autism

            
             Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. Autism occurs in approximately 15 of every 10,000 individuals. It is the result of a neurological disorder that is four times more prevalent in boys then girls, knowing no racial, ethnic or social backgrounds. Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in the areas of reasoning, social interactions and leisure activities. The disorder makes it hard for children to communicate with others or become independent members of the community. It is estimated that nearly 400,000 people in the United States today have some form of Autism. It's prevalence rate now places it as the third most common disability, more common than Down's Syndrome. Yet the majority of the public, including many professionals in the medical field, educational, and vocational fields are still unaware of how Autism affects people and how to effectively work with individuals with Autism. In this research paper, I will discuss the signs and symptoms of autism, and types of autism, the diagnosis of autism and studies that have been done. .
             Autism affects the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. This disorder makes it hard for them to relate to the outside world, and it is hard for them to communicate with others. Aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present in some cases. They may exhibit repeated body movements, such as hand flapping or rocking, unusual responses to people or attachments to objects and resistance to changes in routines. They possibly will experience sensitivities in the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. .
             There are many symptoms of autism. They include extreme difficulty in learning language, inappropriate responses to people, avoiding eye contact, resisting being picked up or cuddled, uncooperative play with other children, extreme hyperactivity just to name a few.