Autism is a disorder of the brain that starts to affect children under the age of three, as their brain is in the development stages. It affects the child's social development and cognitive abilities and the changes that come from that will carry on into adulthood. While the exact cause of autism is still a mystery, it is known to have a very strong genetic foundation. Whether it is a mutation of the genes or simple an interaction between hereditary genes, though, is unknown. There is also a debate that certain vaccines can inhibit autism, but that is still under investigation.
History of
Autism has been around for a while, but it wasn't until recently that it was properly labeled and diagnosed. In the early 1900's, children with certain autistic characteristics were being labeled as schizophrenics, though in 1938 that began to change with the investigations of Hans Asperger. He recognized Asperger syndrome, which is similar to autism, though not as severe and long-term. Leo Kanner was the first person to use the word autism as it is used today in his studies on infantile autism. Since then, autism has been studied in depth and, in 1960, it was established as its own syndrome. It was known to have a lifelong affect on a person, and as studies increased, so did new therapies to help children growing up with it. Currently, parents of autistic children are being urged to take an active role in their lives, and new technologies such as the Internet have made it easier for autistic people to connect with the world and even perform jobs from home.
Features
There are three major features that, combined in a person, suggest autism. Inhibited social development is one of them and can be seen at an early age. People with autism have a limited understanding of other people's emotions and have trouble learning socialize with them. This starts from infancy and continues into adulthood. They also find it very hard to communicate, so much, in fact, that nearly a third of autistic people aren't able to develop enough speech for everyday, necessary communication. The final feature of autism is repetitive behavior, which can manifest itself in a few ways. Autistic children often exhibit this either through repetitive movements, systematic stacking or lining up of toys (usually very precisely), or sometimes biting oneself.
Evolution
Autism has been the same throughout history, but our perception of the disorder and the way we look at it has evolved. Before autism was even named, there were accounts of children exhibiting the disorder, and they were often thought of to be possessed by the devil. As science and medicine evolved, autism was soon seen under a wider umbrella of social and mental disorders. During the 60s, it was separated as a disorder of its own. Treatments for autism also changed to involve parents as a stronger figure than doctors and to include social interaction through the Internet and other technological means.
Time Frame
Autism can be seen in a person as early as a few months from when they are born. Infants with autism will often smile and respond to people more often. When specialists look at a child who may be suffering from autism, some of the signs they look for are if the child hasn't reached the babbling stage by twelve months, does not speak single words by sixteen months and no gesturing by twelve months. Autism continues through adulthood and as time goes on, social interactions may continue to fail or become limited.
Risk Factors
Autistic people need to be looked over constantly from their infancy stage well into adulthood. Because of the symptoms associated with autism, there are some important risks that can occur for autistic people who are not cared for. As children, many autistic people take to repetitive self-harm. This could be biting or banging themselves against a wall or a similar surface. Besides physical harm, autistic children and adults can suffer from severe depression is they are left alone, which is another major risk associated with not having a caregiver.
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