About Autism
a gift to be treasured!
Autism is the term given to the collection of behaviors arising from unusual neurological (brain) development. It is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, low eye contact and restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a child is three years of age.
Autism is also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) because the degree of severity for each individual varies greatly. For example, some individuals with ASD do not speak at all while others have an extraordinary aptitude for learning languages, but show challenges using language in a social manner.
According to Dr. Martha Herbert, "autism is becoming more widely known as a whole body condition deriving from gene-environmental-epigenetic interactions." People with ASD have sensory challenges and many have digestive and immune abnormalities. Wikipedia gives the prevalence of ASD as about 6 per 1000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls.
Sources:
www.autismcanada.org/storyorange.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
www.inspiredbyautism.com/Inspired_by_Autism/What_is_Autism.html