Defining Autism
The National Institutes of Health estimates that one in 166 children are diagnosed with some form of autism. Autism is a developmental disorder that involves many challenges — typically delays and impairment in social skills, language, and other behavior. Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that there is a broad spectrum of such symptoms.
Causes Autism
The bottom line is, no one really knows for sure what causes autism. Most experts will say that autism is probably caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Even those experts, though, do not have a definite answer. For many people, this uncertainty is terribly frustrating.
Symptoms
Most parents of autistic children suspect that something is wrong by the time the child is 18 months old and seek help by the time the child is 2. Children with autism typically have difficulties in:
Pretend play
Social interactions
Verbal and nonverbal communication
