Autism Resource Team

What is Autism

Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is a neurological disorder that affects functioning of the brain. It has been estimated that Autism and its associated behaviors occur in approximately 15 of every 10, 000 individuals. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism's occurrence.

Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in the areas of reasoning, social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have deficiencies in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. The disorder makes it hard for them to communicate with others and relate to the outside world. They may exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects and resist any changes in routines. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present.

There are an estimated 400,000 people in the U.S. today that have some form of autism. It's prevalence rate now places it as the third most common developmental disability – more common than Down's syndrome. Yet the majority of the public, including many professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields are still unaware of how autism affects people and how to effectively work with individuals with autism.

Learning and Behavioral Characteristics Associated with Autism

• Difficulty with social interactions
• Communication and language deficits/disorders
• Perseverative behavior
• Difficulty handling changes in routine
• Difficulty transferring skills
• Attention to parts rather than the whole
• Dependence on visual cues
• Rote learning with limited imagination
• Difficulty making choices, organizing, planning ahead
• Frustration shown by tantrums
• Withdrawal/passivity or overactivity
• Self-stimulatory/self-injurious behavior