Autism was first described by Leo Kanner in 1943 and is known to affect 1 in 500 Americans with boys being four times more likely to have autism than girls. Although the focus of research is on children, there are many adults who are living with autism. Research on Autism is relatively new, as in the past those with autism were grouped into the broad category of mental retardation. Autism falls under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, PDD, which also includes Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and PDD not otherwise specified (atypical autism). These disorders all differ from each other and within themselves differ in severity and level of functioning. Autism is a Spectrum Disorder which indicates that its symptoms can present themselves in various combinations which may range from mild to severe. It is extremely difficult to define a standard autistic person several terms, which also vary in severity, characterize the person. The general terms that describe an autistic individual include: autistic-like, autism spectrum, autistic tendencies, high-functioning, and low-functioning. There are also autistics that have extraordinary capabilities such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man.
The basic criteria for autism include: 1) early onset (before 3-5 years of age) 2) abnormal responses to sensory stimuli 3) restricted, stereotyped, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, imagination, and activities 4) severe abnormality of reciprocal social relatedness, and 5) severe abnormality of communication development. An individual with autism has behaviors that appear overactive or overly passive. There may be a temper tantrum thrown for no apparent reason, the individual may seem obsessed with a single item, activity, or person. Autistic individuals can be aggressive to themselves or others, and often has difficulty with changes in a normal routine. When play is considered, the person often has a lack of spontaneous or imaginative play, does not engage in pretend play, and often does not initiate play with others. This indicates the impaired social interaction that is a characteristic of autism. It is common for someone with autism to spend more time alone than with others, show very little interest in making friends, or even interacting with other people. The autistic individual is extremely less responsive to social cues and often does not make eye contact or smile. Communication plays a significant part in social interaction, and is another area in which someone with autism experiences impairment. In a young child with autism, language development is slow, or not at all. It is common for an autistic individual to use gestures instead of words or when using words, they fail to attach meaning to them. Short attention span is characteristic of an autistic person. Another area in which there is impairment is in the senses. The individual may be overly or under sensitive in the areas of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
