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The brain disorder autism begins in early childhood and persists
throughout adulthood affecting three crucial areas of development:
verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and creative or
imaginative play.
Autism
is the most common of a group of conditions called pervasive
developmental disorders (PDDs). PDDs involve delays in many areas of
childhood development. The first signs of autism are usually noticed by
the age of three. Many individuals who are autistic also develop
epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes convulsive seizures, as they
approach adulthood. Other characteristics may include repetitive and
ritualistic behaviors, hand flapping, spinning or running in circles,
excessive fears, self-injury such as head banging or biting,
aggression, insensitivity to pain, temper tantrums, and sleeping and
eating disturbances. Autistic individuals live a normal life span, but
most require lifelong care and supervision.
Leo
Kanner first identified autism in 1943 when he described 11
self-absorbed children who had "autistic disturbances of affect
contact." At first, autism was thought to be an attachment disorder
resulting from poor parenting. This has been proved to be a myth. While
the cause remains a mystery, most specialists now view autism as a
brain disorder that makes it difficult for the person to process and
respond to the world. Autism has been observed in several members of
the same families. Therefore, many scientists believe that, at least in
some individuals, autism may be genetic. Scientists have identified
some genes as playing a possible role in the
development of autism.
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