A disorder that results in severe & long lasting impairment in several aspects of child's expected development. People with Autistic Disorder typically show an unusual pattern of social & cognitive development beginning in childhood with marked difficulties in social interaction & communication. A very restricted repertory of interests & activities is also typical autism. This disorder affects 2 to 5 people on average in every 10k. It was originally considered to be extremely rare, but more recent epidemiological studies find that the rate has increased. About 70% of autistic people have IQ score less than 70 & other 30% have IQ scores that classify them in anywhere from normal to gifted range of intelligence.
People with autism show impairment in social relationship, communication & activities. Autistic kids don't seek out an adult for comforting they are hurt or upset. They don't like to be held, avoid eye contact, prefer solitary play & have poor understanding in social conversation or parent-child kiss-cuddle routine. Impairment of speech is even more dramatic. About half of autistic kids don't develop speech at all. If they learn to talk, they may echo of what's said to them. Artistic kids have very narrow range of interests & activities. Like they spent a long time in spinning objects, flicking their fingers or rocking their bodies. Children with autism resist changes by attempting to control other's behavior. For example, one girl began to cry each time her mother did not put her right foot on the step first when she started to climb steps in front of their house.
A number of theoretical perspectives have contributed to many of the hundreds of studies focused on autism. Points to ponder are cognitive deficits, language difficulties, deficit in interpersonal relationship, diagnosing autism & biological factors that may help to explain autistic behavior. Recent research has suggested that autism might not be a discrete disorder, rather a spectrum of traits that in combination with factors in social environment, might result in various level of disturbances & abilities. Autism may be several related disorders, not one.
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