At first glance you might not notice anything odd on meeting a young boy with autism. But if you try to talk to him, it will quickly become obvious that something is seriously wrong. He may not make eye contact with you; instead he may avoid your gaze and fidget, rock his body to and fro, or bang his head against the wall. More disconcerting, he may not be able to conduct anything remotely resembling a normal conversation. Even though he can experience emotions such as fear, rage and pleasure, he may lack genuine empathy for other people and be oblivious to subtle social cues that most children would pick up effortlessly.

In the 1940s two physicians--American psychiatrist Leo Kanner and Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger--independently discovered this developmental disorder, which afflicts about 0.5 percent of American children. Neither researcher had any knowledge of the other's work, and yet by an uncanny coincidence each gave the syndrome the same name: autism, which derives from the Greek word autos, meaning "self." The name is apt, because the most conspicuous feature of the disorder is a withdrawal from social interaction. More recently, doctors have adopted the term "autism spectrum disorder" to make it clear that the illness has many related variants that range widely in severity but share some characteristic symptoms.

5 Comments

1. 1. manuoaks 09:18 PM 2/9/08

   This article does not take into consideration the physical ailments of autism

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2. 2. drheave 08:52 PM 4/26/09

   I think food allergies would make a significant impact on the theroies of autism or the lack of the ability to produce certain protiens. I think it all correlates with what the body is able to do with what it is able to absorb.

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3. 3. ashley 08:59 PM 5/6/09

   There are 18 theories as to the cause of Autism that I personally know of. I am disappointed that none of these were cited. I feel if you are going to take the time to make an article on Autism you should put in the effort of simple research.

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4. 4. hoddies in reply to ashley 12:11 AM 7/5/09

   Hi Ashley. I think it would be useful for you to publish a URL that links to those 18 theories. I am interested in doing further research about ASD.

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5. 5. geronimoegger 08:32 PM 10/21/09

   i have an AS CHILD OF 9 YEARS OLD. AND I WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANY CHANCE OF HELPING HIM WITH THIS NEW THEORY OF THE MIRROR NEURONS OR MU WAVES OR STH ELSE
   
   IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME I AM WAITING.-
   
   THANK YOU
   PATRICIA escribania.rivas@gmail.com

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