Orange County Autism and ADD
Treatment Specialist

Autism Spectrum Disorder

The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism with associated behaviors have been estimated to occur in one out of every 250 births (Center for Disease Control and Prevention Report, 2003). Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls. The U.S. Department of Education and other government agencies report that autism is growing at a rate of 10-17 percent per year.

Autism is a spectrum disorder, thus the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations with different degrees of severity. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present. Persons with autism may also exhibit some of the following traits in varying degrees:

· Resistant to change, insists on sameness
· Difficulty in expressing needs; might use gestures or pointing instead
· Repeats words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language
· Laughs, cries, or shows distress for reasons not apparent to others
· Prefers to be alone; has an aloof manner
· Has tantrums
· Poor or no eye contact
· Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
· Sustained odd play
· Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
· Sustained odd play
· Inappropriate attachments to objects
· Over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain or touch; resists cuddling
· Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
· Uneven gross/fine motor skills
· No response to verbal cues; acts as if deaf, although can hear

Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each case can have different limitations and abilities. Many children and adults with autism show affection, smile, laugh, and demonstrate a variety of other emotions, although in varying degrees. Many autistic children do make eye contact; however it may be less often or different from a non-autistic child. Many develop good functional language, while others develop some type of communication skills, such as sign language or use of pictures. While children do not “outgrow” autism, symptoms may decrease as the child develops and receives treatment.