| Autism by definition is a psychiatric developmental | | | | A child with asperger's syndrome will typically |
| disorder that usually shows itself in the form of | | | | have a lot of the same social and behavioral |
| communication disorders, short attention span and | | | | issues as an autistic child but will still be able to |
| social problems. Children that show autistic | | | | slowly develop good speech and decent behavioral |
| features will not be interacting and playing the | | | | skills. Most of the time asperger suffers have |
| way a typical child would. Years ago autism was | | | | problems with social interactions and personal |
| incredibly rare and almost never found in children. | | | | space. They also seem to cling to routines and |
| Studies have shown about 1 in every 110 children | | | | become very upset when they can't do them. |
| are diagnosed with autism today. That number | | | | But a person with asperger's syndrome typically |
| was unheard just 40 years ago. | | | | has above average intelligence. |
| Autism is the most severe disorder in what is | | | | Although there are no definite answer for what |
| called the autism spectrum; some less severe | | | | causes autism there are some ongoing studies |
| disorders in this same spectrum are Pervasive | | | | and ideas for what is autism. It has been |
| Developmental Disorder or PDD, Pervasive | | | | researched and argued that the mercury that |
| Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, | | | | was once used in vaccines, to fight bacteria |
| Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder | | | | contamination, has been the cause of autism. This |
| and Asperger's syndrome. | | | | form of vaccine hasn't been used since the 1990's |
| PDD and PDDNOS are named when a person | | | | after the discovery of the harm it can do to |
| shows signs from all of the types of autism but | | | | people. |
| they do not exactly meet the symptoms of one | | | | Another suggestion for what causes autism is |
| specific type. Rett Syndrome is a much more | | | | simply some genetic factors combined with |
| physical type of autism where loss of muscle | | | | environmental factors. Again no one has been able |
| tone is one of the first symptoms. A lot of times | | | | to determine 100% what exactly causes autism. |
| a child with Rett Syndrome will seem normal and | | | | When the question "what is autism?" comes up, |
| develop naturally at first, and then completely | | | | it's a difficult question to answer. The whole |
| stop and even lose some of their abilities. The | | | | disorder combines different problems which |
| same is said for Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, | | | | makes it hard to figure out. |
| the child will begin to regress after a couple years. | | | | Luckily there are a lot of people out there who |
| Asperger's Syndrome and Classic Autism are the | | | | are continuing researching what is autism. With a |
| two most prominent disorders in the Autism | | | | lot of hope and a little bit of luck we will soon find |
| Spectrum. More children and people have been | | | | out what causes this debilitating disease. Being |
| and continue to get diagnosed with these two | | | | aware of its existence is the first step to raising |
| disorders more often than anyone realizes. | | | | awareness. Kids and people all over the U.S. and |
| Whereas autism itself really disables the child and | | | | the world suffer from autism and different |
| also shows a lot more physically asperger's | | | | disorders in the autism spectrum. You may know |
| syndrome can go un-noticed all the way to | | | | someone that suffers from one of them already. |
| adulthood. | | | | |