From the start, most infants are social beings. Early in life, they gaze at people, turn toward voices, endearingly grasp a finger, and even smile. In contrast, most children with autism seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in the give-and-take of everyday human interaction. The disorder described above is a developmental disability of the brain that typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the environment. (Gelfand, 1988) It is a severe, lifelong neurological disorder that usually strikes some time in the first two years of life and can cause sever impairment in language, cognition and communication. These conditions affect nearly one in a hundred people worldwide. Between four and thirteen times as many males as females are affected. .
The term autism was first described and name by Leo Kanner in 1944. The mysterious disability of autism is characterized by a peculiar emotional and intellectual detachment from other people and the common human world. In autistic children, an impaired capacity for communication and human relationships and a severely restricted range of activities and interests become evident in the first few years of life. Although the symptoms vary in nature and severity, language and the capacity for a normal social life are always seriously affected. Some people with autism are relatively high functioning, with speech and intelligence intact. Others are mentally retarded, mute, or have serious language delays Although people with autism do not have exactly the same symptoms and deficits, they tend to share certain social, communication, motor, and sensory problems that affect their behavior in predictable ways. The main focus of this paper is to discuss how an autistic child deals with social interaction, communication and the effects on the family.
Causes and Symptoms of Autism.