It affects the way the brain processes information, preventing individuals from properly understanding what they see, hear and otherwise sense. People with autism have to learn normal patterns of communication and ways to relate to people – unlike the rest of us, who develop this skill naturally as part of our normal developmental process.
Symptoms range from mild learning and social impairment. It may occur alone or accompany problems such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy or seizures, which characterise it as a ’spectrum’ disorder.
A complex, lifelong developmental disability, autism typically menifests itself during the first three years of life. A number of autistic children never develop speech; while others do, but rarely use it to communicate.
ASD (autistic spectrum disorders) has no single, specific cause, though current research links it to biological or neurological differences in the brain, and not poor parenting, family income, lifestyle or educational level.
An autistic child looks ‘normal’, but has unusual behaviour and speech patterns:
- repeats, confuses ‘you’ and ‘i’, and expresses needs rather than emotions
- enjoys rocking, spinning or flapping hands
- repeats the same activity for long stretches of time
- appears to be hyperactive
- prefers routine, dislikes change
- gets upset for no apparent reason
- appears indifferent to pain, heat, cold or danger
- avoids eye contact
- doesn’t mix with others.
