Autistic

Autistic people suffer from a brain disorder known as autism, which results in impaired thinking, feeling, and social functioning. Typically, autistic people have difficulty communicating and forming relationships with others. There is no known cure for people who are autistic. Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will become autistic.

 

Autistic: An Introduction

Autism is a brain disorder that too often results in a lifetime of impaired thinking, feeling, and social functioning -- our most uniquely human attributes. Autism typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the external world. The disorder becomes apparent in children generally by the age of 3.
 
Autism (sometimes referred to as "classical autism") is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders.
 
 
 
Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will become autistic. Males are four times more likely to be autistic than females. Autistic girls with tend to have more severe symptoms and greater cognitive impairment.
 

Common Autistic Behaviors

Autism is characterized by three distinctive behaviors. Autistic children:
 
  • Display problems with verbal and nonverbal communication
  • Have difficulties with social interaction
  • Exhibit repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests.
     
Some autistic people can function at a relatively high level, with speech and intelligence intact. Others have serious cognitive impairments and language delays, and some never speak.
 
In addition, autistic individuals may seem closed off and shut down, or locked into repetitive behaviors and rigid patterns of thinking. An autistic infant may avoid eye contact, seem deaf, and abruptly stop developing language. The child may act as if unaware of the coming and going of others, or physically attack and injure others without provocation. Autistic infants often remain fixated on a single item or activity, rock or flap their hands, seem insensitive to burns and bruises, and may even mutilate themselves.
 

Causes of Autistic Conditions

Researchers don't know for sure what causes autism, but it's likely that both genetics and environment play a role.
 

Treating Autistic People

There is no cure for autism. Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can bring about substantial improvement.
 
The ideal autistic treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that target the core symptoms of autism: impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and obsessive or repetitive routines and interests. Most professionals agree that the earlier the intervention for an autistic person, the better.
 

Prognosis for Autistics

For many autistic children, symptoms improve with treatment and with age. Some autistic children grow up to lead normal or near-normal lives. Children whose language skills regress early in life, usually before the age of 3, appear to be at risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity.
 
During adolescence, some autistic children may become depressed or experience behavioral problems. Parents of these children should be ready to adjust treatment for their child as needed.
 

Statistics and Autistic People

Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities. Autistic individuals are of all races and ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Current estimates suggest that approximately 400,000 individuals in the United States have autism.
 
Autism is three to four times more likely to affect boys than girls. Autism occurs in individuals of all levels of intelligence. Approximately 75 percent are of low intelligence while 10 percent may demonstrate high intelligence in specific areas such as math.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD