pervasive developmental disorders.

Some signs of Autism

Children with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions, and pretend play. In some, aggression -- toward others or self -- may be present.

Some children with autism appear normal before age 1 or 2 and then suddenly "regress" and lose language or social skills they had previously gained. This is called the regressive type of autism.

People with autism may perform repeated body movements, show unusual attachments to objects or have unusual distress when routines are changed. Individuals may also experience sensitivities in the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste . Such children, for example, will refuse to wear "itchy" clothes and become unduly distressed if forced because of the sensitivity of their skin. Some combination of the following areas may be affected in varying degrees.

Communication:

       Lack of pointing to direct others attention to objects (occurs in the first 14 months of life)

       Does not adjust gaze to look at objects that others are looking at

       Cannot start or sustain a social conversation

       Develops language slowly or not at all

       Repeats words or memorized passages, such as commercials

       Does not refer to self correctly (for example, says "you want water" when the child means "I want water")

       Uses nonsense rhyming

       Communicates with gestures instead of words

Social interaction:

       Shows a lack of empathy

       Does not make friends

       Is withdrawn

       Prefers to spend time alone, rather than with others

       May not respond to eye contact or smiles

       May actually avoid eye contact

       May treat others as if they are objects

       Does not play interactive games

Response to sensory information:

       Has heightened or low senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste

       Seems to have a heightened or low response to pain

       May withdraw from physical contact because it is overstimulating or overwhelming

       Does not startle at loud noises

       May find normal noises painful and hold hands over ears

       Rubs surfaces, mouths or licks objects

Play :

       Shows little pretend or imaginative play

       Doesn't imitate the actions of others

       Prefers solitary or ritualistic play

Behaviors:

       Has a short attention span

       Uses repetitive body movements

       Shows a strong need for sameness

       "Acts up" with intense tantrums

       Has very narrow interests

       Demonstrates perseveration (gets stuck on a single topic or task)

       Shows aggression to others or self
Is overactive or very passive

   New developments in Autism

 During the past five years, autism research advancements have exposed autism as a developmental brain disease, with a genetic root and environmental trigger. Despite the progress, research is still necessary to identify what the "lesion" looks like, how many genes are involved and what environmental risk factors are behind its increased prevalence. Furthermore, although autism is considered by many experts to be a cluster of disorders, researchers have yet to develop a consistent approach for sub-typing the various "autisms" into valid syndromes. Thomas R. Insel, M.D. (Director, National Institute of Mental Health) and the staff at the NIMH are currently working on a new strategic plan for autism research that highlights the urgent need for rigorously testing current treatments and the even more urgent need for developing new treatments targeted at the core symptoms of autism, both in children and adults.