Recognizing Adolescent Autism
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder of development that lasts throughout a person's life. It is a developmental disability because it usually starts before age three and continues into adulthood.
Autism is called a spectrum disorder because symptoms can range from extremely mild to very severe.
The main signs and symptoms of autism involve language, social behavior, and behaviors concerning objects and routines:
- Communication - both verbal(spoken) and non-verbal(unspoken, such as pointing, eye contact, or smiling)
- Social interactions - such as sharing emotions, understanding how others think and feel (sometimes called empathy), and holding a conversation, as well as the amount of time a person spends interacting with others
- Routines or repetitive behaviors - often called stereotyped behaviors, such as repeating words or actions, obsessively following routines or schedules, playing with toys or objects in repetitive and sometimes inappropriate ways, or having very specific and inflexible ways of arranging items
Types Of Autism
- Autistic disorder (also called "classic" autism)
- Asperger syndrome
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
Three groups are at higher-than-normal risk for ASDs:
- Boys - are 3 to 4 times more likely to be affected by autism than are girls.
- Siblings of those with ASDs - recurrence of ASD in another sibling is between 2 percent and 8 percent.
- People with other developmental disorders - including Fragile X syndrome, mental retardation and tuberous sclerosis, autism is common in addition to the primary symptoms of the disorder
Links to Additional Online Information
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