What is it?
The Autism Spectrum Disorder (A.S.D.). Consists of 5 main criteria. The first 2 are so rare that they are often not spoken of. These two are Rhett's Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrantive Disorders.
Rhett's is only found in females, like all autism is caused by a random genetic mutation. It isn't till they reach 18 months that their development slows down. Their heads stop growing normally. They don't develop normal speech and exhibit strange breathing breathing patterns and unusual breathing problems. They suffer from seizures, rigid muscles, growth retardation and other problems life expectancy is around 40 years.
With C.D.D. this mainly effects males. The child is normally ok till around 42 months, when suddenly they experience a dramatic loss of language and social skills. Loss of bladder control and seizures may also result. Children with this disorder are very very low in intelligence and this is the easiest on the spectrum to diagnose Classic autism). Autism Disorder. This is the most severe kind of autism- remembering that Rhett's and C.D.D. are very rare. It is characterised by social impairments. Communication difficulties, restricted and particular patterns of behaviour. The most classic sign is impaired social interactions. A person with A.D. may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on a single item. They find it difficult to follow what people are saying or thinking as they can't pick up social cues, such as body language and tone of voice. They may fail to respond to their names and avoid eye contact. They may engage in repetitive movements such as rocking, spinning or flapping their arms. Even in self abusive behaviours like head banging and biting.
Asperger Syndrome (A.S.) this is often mistaken with high functioning autism. Often "Aspirs" aren't diagnosed until after three years of age. This is due to having no difficulty